Edward Cox‘s debut fantasy, THE RELIC GUILD, has been nominated in two categories for this year’s Gemmell Awards! Specifically, the novel has been nominated in the Morningstar (best fantasy debut) and Legend (best fantasy novel) award categories.

The first in a planned trilogy, THE RELIC GUILD is published by Gollancz. Out now in hardcover, it is due to be published in paperback in June 2015. 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 a few of the great reviews THE RELIC GUILD has received…

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

‘An exciting blend of steampunk, fantasy, horror, and pulp adventure… 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

‘A fast and pleasurable read… He knows how to craft a tale and to write engaging characters and I’ve also loved his use of the Labyrinth as a vehicle for setting a fully immersive dystopian (with a dash of noir) atmosphere. It is a magical creation and a true feat of imagination which I’m looking forward to exploring more… A promising debut…’ — Upcoming4Me

We recently unveiled the cover for the hotly-anticipated sequel, THE CATHEDRAL OF KNOWN THINGS, which is also due to be published by Gollancz, in September 2015. Here it is again…