THE TEARS OF ARTAMON

Three kingdoms. One man.
A destiny written in blood.
An epic new fantasy series begins . . .

Seemingly always the outsider, Gavril Andar - an impoverished young painter - yearns to join the privileged circles of Muscobar polite society. However, unbeknownst to him, he does have royal blood in his veins: the dark and powerful blood of a father he never knew - the Drakhaon, ruler of the isolated northern kingdom of Azhkendir. And when the Drakhaon is brutally murdered, an unwilling Gavril is forced to take up the mantle of both his father's rule - and his power. For blood will out. And the Drakhaon's carries within it a taint that gives its bearer access to awesome, unimagined magics - but at a soul-shattering price.

Now trapped in this bleak, mist-shrouded land full of superstition and racked by bitter rivalries, Gavril faces an awesome task. He must find his father's killer and unite his fractured kingdom against those who see it as weak, defenceless and ripe for invasion before he pays the price of kinship and succumbs to the dread curse that uncoils within him . . .

Richly imagined, full of intrigue, magic and dark romance and boasting a cast of superbly-drawn players, LORD OF SNOW AND SHADOWS is the first book in a thrilling new trilogy and marks the triumphant return of one of fantasy's most original and exciting voices.

Gavril Nagarian, Lord Drakhaon of Azhkendir, is believed dead - perished in the heat of battle. Yet he still lives, and is entrusted with a sacred mission: to rescue the aged Magus, who has been kidnapped and in whose possession are the five priceless rubies that compose the fabled Tears of Artamon. Ancient law decrees that whoever possesses the stones has the power to impose his will over the Empire of New Rossiya. But the task exacts a cost. The drakhaoul that destroyed his forebears has penetrated Gavril's psyche and is gaining power over his soul. As these dark forces seek immortality inside him, so Gavril must feed on the blood of innocents - or die.
Toppled by the loss of the Tears of Artamon, Emperor Eugene of Tielen is tormented by his own daemon, but he must defend his lands against King Enguerrand of Francia who claims ownership of the Tears. Yet both men share a common goal: to destroy Gavril Nagarian and the Drakhaoul that lives within him once and for all.
Ingenious and unforgettable, Children of the Serpent Gate delivers a thrilling conclusion to the epic trials of a man of honour in a world in chaos - one that can only be laid to rest by an Emperor's Tears.

'The emperor's tears will unlock the gate...'
Eugene of Tielen has won the five Tears of Artamon, the legendary rubies which entitle him to be crowned ruler of the ancient empire of Rossiya. But on the eve of his coronation, as the rubies are brought together for the first time in the imperial crown, a strange phenomenon occurs: a beacon of crimson light shoots up from the crown into the night sky. Is it a good portent - or an evil omen?
While sinister forces infiltrate Eugene's new empire, stirring the defeated peoples to revolt, Eugene is obsessed with enslaving a Drakhaoul, the daemon spirit that made his arch enemy, Gavril Nagarian, such a formidable opponent. Craving the arcane knowledge that will lead him to his goal, Eugene seeks out Kiukirilya, the Spirit Singer, forcing her to undertake a perilous journey into the world of the dead.
And what of Gavril, imprisoned and tortured in the dread Ironsea Tower? His dreams are of escape. But the opportunity, when it comes, faces him with an impossible choice. He longs to return to his earlier, simpler life but he knows that only one man can stop Eugene in his quest for daemonic powers. And that man is Gavril Nagarian...