Just a quick post to inform you of an upcoming event with Edward Cox, author of the debut fantasy novel THE RELIC GUILD, which was published in the UK by Gollancz in September 2014. Here’s the synopsis…

In the sealed Labyrinth, a young woman must find a way to control her magic and escape her prison in this remarkable debut fantasy.

Magic caused the war. Magic is forbidden. Magic will save us.

It was said the Labyrinth had once been the great meeting place, a sprawling city at the heart of an endless maze where a million humans hosted the Houses of the Aelfir. The Aelfir who had brought trade and riches, and a future full of promise. But when the Thaumaturgists, overlords of human and Aelfir alike, went to war, everything was ruined and the Labyrinth became an abandoned forbidden zone, where humans were trapped behind boundary walls 100 feet high.

Now the Aelfir are a distant memory and the Thaumaturgists have faded into myth. Young Clara struggles to survive in a dangerous and dysfunctional city, where eyes are keen, nights are long, and the use of magic is punishable by death. She hides in the shadows, fearful that someone will discover she is touched by magic. She knows her days are numbered. But when a strange man named Fabian Moor returns to the Labyrinth, Clara learns that magic serves a higher purpose and that some myths are much more deadly in the flesh.

The only people Clara can trust are the Relic Guild, a secret band of magickers sworn to protect the Labyrinth. But the Relic Guild are now too few. To truly defeat their old nemesis Moor, mightier help will be required. To save the Labyrinth – and the lives of one million humans – Clara and the Relic Guild must find a way to contact the worlds beyond their walls.

Here are just some of the great reviews that keep pouring in for the novel…

‘A terrific debut novel, with plenty of scope for expansion and some really good world-building. Most importantly, lots of fun.’ — Joanne M Harris

‘THE RELIC GUILD is an intriguing, original and enjoyable book, a daring mix of genres that initially feels like it shouldn’t work, but is ultimately greater than the sum of its parts.’ — Starburst

‘This is smart, energetic fantasy that grips you from page one and delivers a genuinely memorable experience.’ — Eloquent Page

‘This is a fantastic debut, and one that worked for me on pretty much every level… I really enjoyed this, and definitely think Cox is an author to watch. This is a great first installment, and a must-read of 2014.’ — Civilian Reader

‘THE RELIC GUILD, the debut novel from Edward Cox, is all kinds of magic: alchemy, illusion, lycanthropy, necromancy, sorcery and thaumaturgy; this book has magic in its DNA… it is very much a characteristic of the book that no figure lacks colour, no scene lacks substance and no twist lacks spice… Stylistically it is a rich brew… a high concept fantasy packed with ideas, weird and wonderful characters and a mix of styles, at times evoking noir, urban fantasy, flavours of steampunk (in the depiction of anachronistic technology) and grotesque body-horror David Cronenberg would be proud of. Thought you knew where modern fantasy was at? THE RELIC GUILD will challenge your assumptions.’  —  British Fantasy Society