The Orphans' Promise

The second installment in the internationally bestselling and prize-winning Secret of Ji fantasy series

The Known World’s greatest secret has proven a heavy burden for the last heirs of the Ji emissaries: a death sentence from the goddess Zuïa and her band of implacable Judges and a fleeting glimpse of another world that could devastate the Upper and Lower Kingdoms. Now, after barely eluding a band of Züu assassins, these unlikely heroes find themselves hunted once more. A dark, armor-clad figure brought Zuïa’s judgment upon them, but he remains inescapable and nameless. They call him simply the Accuser.

Yet there is still hope for the accused. A century-old journal promises to unravel the secret of Ji, and priestess Maz Lana can show them the way. With the Accuser drawing ever closer and the fate of the Known World hanging in the balance, the heirs must harness new abilities―and enlist the help of the gods―before the Known World’s greatest secret is lost forever.

A native of France and a lifelong fantasy enthusiast who numbers Jack Vance, Fritz Leiber, and Michael Moorcock among his heroes, Pierre Grimbert has been awarded the Prix Ozone, for best French language fantasy novel, and the Prix Julia Verlanger, for best science fiction novel in any language. He is the author of fourteen much beloved novels of the Ji mythos, including the series the Secret of Ji, the Children of Ji, and the Guardians of Ji. He lives in northern France with his wife and two sons.