The Black Mausoleum (August 2012 UK)

There’s Karatos, the alchemist sentenced to death for being what she is. There’s Siff in the next cell. His death sentence is for killing four soldiers with his bare hands even though he has no memory of how he did it. There’s Skjorl, the Adamantine Man whose job it is to watch over them.

Thing is, though, Siff knows something. He knows something that might just change the fate of the world and right now, any change at all is looking like a good thing. So Kataros has to get him out, so he can show her what he’s found, and never mind that he’s likely going to stab her in the back the first chance he gets. To get him out, she needs Skjorl, even if the Adamantine Man would rather stab himself than help someone like Siff, and that’s only the start of what he’d do to her.

And then there’s the dragon. The dragon doesn’t hate any of them. It’s a dragon. It simply wants to eat them.

The Black Mausoleum. Someone’s going to die.

Chapters 1 and 2 are available online

TBM Cover de-rezzed

Actually, it’s probably that guy on the cover, isn’t it.

Review from the British Fantasy Society: “a cracking pace throughout … Well told, nippy, and chock full of twists and turns.”

Review from the Falcatta Times: “characters that step from the page into the readers mind with such a vivid presence that you’ll form attachments with them all whether you love or loath them”

Review from A Fantasy Reader: “…if you like action and character driven plot with scorching fire around the corner, you’ll be satisfied.”

Review from Pauline’s Fantasy Reviews: “…a tautly-plotted action-packed story, with perfect pacing and a terrific blend of character-driven incident and convincing world-building, a totally enjoyable read that I raced through in a couple of days because I just didn’t want to put it down. A good four stars.”

Review from the Ranting Dragon: “Deas has a knack for writing dark and morally ambiguous characters that even George R.R. Martin should envy. Most of all, though, his novels are pure, high-speed whirls of action, suspense, and drama, written with formidable, horrifyingly vivid prose.”

14 Responses to “The Black Mausoleum (August 2012 UK)”

  1. Daniel says:

    Hey Stephean! This is the one Kasern is in, yeah? Can’t wait for this!

  2. Kirhan says:

    For ‘The Order of the Scales’ in paperback I think I need to wait till Feb 2013, and a little more for ‘The Black Mausoleum’ that I will manage to buy it. I wish I had so much patience as to survive till this time! But I will buy those two books for sure and if there will be more then I want to have it too! I really like your stories.

  3. Stephen says:

    Really enjoyed the first three so I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

  4. aku72 says:

    i liked this books because of Kemir and Sollos.they were likeable characters funny witty and ..eeh likeable,yes.but after they are dead i dont care how much books you intend to write in that universum.but thanks anyway for the books.

  5. malina says:

    I liked Jehal… I’m going to miss him in the next books.

  6. Tom says:

    Is this one going to be released in the USA?

  7. Stephen says:

    Right now there is no deal in place for a US release, but watch this space.

  8. Tom says:

    I will watch with interest. It’s been a fun read so far.

  9. colin says:

    been a fan of the first three I got say this is my favorite of the bunch glad minor spolier you didn’ t go compelty homicidal on your charecters you so love killing, looking so farward to then next one.

  10. Jean-Yves says:

    Un petit message d’un lecteur français. J’ai beaucoup aimé la première trilogie, j’attends donc la suite avec impatience.

  11. Ammy says:

    Hi, I’m a big fan of Memory of Flames, though I must agree with others above that I wish you didn’t kill your characters so much–it makes it hard to form attachments to them!
    I was wondering if there are any plans for an Australian release?

  12. Ahmad says:

    Hi, a French reader here, trying to find a continuation to the order of the scale. I was a bit disapointed at the end of it, no information about crucial character :’(
    I hope to find them in this one !

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  14. Stephen says:

    Spending the first 10-15 minutes trying to figure out what to write is a common problem. The answer, of course, is to have the next passage buzzing around in your head before you even reach your keyboard, and I do have a tip for that: stop your writing sessions in the middle of a scene, not at the end. Why? Because you know, when get up and leave mid-scene, what’s going to happen next. You’ve mapped it out in your head, even if its just the next couple of paragraphs. That will still be with you when you next sit down to write, which means you immediately know what to do. A few paragraphs might be all you’ve got but it gets your brain engaged and gets the juices flowing. Probably doesn’t work for everyone but it definitely works for some of us. Try it and see.

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