Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk

In the holy city of Othir, treachery and corruption lurk at the end of every street, just the place for a freelance assassin with no loyalties and few scruples.

Caim makes his living on the edge of a blade, but when a routine job goes south, he is thrust into the middle of an insidious plot. Pitted against crooked lawmen, rival killers, and sorcery from the Other Side, his only allies are Josephine, the socialite daughter of his last victim, and Kit, a guardian spirit no one else can see. But in this fight for his life, Caim only trusts his knives and his instincts, but they won’t be enough when his quest for justice leads him from Othir’s hazardous back alleys to its shining corridors of power. To unmask a conspiracy at the heart of the empire, he must claim his birthright as the Shadow’s Son….

Shadow’s Son by newcomer Jon Sprunk, recently released by Pyr Books and Gollancz first caught my eye because of the Michael Komarck cover. Ironic, given my reputation for showing utter dismay every time a hood is present on a cover. Still, the book itself sounds fun (and I liked what Sprunk had to say on this podcast), so it’s been on my radar ever since.

In a moment of genial comradeship, Tor.com is hosting an extended excerpt from Shadow’s Son, available for all to read. If, like me, the synopsis and cover have you interested, this is a great chance to get a better glimpse at Sprunk’s debut novel.

Discussion