Synopses & Reviews
If he'd known all the trouble following her, itinerant photographer Michelangelo "Mage" Magistrale would have thought twice about helping the beautiful, distressed woman at the bus station. In return for a ticket she gives Mage what she says is the key to her apartment, but he quickly discovers that it's much more: it's a key to any door, to any place, to incredible power--and there are people who will stop at nothing to possess it.
Suddenly Mage is on the run from Calgary to Los Angeles, under constant attack from ninja, Yakuza thugs, and terrible creatures ripped from Japanese mythology. His only hope is to discover the secret of the key and master its power--to learn the art of arrow cutting--before he comes to the inevitable confrontation with the dark forces pursuing him.
Review
"An agreeable blend of oriental fantasy and noir-ish sleuthing: a polished, well-organized debut, complemented by Dedman's nice light touch on the tiller."--
Kirkus Review (starred review)
"The Art of Arrow Cutting is equal parts urban fantasy, noir thriller, and Japanese myth. A clever and engaging book."--Sci-Fi Universe
"A very impressive achievement."--Locus
About the Author
Stephen Dedman is the author of the novels
Foreign Bodies and
The Art of Arrow Cutting. The latter was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Horror Novel. His award-nominated short fiction has appeared in most major genre magazines, including
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Asimov's, and
SF Age, as well as such highly regarded anthologies as
Little Deaths, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, Dreaming Down Under, and
Centaurus. A collection of his short work,
The Lady of Circumstances, was published in 1999. He lives in Perth, Australia, and is currently working on a third novel of magic noir.