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Play of Shadows

Thrills, Wit And Swordplay with a new generation of the Greatcoats!

Sebastien de Castell

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Paperback

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English
Arcadia Books
11 February 2025
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Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first volume in the new swashbuckling fantasy series set in the universe of THE GREATCOATS.

Damelas Chademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel.

He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides a temporary respite from his troubles - until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out a dreadful truth: the city's most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer.

With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actors who'd just as soon see him dead, this failed grandson of two Greatcoats must somehow find within himself the courage to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids come for his head.

Oh, and there's still that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him . . .
By:  
Imprint:   Arcadia Books
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 196mm,  Width: 128mm,  Spine: 34mm
Weight:   360g
ISBN:   9781787471450
ISBN 10:   1787471454
Pages:   512
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming

Sebastien de Castell had just finished a degree in Archaeology when he started work on his first dig. Four hours later he realised how much he actually hated archaeology and left to pursue a very focused career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor and product strategist. His only defence against the charge of unbridled dilettantism is that he genuinely likes doing these things and that, in one way or another, each of these fields plays a role in his writing. He sternly resists the accusation of being a Renaissance Man in the hopes that more people will label him that way. Sebastien's acclaimed swashbuckling fantasy series The Greatcoats was shortlisted for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy, the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut, the Prix Imaginales for Best Foreign Work and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His YA fantasy series Spellslinger was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and is published in more than a dozen languages. Sebastien lives in Vancouver, Canada with his lovely wife and two belligerent cats.

Reviews for Play of Shadows: Thrills, Wit And Swordplay with a new generation of the Greatcoats!

These books are just joyous . . .This is first-rate fiction, first rate adventure, first rate full stop * CONN IGGULDEN on THE GREATCOATS * Fantastic from the first sentence to the last. Combining old-school swashbuckling action with contemporary characters and a good dose of grit, these books are the rarest of things, great rollicking fun combined with an emotional punch . . . Sebastien, write faster! * JOHN GWYNNE, Author of the Faithful and the Fallen on The Greatcoats series * Guaranteed to increase household swashbuckling by 100% * Library Journal on Traitor’s Blade * These are not the kinds of books you forget. They are the kind you remember and recommend * Ageless Pages * Highly recommended, as is the GREATCOATS series as a whole * Fantasy Literature * The Greatcoats is now up there on my list of favourite fantasy series * Bibliosanctum * A page-turner in the true sense of the phrase . . . Witty, romantic and atmospheric in the way of great adventure stories * British Fantasy Society on the Greatcoats series * A bunch of fun from one cover to the other * Tor.com on Traitor's Blade * Don't hesitate to buy this if you love a great hero and story . . . What a voice! What story-telling brio! If you love Dumas, or Game of Thrones or The False Prince this is the swashbuckling fantasy for you * AMANDA CRAIG, author of Hearts And Minds * Traitor's Blade provides swashbuckling fan service, and has fun along the way, but it also packs a sneaky emotional punch as well. Dumas would be proud * Pornokitsch * The Three Musketeers meets Game of Thrones, Traitor's Blade is the most delightful fun . . . [should] be high up on anyone's list * smorgasbord * An absolute stunner that you can't afford to miss * The Founding Fields on Traitor’s Blade * I want to join the Greatcoats! * Parmenionbooks * Every so often, a debut novel comes along that knocks your expectations out of the park. Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora is one of those novels. Peter V. Brett's The Painted Man is another. Sebastien de Castell's Traitor's Blade needs to be added to that list. I loved this * Civilian Reader *


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