SPFBO9 Semifinalist: Crucible Of Lies by Mitchell Hogan (reviewed by Esmay Rosalyne)
Official Author Website Order the book HERE OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Crucible Of Lies is a book that I would probably not have picked up if I hadn't had to read it for SPFBO9 judge duties. However, as soon as I read the first page, I was fully enthralled. A framing narrative, an unreliable narrator, morally gray characters, unique yet terrifying soul/mind magic, and lots of cutthroat political intrigue; this book has everything you could want from a dark high fantasy. This is the story of Zerach-Sangur , the notorious and highly feared immortal God-like emperor. At the start of this book, a failed assassination attempt prompts him to share his life story with his would-be assassin. If she still thinks he deserves to be killed after she has heard his version of his life story and his legendary rise to power, she has his permission to do so. We are transported thousands of years back in time to when the emperor was living as ‘ Zah ’, a young orphaned boy desperately trying to survive in ...