October 1, 2023
Two years after the events of The Aeronaut's Windlass (2015), Spire Albion is hovering on the brink of war with Spire Aurora, which has been field-testing a powerful weapon that leaves no witnesses as to what could cause such complete destruction. Captain Mad Grimm and the crew of the privateer airship Predator manage to rescue some survivors of an attack on Albion territory--a tribe of kittens. But the felines refuse to identify the threat unless provided with a new home, which will require negotiations with the cats of Spire Albion. As that agreement is worked out, Predator is assigned to accompany a diplomatic delegation to Spire Olympia, where a summit between competing Spires is being held, a conclave to determine future trade patterns and ascertain alliances for the coming war. Grimm himself has been tasked with preventing any confrontations between Alex Bayard, the delegation's deputy, and Aurora's deadliest duelist. If he fails, his friend will die, and Albion will be deprived of allies as war is declared. Butcher's fans will delight in the new characters and alternate Spires while enjoying favorites from the first book and will be eager for the next episode in the action-packed Cinder Spires series.
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October 1, 2023
The Spires have kept humanity safe from the dangers of the surface of the world, but now war looms between Spires Albion and Aurora, as other Spires must begin to choose sides to ensure their survival. A trade summit at Spire Olympia is the opportunity for Lord Albion, the Spirearch, to secure the alliances needed to hold off Aurora, and he sends Captain Grimm and his airship, the AMS Predator, to support the diplomatic mission. When Aurora's Armada reveals a secret weapon that can destroy entire Spires, it will take diplomacy, duels, and incredible skill to align the Spires with Albion--if it is not already too late. Multiple points of view from established and new characters widen the worldbuilding. With eight years between books, fans will enjoy reconnecting with the characters through a reread of the first book, yet new readers can also read this as a stand-alone. VERDICT Butcher's long-awaited sequel to The Aeronaut's Windlass is an exciting epic fantasy, set in the sky and filled with airships, magic, and the connections of blood and found family.--Kristi Chadwick
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October 16, 2023
After a lengthy hiatus, bestseller Butcher returns to his Cinder Spires series with an explosive second installment (following 2015’s The Aeronaut’s Windlass), again starring aeronaut Capt. Francis Madison Grimm. In a world grown uninhabitable, humanity resides in several autonomous spires rising above the planet’s surface. Now war is brewing between Grimm’s home, Spire Albion, and Spire Aurora. The story opens with Grimm and the crew of Predator on a mission to a colony spire—only to discover that the human colony has been wiped out and in its place is a colony of kittens. These sentient felines make an agreement to reveal what awesome force destroyed the colony in return for a new home for their clan. From there, one plot thread follows Spirearch Guard Commander Benedict and Sgt. Bridget Tagwynn on a mission to secure territory from another cat chieftain. Meanwhile, the Predator accompanies a diplomatic mission to a trade conference on Spire Olympia. Spire Aurora has sent the duelist Rafe Valesco as part of its delegation, and Grimm has been assigned to keep his combative friend, Commodore Bayard, from dying on Valesco’s sword. Conflict and etherialist magic soon escalate, and Butcher tops everything off with a dash of romance and plenty of steampunk airship combat. Fans will find this is worth the wait. Agent: Jennifer Jackson, Donald Maass Literary.