Vengeance of Masks

by Rosemary Edghill

For a thousand years the Eidolon Empire has commanded humans, demi-humans, beastmen, and themselves. In courts of honor and debauchery they hone their manners and their daggers. They rule with a cruelty that is made more cruel by their capriciousness. For a thousand years the demon Malvisage, the Suffering Servant, has lain chained, controlled by the Mindmask of Thrones. For a thousand years, Malvisage has waited. Tonight all that will change. Tonight the godborn will become the prey of mortals. Tonight the exquisite City of Contradance will become the City of Tombs. Malvisage commands the night, and the night is spreading to cover all the lands. Childeric, the Child of Night, Prince of the Starlight Gates, born to be Emperor, will become the ruler of desolation. Wine, blood, and poison are one. Malvisage controls all. Except Childeric. Except the human woman bound to Childeric by ties that he cannot suspect, even in nightmare...

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2003

About the author

She was born long enough ago to have seen Classic Trek on its first outing and to remember that she once thought Spock Must Die! to be great literature. As she aged, she put aside her fond dreams of taking over for Batman when he retired, and returned to her first love, writing. Her first SF sale (as Eluki Bes Shahar) was the Hellflower series, in which Damon Runyon meets Doc Smith over at the old Bester place. Between books and short stories in every genre but the Western (several dozen so far), she's held the usual selection of odd and part-time writer jobs, including bookstore clerk, secretary, beta tester for computer software, graphic designer, book illustrator, library clerk, and administrative assistant for a non-profit arts organization. She can truthfully state that she once killed vampires for a living, and that without any knowledge of medicine has illustrated half-a-dozen medical textbooks.


Her last name -- despite the efforts of editors, reviewers, publishing houses, her webmaster, and occasionally her own fingers -- is not spelled 'Edgehill'.


Also writes under the name Eluki Bes Shahar.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The problem with this book is that it just ends in the middle of the story with a promised sequel that has been promised for years.