Those Above: The Empty Throne Book 1 - Softcover

Polansky, Daniel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1444779915 ISBN 13: 9781444779912

Publisher: Hodder, 2016

Synopsis

They enslaved humanity three thousand years ago. Tall, strong, perfect, superhuman and near immortal they rule from their glittering palaces in the eternal city in the centre of the world. They are called Those Above by their subjects. They enforce their will with fire and sword.

Twenty five years ago mankind mustered an army and rose up against them, only to be slaughtered in a terrible battle. Hope died that day, but hatred survived. Whispers of another revolt are beginning to stir in the hearts of the oppressed: a woman, widowed in the war, who has dedicated her life to revenge; the general, the only man to ever defeat one of Those Above in single combat, summoned forth to raise a new legion; and a boy killer who rises from the gutter to lead an uprising in the capital.

Those Above is the first of an extraordinary new fantasy epic by the author of the acclaimed Low Town series that will sweep the reader into a wholly alien, wholly recognizable world of rebellion and revenge, of love and of death, of intrigue and pitiless war.

About this title

About the Author

Daniel Polansky was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He can be found in Brooklyn, when he isn't somewhere else. His Low Town novels, THE STRAIGHT RAZOR CURE and its sequels, TOMORROW, THE KILLING and SHE WHO WAITS received great acclaim. This is his first epic fantasy.

Review

'Quite possibly the newest, freshest fantasy novel since Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind. It is, in short, the bastard son of George R. R. Martin and Raymond Chandler, an unusual combination of hard-boiled crime novel in a fantasy world setting.―readerdad.co.uk

Those looking for well-createed and beautifully created fantasy, which also happen to be both darkly comic and devastatingly grim, will find themselves swiftly addicted.―Starburst

THOSE ABOVE is I, Claudius by way of Tolkien and filtered through Chandler. That is to say, really damn good.―Pornokitsch

Machiavellian clockwork glory.―Mark Lawrence, author of Prince of Thorns

Gripping... Polansky has pulled off a polished fantasy thriller that's very much in the George RR Martin/Joe Abercrombie vein, but has still given the book its own distinctive style and voice, alongside plenty of evocative world-building. The Empty Throne (series) looks set to be fascinating and provocative.―SFX

From low conflict to high skulduggery, this is Daniel Polansky's most assured and engrossing novel yet.―The Sci Fi Bulletin

Dark fantasy with a decidedly military bent, THOSE ABOVE is the perfect opener for Daniel Polansky's career beyond Low Town. With his unmistakeable voice and his highly original new world, he draws the reader slowly in until it's impossible to put the book down and escape back to reality. A brilliant start to what is sure to be one of the fantasy epics of all time, THOSE ABOVE is the work of an author at the top of his game and brings with it the promise of a lot more to come.―Reader Dad

An impossible to put down read, showing how dark fantasy can truly be―thefoundingfields.com

Praise for THE STRAIGHT RAZOR CURE

'Quite brilliant... The Straight Razor Cure is as good a debut as I've read in along time. [It] has it all - and as the name suggests, it is sharp, steely and viciously bloody. Highly recommended'

―John Berlyne, SF Revu

'Tomorrow The Killing delivers more of the same noir-esque brilliance that placed The Straight Razor Cure amongst the top releases of last year.'―The British Fantasy Society

About this edition

• Publisher: Hodder
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1444779915
• ISBN 13: 9781444779912
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400