An ornate yet dark fantasy, with echoes of Mervyn Peake, Robin Hobb and Jon Courtenay Grimwood. An original and beautifully imagined world, populated by unforgettable characters.
Lucien de Fontein has grown up different. One of the mysterious and misshapen Orfano who appear around the Kingdom of Landfall, he is a talented fighter yet constantly lonely, tormented by his deformity, and well aware that he is a mere pawn in a political game. Ruled by an insane King and the venomous Majordomo, it is a world where corruption and decay are deeply rooted - but to a degree Lucien never dreams possible when he first discovers the plight of the 'insane' women kept in the haunting Sanatoria.
Told in a continuous narrative interspersed with flashbacks we see Lucien grow up under the care of his tutors. We watch him forced through rigorous Testings, and fall in love, set against his yearning to discover where he comes from, and how his fate is tied to that of every one of the deformed Orfano in the Kingdom, and of the eerie Sanatoria itself.
Industry Reviews
- The Boy with the Porcelain Blade displays an impressive talent for character and story * We Love This Book *
If you enjoy your buckle being swashed with a healthy side order of conspiratorial plotting this could well be the book for you * The Eloquent Page *
a solid and brilliant book with a unique and engaging voice * Starburst Magazine *
The story is brimming with abductions, assassination attempts and internal politics * Lynns Books *
The Boy with the Porcelain Blade is an intriguing novel that opens like a flower to reveal all to those who choose to read it * Fantasy Book Review *
This is a rollicking tale of feuding families, vendettas, politics, deception and rivalry...The Boy with the Porcelain Blade is a rich and satisfying novel, and a surprisingly assured novel from this relatively new writer * SFF World *
a tale that left me hanging for more * Falcata Times *
Patrick manages to blend two intertwining narratives masterfully * Nerd Like You *
a strong and confident first novel with a great mix of romance, skulduggery, swashbuckling and intrigue * Geek Planet Online *
Den Patrick has offered up a bold an immersive introduction to his Landfall trilogy that deserves to duel its way onto the bookshelves of many readers * Film in Words *
a finely-crafted thriller...that will appeal to fans of Robin Hobb, Scott Lynch and Jon Courtenay Grimwood -- Jack Parsons * SciFiNow *
featuring swordfights, violence and full-tilt action...familiar intrigues with a darker more gothic touch -- Saxon Bollock * SFX *
It is a fast paced novel, economically layered but deceptively detailed. I found the character descriptions and locations exceptionally realised as I flew through the story in what felt like shared real time -- Joe Gordon * FORBIDDEN PLANET INTERNATIONAL *
The characters are fantastically created here. They feel complete and have multiple layers. I also liked the fact that they're not perfect -- Pat Scattergood * Curiosity of a Social Misfit *
Den Patrick is an extremely talented author, creating a detailed and complex world that is effortless to read. -- Ed Fortune * Starburst Magazine *
The Boy with the Porcelain Blade packs a lot of punch and is extremely well written in an excellent literary style which is sadly often absent in modern fantasy...The Boy with the Porcelain Blade is a rich, literary fantasy which bodes will for the rest of the series * UPCOMING 4 ME *
A singular and brilliant fantasy debut * My God It's Raining *
Amongst many of the existing fantasy books currently published Den Patrick makes an original and exciting entrance... I am definitely in for more stories set in this intriguing world. Den Patrick is off to a good start, a true gem in the making! * The Book Plank *
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