By Heresies Distressed
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4.4 • 7 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
The battle for the soul of Safehold has begun.
Charis and Chisholm have joined together, pledged to stand against the tyranny of a corrupt Church. The youthful Queen Sharleyan of Chisholm has wed King Cayleb of Charis, forging a single empire dedicated to the defence of human freedom.
Crowned Empress of that empire, Sharleyan has found with Cayleb the love she never dared hope for in a 'marriage of state'. And in Cayleb's cause - his defiance of the ruthless Group of Four who govern the Church - she has found the task to which she can commit her mind, her courage, and her life.
Yet there are things Sharleyan does not know, secrets Cayleb has not been permitted to share, even with his beloved wife. Secrets like the true history of humanity on Safehold. Like the intricate web of lies, deception, and fabricated 'religion' which have chained humanity for almost a thousand years.
And so Empress Sharleyan faces the great challenge of her life unaware of all that task truly entails . . . and of how the secrets Cayleb cannot share may threaten all they have achieved. And may threaten her life itself.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this tangled follow-up to 2008's By Schism Rent Asunder, the corrupt Church of God Awaiting has ruthlessly suppressed technology on the planet Safehold for the past 800 years. Merlin Athrawes, a cybernetic avatar bodyguard serving the king of Charis, has introduced a sequence of innovations that allow the united island kingdoms to defeat the Church's agents, but the Church's rulers soon adopt the very technology they proscribe. Their greater resources, combined with a fanatical fifth column not averse to assassination, make the long-term prospects of the "heretical" empire appear bleak, especially as Charis must pause to pacify new territories while responding to recent massacres. The personalities and motivations of the numerous characters are particularly well drawn and credible, and Weber makes grand strategies and political machinations easily accessible to casual readers.
