Pennyblade

A sharp-tongued disgraced-noble-turned-mercenary has to stop the world collapsing into chaos in this gripping, savagely funny epic fantasy packed with unforgettable characters, for fans of Joe Abercrombie.

Exile. Mercenary. Lover. Monster. Pennyblade.

Kyra Cal'Adra has spent the last four years on the Main, living in exile from her home, her people, her lover and her past. A highblood commrach the ancient race of the Isle, dedicated to tradition and the perfection of the blood she's welcome among the humans of the Main only for the skill of her rapier, her preternatural bladework. They don't care which of the gleaming towers she came from, nor that her grandmother is matriarch of one of Corso's most powerful families.

But on the Main, women loving women is a sin punishable by death. Kyra is haunted by the ghost of Shen, the love of her life, a lowblood servant woman whom Kyra left behind as she fled the Isle. When a simple contract goes awry, and her fellow pennyblades betray her, Kyra is set onto a collision course with her old life, and the age-old conflict between the Main and the Isle threatens to erupt once more.

“' Pennyblade doesn't so much reinvent well-worn fantasy tropes as stab them to death in a dark alley. Kyra Cal'Adra is a lethally alluring protagonist weaving an intricate tale rich in ferocious action and multifaceted intrigue, all topped off by a deliciously vicious twist.' - Anthony Ryan, author of Blood Song , The Wolf's Call and more 'A violent, and wildly imaginative, riot of a book.' - R. J. Barker, author of Age of Assassins and The Bone Ships 'The changeling offspring of Jorg Ancrath and Ph”

"Provocative and decadent, crude and funny, and an altogether entertaining fantasy adventure." - Edward Cox, author of The Relic Guild series"Pennyblade doesn't so much reinvent well-worn fantasy tropes as stab them to death in a dark alley. Kyra Cal'Adra is a lethally alluring protagonist weaving an intricate tale rich in ferocious action and multifaceted intrigue, all topped off by a deliciously vicious twist." - Anthony Ryan, author of Blood Song, The Wolf's Call and more"A violent, and wildly imaginative, riot of a book." - R. J. Barker, author of Age of Assassins and The Bone Ships"The changeling offspring of Jorg Ancrath and Phedre no Delaunay. Filthy, furious, wonderful." - Anna Smith-Spark, author of The Court of Broken Knives"The most fresh and original take on a classic fantasy species I've read since The Grey Bastards. A fun, blood and sex-fueled adventure with a knockout cast of characters, and a surprisingly bitter-sweet love story at its core. I enjoyed the hell out of it!" - Rob Hayes, author of The Mortal Techniques and The War Eternal series"A fantasy adventure full of violence, passion, chaos and betrayal." - Emerald Archer

James Worrad lives in Leicester, England, and has for almost all his life. In 2011 James attended Clarion, the prestigious six-week SF workshop held at the University of California, San Diego. There, he studied under some of the genre's leading professionals and also got to see a lot of wild hummingbirds. 2018 saw the publication of his first and second novel, the space opera duology Feral Space. He's had short stories published by Daily Science Fiction, Flurb, Newcon Press and Obverse Books.

A sharp-tongued disgraced-noble-turned-mercenary has to stop the world collapsing into chaos in this gripping, savagely funny epic fantasy packed with unforgettable characters, for fans of Joe Abercrombie. Exile. Mercenary. Lover. Monster. Pennyblade. Kyra Cal'Adra has spent the last four years on the Main, living in exile from her home, her people, her lover and her past. A highblood commrach - the ancient race of the Isle, dedicated to tradition and the perfection of the blood - she's welcome among the humans of the Main only for the skill of her rapier, her preternatural bladework. They don't care which of the gleaming towers she came from, nor that her grandmother is matriarch of one of Corso's most powerful families. But on the Main, women loving women is a sin punishable by death. Kyra is haunted by the ghost of Shen, the love of her life, a lowblood servant woman whom Kyra left behind as she fled the Isle. When a simple contract goes awry, and her fellow pennyblades betray her, Kyra is set onto a collision course with her old life, and the age-old conflict between the Main and the Isle threatens to erupt once more.

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