Description
A startling, character-driven debut of skilled writing and intelligence, Arx: City of Broken Minds is a standalone epic of grimdark fantasy.
In Arx, no-one remembers anything. Not the Flame Protests. Not the Sightless executioner. Not even themselves.
The story unwinds through the tales of three young characters:
Caelan: His memories have been stolen. All he has left is instinct and fear. Fear of the Fog-Eyes, mindless and drooling. The emptiness that lies in his future unless he can quiet the nameless voice screaming in his head. And he will burn Arx to ashes to avoid it.
Samantha: an asexual blacksmith and perpetual paternal disappointment, knows exactly what she'll be remembered for: Callisteel. A mythic metal that can pierce reality, it waits for her beneath the smog that scars the sky black. No matter the cost.
Ruairi: a famer boy with a twisted spine, heads to Arx desperate to avoid being pitied. On the way, he rescues a man with violet eyes. His reward is a nightmare of blue fire and blood that pushes him to the edge of what his broken body can take - and beyond.
Mindbreakers walk once more in Arx, drawn to the spire of unbroken metal that hangs like a blade against the rotten heart of the city. Now their master has returned, it is only a matter of time before it awakens and slices the connection between reality and memory for good...
- Full in-house PR support, including global submission to SF&F outlets.
- NetGalley / Book tour promotions.
- Hull University based "fantasy cafes", Ed in dialogue with leading fantasy writers, recorded for broadcast on Barbican Press's YouTube channel.
- Major multi-author Fantasy conference in Yorkshire to include the book's launch.
- "Ask me anything" sessions held on Reddit, Ed responding via Twitch stream. The video to be shared via the Barbican Press YouTube channel.
- Followers and fellow fantasy fans invited to gaming sessions to recreate the city of Arx in sandbox games such as Minecraft and Terraria.
About the Author
Edmund Hurst was born in the misty lands known only as The Midlands. A nerd-of-all-trades, he spent much of his childhood between pages of books, playing video games and of course, writing stories. School was strict, stifling, and saved only through the efforts of Brian Jacques, Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell, and Terry Pratchett. Fortunately, at University he found a lifelong love of education. He worked his way across the UK as a waiter, a bartender and an actor until finally he found the promised lands of Up North. Ed obtained his Creative Writing PhD at the University of Hull, where he is now Programme Director for Creative Writing. He lectures in Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror prose, as well as researching the impact of AI on Higher Education and working to make creative education accessible to students from all backgrounds through the growth of creative communities.
Reviews
"Rich worldbuilding, fascinating concept and complex characters" - Jacey Bedford, author of The Amber Crown
Book Information
ISBN 9781909954878
Author Edmund Hurst
Format Paperback
Page Count 390
Imprint Barbican Press
Publisher Barbican Press
Details
Subtitle: |
City of Broken Minds |
Imprint: |
Barbican Press |
