Synopses & Reviews
A brand-new quirky and original comic fantasy series to appeal to fans of Terry Pratchett Law student Lex Trent's world is inhabited by fearsome magicians, aging crones, and a menagerie of gods and goddesses. And while Lex is seemingly dedicated to his legal studies he's always enjoyed a challenge—which is why he leads a double life as the notorious cat burglar "The Shadowman," who has been, luckily, evading capture for years. But Lex's luck is about to run out, because the Goddess of Fortune has selected him to be her player in the highly dangerous Games. Losing is not an option for Lex—particularly as it so often involves dying—but can he really win each of the perilous rounds? Given that the reward for doing so is money, fame, and glory, all things that Lex is quite eager for, he's going to do whatever it takes to make sure he will—and he certainly has plenty of experience at cheating.
Review
"Bell's impressive debut is a mature literary theological mystery with a satisfyingly twisty thriller conclusion. . . . a compelling genre mashup with glimmers of Gaiman, Blish and Ludlum." —Publishers Weekly on The Ninth Circle
Review
"[A] lighthearted inversion of the typical faerie quest." —Publishers Weekly
Review
"This fantasy adventure featuring a roguish 'hero' should appeal to most fans of the genre." —Library Journal
Review
"You simply cannot put the book down...I would recommend it for fans of Garth Nix and Terry Pratchett's YA DISCWORLD books." - Fantasy Literature.com
Synopsis
A quirky and original comic fantasy from talented Gollancz author Alex Bell
Law student Lex Trent's world is inhabited by fearsome magicians, ageing crones and a menagerie of Gods and Goddesses. And while Lex is seemingly dedicated to his legal studies he's always enjoyed a challenge - which is why he leads a double life as the notorious cat burglar 'The Shadowman' who has been (luckily) evading capture for years.
But Lex's luck is about to run out because the Goddess of Fortune has selected him to be her player in the highly dangerous Games. Losing is not an option for Lex (particularly as it so often involves dying) but can he really win each of the perilous rounds? Given that the reward for doing so is money, fame and glory - all things that Lex is quite keen on - he's going to do whatever it takes to make sure he will... and he's certainly got good experience of cheating.
About the Author
Alex Bell is the author of Jasmyn and The Ninth Circle.