The great fire of 1835 burned most of New York City’s wooden downtown and, like many others, Archie Prescott thinks he’s lost all that’s dear to him. His home is a smoldering ruin and his wife is dead--and next to her body is a child’s corpse he assumes was his daughter. It seems as though it’s the end of everything...
But it is only the beginning. In the midst of ancient magic, murderous conspiracies, and a crafty Mesoamerican demon-god who is plotting the end of humanity, Archie finds himself with the power to save the world—or drown it in sacrificial blood.
Alexander Irvine is a native of Ypsilanti, Michigan. His extraordinary stories have appeared in such places as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Starlight 3. He is a descendant of P T. Barnum and once worked as a roller-skating waiter. He currently resides in New England with his wife and twins.
“A strange, dark, and wonderful novel... This one’s a keeper.”--Charles de Lint
“Complexly crafted, dark, sometimes gruesome... totally convincing and chilling.”--Booklist
“This is not merely a stunning debut novel; it is one of the best magic historicals I have ever read.”--James Patrick Kelly, author of Think Like a Dinosaur