Hand wavering, she lit her cigarillo with it, and then passed it back and forth in front of her eyes. The sensation retreated, and the tiny flame died with it. It had to be a remnant of the power, like the jerking of a dead man, and yet . . . perhaps it was more.
Sorcha Faris sat on the prow of the ship and smiled to herself. Perhaps there was life and hope left—but for the moment she would keep it just for herself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in New Zealand, Philippa Ballantine has always had her head in a book. A corporate librarian for thirteen years, she has a bachelor of arts in English and a bachelor of applied science in library and information science. She is New Zealand’s first podcast novelist, and she has produced four podiobooks. Many of these have been short-listed for the Parsec Award, and she has won a Sir Julius Vogel Award. She is also the coauthor of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novels with Tee Morris. Philippa is currently in the United States, where her two Siberian cats, Sebastian and Viola, make sure she stays out of trouble. Visit her website at www.pjballantine.com.
Praise for the Book of the Order novels
WRAYTH
“A fast-paced adventure.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Wrayth has all the hallmarks of Ballantine’s previous Order novels: fast pacing, strong characterization, clever use of tropes.”
—Escape Pod
“Ballantine is a master at building worlds without letting the construction get in the way of the story . . . Consistent writing, imaginative stories and well-fleshed-out characters.”
—View from Valhalla
“Interesting revelations . . . Red-hot action sequences . . . An enjoyable romp.”
—citybookreview.com
“A power addition to the Book of the Order series . . . A fantasy that does not fail to deliver a powerful punch to readers.”
—Snarkymamma
SPECTYR
“Picks up smoothly from [Geist], continuing the fantasy adventure with a mix of romance and power play by the world’s deities . . . Will appeal to the paranormal romance and steampunk crowds.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Spectyr keeps up the series’ promise: well-crafted, tightly packed action . . . Should satisfy even die-hard fantasy fans.”
—Drying Ink
“A unique, character-driven fantasy that delivers on all levels.”
—Smexy Books
“The opening act in Philippa Ballantine’s Book of the Order is a great fantasy, but the second tale is even better . . . A fantastic fantasy.”
—Genre Go Round Reviews
“The combination of great characters and an outstanding plot makes this book a winner.”
—Pop Cults
GEIST
“With its richly detailed world and wonderfully realized characters, Geist is one of the most vividly original books I’ve read this year.”
—Nalini Singh, New York Times bestselling author of
Heart of Obsidian
“Absorbing adventure that revels in both the creepy and the courageous.”
—Gail Carriger, New York Times bestselling author of
Etiquette & Espionage
“An incredibly rich story . . . Rich in high action, rich in mystery, rich in characters, rich in ghosts. Absolutely not to be missed.”
—Barb Hendee, national bestselling author of
The Mist-Torn Witches
“Part of the entertainment of this novel is putting the pieces together to get a picture of the complicated political situation, the period (they have magical airships!) and the nature of the geists . . . Plenty of magic-blasting action keeps things lively for a rousing start to this new series.”
—Locus
“In the tradition of greats like Margaret Weis and Robin Hobb, Philippa Ballantine has woven an excellent tale of fantasy, paranormal, black powder, steampunk goodness.”
—Pop Cults