Cleland Smith
The Black Doe assassins are legends, shadows who never leave a target alive. But Bridei, one such Black Doe sent to end the threat of a rising warlord, is stabbed with her own knife, crucified, and left to die. If she is to fulfil her mission, retrieve her stolen memories, and earn her fee, she must live, and she must kill.
Tisiphone's sons are raised on tales of the Black Does and tales of Rome. They carry great potential: the blood of Cruithne, which grants them the chance to become chieftain, married with that of the mighty Roman general, Agricola. Yet as the invaders encroach ever further north, what was once a blessing may soon become a curse. Can Tisiphone's love and fierce loyalty protect her boys from suspicion, invasion, and the darkness of thwarted ambition?
In a world soaked in magic and blood, both women, one a mother, the other a killer, face a choice: to hold onto what they want, or to do what must be done. Either way, there will be blood on the bracken.
Kester Lowe is the next big thing in viral fashion. For the price of a Brinkov suit you could be wearing one of his exclusively engineered STVs. And once you put it on, almost everyone will want you...
At least, that's the plan. When Kester infects Alexis Farrell with one of his signature viruses, showing her what he is capable of first-hand, she employs him to head up her new viral design department at techno-pharmaceutical giant V. Farrell will stop at nothing to make Kester a star, but not everyone is a fan. Those offended by what he represents, those he has betrayed, his own suppressed ambitions and forgotten promises - Kester is racking up enemies and they are about to come together in an attempt to destroy him.
...this pseudonymous debut...is a sci-fi masterwork....an utterly readable novel, not only impossible to put down, but conceptually mind-blowing...Extraordinary—a visionary tour de force.
- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)