The Stars Askew

With the seditionists in power, Caeli-Amur has begun a new age. Or has it? The escaped House officials no longer send food, and the city is starving.

When the moderate leader, Aceline, is murdered, the trail leads the philosopher-assassin Kata to a mysterious book that explains how to control the fabled Prism of Alerion. But when the last person to possess the book is found dead, it becomes clear that a conspiracy is afoot. At its centre is former House Officiate Armand, who has hidden the Prism. Armand is vying for control of the Directorate, the highest political position in the city, until he is betrayed and sent to a prison camp to mine deadly bloodstone.

Meanwhile, seditionist Maximilian is sharing his mind with another being: the joker-god Aya. Aya leads Max to the realm of the Elo-Talern to seek a power source to remove Aya from Max's brain. But when Max and Aya return, they find the vigilants destroying the last remnants of House power.

It seems the seditionist's hopes for a new age of peace and prosperity in Caeli-Amur have come to naught. The question now is not just whether Kata, Max and Armand can do anything to stop the bloody battle in the city, but whether they can escape with their lives.

About the Author

Rjurik Davidson is a winner of the Ditmar Award as Best New Talent and the Aurealis Award for his short fiction. His first book was a collection, The Library of Forgotten Books. A columnist, and a literary and film critic, he lives in Melbourne, Australia. The Stars Askew is his second novel, following Unwrapped Sky.