The Dragons of Babel

A fantasy masterpiece from a five-time Hugo Award winner!

A war-dragon of Babel crashes in the idyllic fields of a post-industrialized Faerie and, dragging himself into the nearest village, declares himself king and makes young Will his lieutenant. Nightly, he crawls inside the young fey's brain to get a measure of what his subjects think. Forced out of his village, Will travels with female centaur soldiers, witnesses the violent clash of giants, and acquires a surrogate daughter, Esme, who has no knowledge of the past and may be immortal.

Evacuated to the Tower of Babel — infinitely high, infinitely vulgar, very much like New York City — Will meets the confidence trickster Nat Whilk. Inside the Dread Tower, Will becomes a hero to the homeless living in the tunnels under the city, rises as an underling to a politician, and meets his one true love — a high-elven woman he dare not aspire to.

You've heard of hard SF: This is hard fantasy from a master of the form.

"In this triumphant return to the universe of The Iron Dragon's Daughter (1994), Hugo-winner Swanwick introduces Will le Fey, an orphan of uncertain parentage. After defeating an evil mechanical war dragon who has enslaved him and his village, Will finds himself displaced by war, first imprisoned in an internment camp and then transported to the many-miles-high city of Babel. On the way, he falls in with Esme, an immortal child with no memory, and Nat Whilk, a donkey-eared confidence man of superhuman abilities. Fusing high technology seamlessly with magic, Swanwick introduces us to a wide range of marvelous conceits, fascinating digressions and sparkling characters. His language bounces effortlessly back and forth between the high diction of elfland and thieves' argot to create a heady literary stew. This is modern fantasy at its finest and should hold great appeal for fans of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys or China Miville's novels." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"The tale is intriguing and action packed, but if one has not read the first book, it is almost impossible to follow....Still mature fantasy fans who have read the first book will want to return to this fascinating, arbitrary world." VOYA

"Swanwick continues to turn traditional ideas of Faerie life upside down while remaining true to ancient Celtic Faerie lore." Library Journal

"The tone and ambience of Swanwick's dark, gritty fantasy are reminiscent of the Bordertown shared-world series...full of elves, haints, trolls, dwarves, centaurs, and more." Booklist

Michael Swanwick lives in Philadelphia, PA. He has won five Hugo Awards and one Nebula Award.