Nightwatch on the Hinterlands (#1)
Set in the universe of How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse, this new sci-fi mystery follows an unlikely duo who must discover the motive behind an unusual murder.
The War That Ripped The Multiverse. Generations ago, a massive war tore a hole in the multiverse. Now extraplanar monsters surge out of the Weep at irregular intervals along its jagged border, held back by an alliance of templars and arithmancers, soldiers and priests.
The templar. When Lieutenant Iari hears screams in the night, she expects to interrupt a robbery or break up a fight. Instead, she discovers a murder with an impossible suspect: a riev, one of the battle-mecha decommissioned after the end of the last surge, repurposed for manual labor. Riev don’t kill people. And yet, clearly, one has. Iari sets out to find it.
The spy. Officially, Gaer is an ambassador from the vakari Five Tribes. Unofficially, he’s also a spy, sending information back to his government about the Weep, unfiltered by diplomatic channels. Unlike Iari, Gaer isn’t so sure the riev’s behavior is just a malfunction. The riev were created using a mixture of alchemy and arithmancy. It can’t be a coincidence that here, along the edge of the Weep, the riev are also acting in unexplained, and increasingly dangerous, ways.
As Iari and Gaer search for the truth, they discover that the murderous riev is just a weapon in the hands of a wielder with wider ambitions than homicide, who is willing to release horrors not seen since the war—horrors that make rampaging riev seem insignificant.
Reviews
“Readers seeking a genre-blending tale will enjoy Eason’s no-nonsense tone as she sets the plot of a thriller within her established world of science fiction and fantasy.”Booklist
"The stakes become higher and higher as the story progresses, with all of the characters in mortal danger at one time or another [...] I can hardly wait to read the follow-up! Highly recommended."
“Eason has a real talent for building engrossing and intricate worlds that feel both whimsical and real at the same time.”
"[F]ast-paced and action packed [...] hard to put down."
"Eason has picked a time and place where things are changing, trouble is brewed, and there are battle hexes to arrange, mysteries to solve, and dangers to fight. "
“[A] blow-away tale of high-tech magic in the far future.... This is an edge-of-your-seat exciting tale set in a very unusual universe. I hope it finds its way to awards."
"NIGHTWATCH is a book that, in less capable hands, might collapse under its own inventive worldbuilding. But Eason pulls it off, thanks to perfect pacing and the delightfully colorful duo at its core. Splendid stuff!"Jason M. Hough, New York Times bestseller
"Interstellar intrigue, nightmares from the void, killer robots, and the magic of arithmancy. NIGHTWATCH ON THE HINTERLANDS is a perfect blending of sci-fi and fantasy with a pair of the most unlikely and enjoyable detectives you'll ever meet."Stephen Blackmoore, author of Bottom Demon
“Magic, power armor, extradimensional monsters — this thrilling mash-up of sci-fi and fantasy kept me turning pages long past my bedtime."Dan Moren, author of the Galactic Cold War series
“Eason rips open the barrier between science fiction and fantasy to create an action-packed mystery with a distinctive voice, intriguing characters, and incredible worldbuilding.”Jim C. Hines, author of Terminal Alliance