The shadow throne

How it reads

The shadow throne is fantasy (flintlock fantasy, specifically), and its dominant mood is tense. The suspense is the kind you feel in your shoulders. It moves fast: plot-driven and hard to put down, the kind of book that carries you along even when you're tired.

It's set in an invented world, in no single period, told in the third person across several viewpoints. Its central concerns are power and politics, war and justice. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It opens a series. It ends on a cliffhanger, so have the next book ready. It's a long book, and a real commitment. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.