Synopses & Reviews
The great fire of 1835 burned most of New York Citys wooden downtown and, like many others, Archie Prescott thinks hes lost all thats dear to him. His home is a smoldering ruin and his wife is dead--and next to her body is a childs corpse he assumes was his daughter. It seems as though its the end of everything...
But it is only the beginning. In the midst of ancient magic, murderous conspiracies, and a crafty Mesoamerican demon-god who is plotting the end of humanity, Archie finds himself with the power to save the world—or drown it in sacrificial blood.
Review
“A strange, dark, and wonderful novel... This ones a keeper.”--Charles de Lint
“Complexly crafted, dark, sometimes gruesome... totally convincing and chilling.”--Booklist
“This is not merely a stunning debut novel; it is one of the best magic historicals I have ever read.”--James Patrick Kelly, author of Think Like a Dinosaur
Synopsis
The great fire of 1835 burned down most of New York City's wooden downtown. Like many people, Archie Prescott thought he'd lost everything--his home was a smoldering ruin, his dead wife's body lay at his feet, and next to her was the corpse he assumed was his daughter. It seemed like the end of everything...but it was only the beginning. Goaded on by the publisher of the New York Herald, Archie runs afoul of one of P.T. Barnum's former sideshow workers. The carney has used an ancient book to resurrect a Mesoamerican god--a chacmool who plans to use the blood of Archie's still-living daughter to bring about the end of humanity. In the midst of ancient magic and murderous conspiracies, Archie finds himself with the power to save the world or drown it in sacrificial blood...but first he has to stop mourning his daughter, and undertake a grim cross-country journey to save her.
Synopsis
When the great fire of 1835 burns New York City's downtown, Archie Prescott thinks he's lost everything. In the midst of ancient magic and a crafty demon-god, Archie soon finds himself with the power to save the world--or drown it in sacrificial blood.
About the Author
Alexander Irvine is a native of Ypsilanti, Michigan. His extraordinary stories have appeared in such places as
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Alfred Hitchcocks Mystery Magazine, and
Starlight 3. He is a descendant of P T. Barnum and once worked as a roller-skating waiter. He currently resides in New England with his wife and twins.