Venice, 1407. A powerful city with powerful enemies.
Duke Marco has the throne, but his ruthless aunt and uncle rule in his stead, scheming against their enemies and each other. The pawn at the heart of their struggle is the Duke’s young cousin, Lady Giuletta. When she is abducted by Mamluk pirates, it is an outrage that will trigger war.
As the Germanic emperor and Mamluk sultan gather their forces against the city, Venice is heading for a battle it will surely lose. Its only hope lies in a mysterious boy possessed of inhuman strength and speed and a past wrapped in mystery.
‘His Venice is a dangerous place of dank, cut-throat malevolence, peopled by leap-off-the-page characters . . . a page-turning read’ The Guardian
‘Dark and majestic’ The Financial Times
‘Political, compelling, dark and urbane, this is a unique and stylish book’ Pornokitsch