Steph Swainston returns to the dazzling, dizzying world of the Fourlands with the audacious sequel to her acclaimed novels The Year of Our War and No Present Like Time. Jant Comet, the messenger, has survived deadly insects, internecine politics, and even his own debilitating, life-threatening addiction. But now he faces a challenge greater than any he has met in the last several centuries, one that could shake the foundations of the Fourlands forever. For the Emperor himself is riding to the front, and nothing is as it seems . . .

"'Swainston's daring and imaginative third Fourlands fantasy novel (after The Year of Our War and No Present Like Time) plunges the reader into the action with a gripping account of a bloody battle between fearsome aliens known as the Insects and the people of the Fourlands. A century later, Jant Comet, the winged messenger granted immortality for as long as he serves the Fourlands' Emperor San, battles both his nightmares of the past and the continuing threat of the alien invaders. As Jant struggles to develop a plan that will end the menace once and for all, his focus is diverted by the disappearance of Cyan, the daughter of Jant's fellow immortal and friend, Lightning. Meanwhile, the Insects are developing terrifying new abilities and strategies that may spell doom for the Fourlands. A dramatic and compelling plot, plus inventive and convincing descriptions, elevate this above the common run of contemporary fantasy fiction. (July)' Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Steph Swainston was born in 1974 and comes from Bradford, England. She studies archaeology at Cambridge University and then worked as an archaeologist for three years, gaining a masters of philosophy from the University of Wales.

She also worked as a researcher in a company that develops herbal medicines. Her current job is in defense research.