Unwrapped Sky

(Paperback)

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"Impressively imagined." Kirkus A hundred years ago, the Minotaurs saved Caeli-Amur from conquest. Now, three very different people may hold the keys to the city's survival. Once, it is said, gods used magic to create reality, with powers that defied explanation. But the magic - or science, if one believes those who try to master the dangers of thaumaturgy - now seems more like a dream. Industrial workers for House Technis, farmers for House Arbor and fisher folk of House Marin eke out a living and hope for a better future. But the philosopher-assassin Kata plots a betrayal that will cost the lives of godlike Minotaurs; the ambitious bureaucrat Boris Autec rises through the ranks as his private life turns to ashes; and the idealistic seditionist Maximilan hatches a mad plot to unlock the fabled secrets of the Great Library of Caeli Enas, drowned in the fabled city at the bottom of the sea, its strangeness visible from the skies above. In a novel of startling originality and riveting suspense, these three people, reflecting all the hopes and dreams of the ancient city, risk everything tor a future that they can only create by throwing off the shackles of tradition and superstition, as their destinies collide at ground zero of a conflagration that will transform the ancient city . . . or destroy it. PRAISE FOR THE SERIES "A brooding tale of civil unrest and personal destinies" Publishers Weekly "A lyrical and evocative novel of ancient magic, minotaurs and myth; of dreams and nightmares, sacrifice and redemption. Highly recommended." Garth Nix "Rjurik has a brilliant, fecund imagination, and I absolutely love the setting and the sense of place ... Caeli-Amur is one of the more memorable cities in recent fantasy." Hannu Rajaniemi "Rjurik Davidson works the sharp edges where epic fantasy, uncanny science fiction, and the New Weird collide. An amazing debut." Scott Westerfeld "A dark, strange invitation for lovers, losers and lunatics." Ben Peek

Reviews

A lyrical and evocative novel of ancient magic, minotaurs and myth; of dreams and nightmares, sacrifice and redemption. Highly recommended. * GARTH NIX *
Rjurik has a brilliant, fecund imagination, and I absolutely love the setting and the sense of place in the book. Caeli-Amur is one of the more memorable cities in recent fantasy. * HANNU RAJANIEMI *
Rjurik Davidson works the sharp edges where epic fantasy, uncanny science fiction, and the New Weird collide. An amazing debut. * SCOTT WESTERFELD *
A dark, strange invitation for lovers, losers and lunatics. * BEN PEEK *
Impressively imagined. * KIRKUS *
A brooding tale of civil unrest and personal destinies * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *
Unwrapped Sky would be hard to imagine in a world before China Miville. However, this debut novel from Australian author Rjurik Davidson can go toe-to-toe with Perdido Street Station and Iron Council as an imaginative, immersive read with a point to make. * SCIFINOW *
Unwrapped Sky will thrill fans of rich mythologies . . . It simultaneously delivers something new, while feeling engagingly comfortable. * MANIA.COM *
Davidson immerses readers in his blend of fantasy and science fiction via striking characters who rush headlong into chaotic and dangerous situations from which they belatedly realize they're unable to extricate themselves. * SEATTLE TIMES *
One of the best and most original fantasy novels I've read to date. It's an impressive achievement, because it's a refreshingly different kind of a fantasy novel. Its wonderfully new weirdish atmosphere will leave readers holding their breath and wanting more. With this novel Rjurik Davidson proves that he is the new master of new weirdish fantasy that sparkles with creativity and originality. Very highly recommended! * RISINGSHADOW.NET *
Unwrapped Sky is an ambitions fantasy novel with a breathtakingly vast world tangled in a web of deceit, betrayal, and revolution . . . I highly recommend it to anyone interested in an engrossing fantasy that will whisk you off to faraway places. * EMPYREANEDGE.COM *
An original story that sets 19th century political struggles in a fascinating fantasy world. Davidson's characters are flawed and compelling. This is an ambitious debut from a very promising writer. * POPMYTHOLOGY.COM *
This book is a journey, and that's the kind of book I like the most. It's one of those novels that I had to savor and read slowly, and I just know I will catch something different every time I read it. What a gift. * BOOKWORMBLUES.NET *

Author Bio

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.