We Ride the Storm

April 27, 2020
A warrior, an assassin, and a princess pursue their destinies against a backdrop of war and political intrigue in this dense epic fantasy, the first in Madson’s Reborn Empire series. Princess Miko Ts’ai lives on a razor’s edge—the potential heir of the Asian-influenced Kisian Empire, her life is in daily peril thanks to her proximity to her stepfather’s throne. Assassin Cassandra Marius is hired by a Kisian courtier to prevent a politically expedient marriage between Miko and a nobleman from the Europesque Chiltaen Empire. Meanwhile, warrior Rah e’Torin is exiled from his Levanti tribe and struggles to keep his people safe from the Chiltaen Empire, which sees them as barbarians. When all three paths intersect in the midst of a re-eruption of hostilities between Kisia and Chiltae, Madson (the Vengeance trilogy) cleverly uses the characters’ distinct perspectives to piece together a crafty political chess game, hitting all the hallmark tropes of epic fantasy in the process. Though the result feels more like setup for the next in the series than a narrative in its own right, the intricate worldbuilding and memorable characters will appeal to genre fans. Agent: Julie Crisp, Julie Crisp Literary.

May 15, 2020
The first in a bold new series, Madson's novel interweaves the lives of its narrators to tell the story of three civilizations on the brink. Miko is a princess of Kisia, an empire left in fragments following the recent coup that cost her father his life and saw her stepfather take the Crimson Throne. Rah hails from the loosely associated clans of Levanti--horse riders without kings who resist fighting others' wars. Cassandra makes her living in sex and murder and moves through the world with another woman's voice in her head. They do not know one another, but their lives will soon become hopelessly entangled. Miko's family falls apart, shattering their alliance with Chiltae, the rival nation that has forced Rah and his Swords into its service and whose agent Cassandra has agreed to assassinate. Although Madson takes her time putting the critical pieces into play, the betrayal that dooms the Kisian nobility to ruin sets off narrative fireworks, exposing the questionable motives of three nations' leaders in a seemingly unending struggle for dominance. A slow-building tale of court intrigue that picks up lots of steam on its way to a shocking finish.

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May 1, 2020
Seventeen years after the throne of Kisia passed to the Emperor Kin, Princess Miko Ts'ai and her twin brother, Tanaka, raised under the constant threat of assassination, are waiting to learn their role in the emperor's plans for the future. Levanti Captain Rah e'Torin and his Second Swords are on the march after leaving their home and herd in exile. These proud nomadic warriors are hoping to learn what has happened to other members of their herd who preceded them. Cassandra Marius is an assassin with an affinity for the dead and shares her mind with a second voice she can't quiet. She is forced to take a job she doesn't understand for help with her situation. War looms in Kisia as neighboring Chiltae threatens the peace. These three are drawn into intrigues and conflicts they are ill-prepared for and try to defend their people or save their own lives. Fans of George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series will appreciate the feudal political maneuvering, shifting alliances, and visceral descriptions of combat and its aftermath in this series starter.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)