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Michael R. Fletcher
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In the Shadow of their Dying Hardcover – 19 Mar. 2024

by Anna Smith Spark (Author), Michael R. Fletcher (Author)
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The third best assassin. A second-rate mercenary crew. One terrifying demon.


As Sharaam crumbles under siege, a mercenary crew hires an assassin to kill the king. For Tash, it's a chance at glory-to be the best blade in the dark Sharaam has ever known. For Pitt, it's a way to get his cutthroat crew past the Tsarii siege and out of this hellhole, maybe even with some gold to their name. For Iananr the Bound One, it's a dream of shadows and human blood.

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  1. Print length
    180 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grimdark Magazine
  4. Publication date
    19 Mar. 2024
  5. Dimensions
    15.24 x 1.42 x 22.86 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    0648663523
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0648663522
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grimdark Magazine (19 Mar. 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 180 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0648663523
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0648663522
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 1.42 x 22.86 cm
  • Customer reviews:

About the author

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Michael R. Fletcher

Michael R. Fletcher

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Michael R. Fletcher lives in the endless suburban sprawl north of Toronto. He dreams of trees and seeing the stars at night and being a ninja. He is an unrepentant whiskey-swilling reprobate of the tallest order and thinks grilled cheese sandwiches are a food group.

His novels include the Manifest Delusions trilogy (BEYOND REDEMPTION, THE MIRROR'S TRUTH, A WAR TO END ALL), the Obsidian Path trilogy (BLACK STONE HEART, SHE DREAMS IN BLOOD, AN END TO SORROW), the City of Sacrifice trilogy (SMOKE AND STONE, ASH AND BONES, SIN AND SORROW), and the standalone novels, SWARM AND STEEL, GHOSTS OF TOMORROW, THE MILLENNIAL MANIFESTO, NORYLSKA GROANS (co-written with Clayton W. Snyder). He also has a short story collection A COLLECTION OF OBSESSIONS.

http://michaelrfletcher.com/

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
72 global ratings

Top review from United Kingdom

Gary
4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely violent fantasy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 April 2024
A great read about a bunch of misfits and a Demon that clearly does not belong.

Extremely violent action and some very dark magic make this a must-read for any grimdark fantasy fan.
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Top reviews from other countries

C. W. Stevenson
5.0 out of 5 stars Grimdark At It Finest
Reviewed in the United States on 9 April 2024
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Man oh man what a fun read. If you've been keeping up with Michael R. Fletcher and Anna Smith Sparks' works, then this is a must read. Both authors are at the top of their game here.

Besieged within the giant city of Sharaam, the city's third-best assassin, Tash, is hired by mercenary crew leader, Pitt, in order kill the king so the siege can come to an end. One obstacle unforeseen? A demon... bound to the king, to kill all would-be threats.

Action packed, vulgar in all the best ways, and black as black, this book packs a powerful punch in just a little less than 170 pages. Tash and the demon were personal favorites. Anna Smith Sparks' voice is so unique, so poetic at times, I felt myself immediately engrossed with each POV chapter of Iananr, the demon. And Fletcher? Hilarious as always, and bloody where it counts.

Grimdark? Yep. Chaotic? Yep. A tale of hope and sunshine? Hell no.

If you're a fan of grimdark fantasy, dark fantasy, or hell... just fantasy in general, give In the Shadow of Their Dying a go.
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Joel W Allan
5.0 out of 5 stars This is grimdark at its absolute finest
Reviewed in Australia on 19 March 2024
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I am ashamed to admit that I have never read an Anna Smith Spark novel before and I have barely dipped a toe into Michael R Fletcher’s enormous catalogue even though I own mutliple of his books. In the Shadow of Their Dying has immediately made me realise what it is that I’m missing it out. This is dark, viseceral and blood pumpingly good. I couldn’t put it down for the life of me.

Tash, the third best assassin in Sharaam, is the main character, but it was the demon, Iananr, who stole the show. It took me a full chapter of her perspective to truly feel at home in her human body and once I did all I wanted was to get back in her head. She was wildly entertaining whilst being extremely over powered and rather dumpy (their words not mine). I was a little concerned with a decision she made at a crucial stage, but the story certainly benefited from that choice over the alternative.

This novella also did something that I don’t enjoy in my novellas, and that is utilising more than a single POV. Usually, that only hurts a story, but in this case the plethora of characters we got to experience was truly awesome. I liked Tash the least out of this cast of interesting personalities and was happy for him to take the back seat at every opportunity.

This is grimdark at its absolute finest from two titans of the genre. The brutality was real, the pain was fantastic and the prose was drenched in the Dripping Bucket’s finest ale. I hate that this might be the only novel that shares the names Spark and Fletcher. As is sometimes the case this novella sets up perfectly for a hopeful series future, a future that will probably never exist. I have so many of their individual books to look forward to at least, and I hope you have the same positive future. If not, sorry, at least Fletcher is insanely prolific and the next thing is already right around the corner.

Rating: 5/5
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The Grim Reader
3.0 out of 5 stars Solid stuff
Reviewed in Australia on 22 March 2024
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In the Shadow of their Dying is a good novella, unfortunately some of the writing didn't work for me at all. 3/5 stars
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the_smoking_quill
3.0 out of 5 stars Grisly, gritty grimdark , wildly inconsistent writing
Reviewed in the United States on 14 April 2024
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This is a grimdark fantasy set during a siege on a city. The main characters are an assassin, a demon, and a crew of scoundrels.

This was potentially a 4/5-star story, but it's buried under negative-2 stars of inconsistent, unclear, repetitive, sloppy writing. If a decent editor had spent time on it, this would've been a fantastic book. (As is, you can see parts of the authors' vision and even some touching gestures and outcomes that rise above the gore of the conflict. The concept of the Shroud character is also intriguing.) But as is, it's a shame and recommended only for hardcore grimdark fans. 2.5 stars.
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Pierce Erickson
5.0 out of 5 stars Gloriously Depraved As Only These Two Can
Reviewed in the United States on 1 April 2024
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Yes please. This was a masterful blend of two magnificent authors' styles. Having just finished this book, there is no way that I'm going to be able to properly explain what made this so great. Anna's words, as ever, were brilliant and bloody and crafted in a way that sings on the page and makes you squirm. Fletcher's depraved mind reached out and grabbed you from the get-go. His character work remains top notch and evidence by this brutal band of degenerates. I feel like this'll be a one off thing, but good gods do I wish there to be more!
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