In this fantasy of manners we meet two displaced young kings, one shopkeeper’s daughter who went away an ugly duckling and returns five years later a beautiful and highly skilled swan, and a young queen who is master of all she surveys . . . until she isn’t. The result is the last summer of love and adventure on the eve of cataclysm. The Wicked Skill, from a poem by John Donne, duels and dances with discovery of the many facets of love—set against a background of revolution, one conducted through manners, the other by swashbuckling youths who think life is a game . . .

Nobody sane wants war. But what happens when war comes to you? In this first volume of The Norsunder War, the allies introduced in The Rise of the Alliance find their world invaded. For Atan, Queen of Sartor, preserving lives and knowledge come before fleeing to safety. Jilo of Chwahirsland risks his life to resist the return of an evil king. And for Senrid of Marloven Hess, it means facing a combined army whose might hasn’t been seen for eight hundred years, and losing everything he holds dear. Heroism. Betrayal. Endurance. Resistance. Both sides encounter unexpected twists as some discover that even when existence is most dire, it can still surprise you . . .

In the recently defeated warrior-kingdom of Marloven Hess, two enemies, one a defeated king hunted by the conquerors, and the hunter who did the conquering, duel for the soul of a conflicted young teen. This short novel takes place between the events of the first two volumes of The Norsunder War: Ship Without Sails, and Seek to Hold the Wind.

The second volume of four begins with the loose alliance of young rulers, mages, scribes, friends, and ex-enemies on the run. The only place of safety is a tiny agrarian kingdom no one has ever heard of, though hints begin to surface that nothing there is quite what it seems. Some venture on quests for ancient magical artifacts that might aid them—but all those quests turn . . . sideways. Some are deadly. Some races turn into chases. Meanwhile, Senrid, the Marloven warrior king, goes covert, staying one step ahead of the conquerors who want him dead. A pair of brothers, one on each side, begin a duel of wit and danger. PRAISE FOR THE SARTORIAS-DELES SERIES: “The book is set in a world so intricate and real that it’s hard to step out of and hard to forget. Filled with magic and glamour, it houses a culture unique for its openness and warlike ability.... Smith’s rich details and imagery tie this story together. Complex and compelling.” —San Jose Mercury News “Smith deftly stage-manages the wide-ranging plots with brisk pacing, spare yet complex characterizations, and a narrative that balances sweeping action and uneasy intimacy.” —Publishers Weekly “A damned good book.... A compelling protagonist with a vivid voice, a master's control of pacing and tension.” —Tor-dot-com

“A damned good book.... A compelling protagonist with a vivid voice, a master's control of pacing and tension.” —Tor.com The second volume of four begins with the loose alliance of young rulers, mages, scribes, friends, and ex-enemies on the run. The only place of safety is a tiny agrarian kingdom no one has ever heard of, though hints begin to surface that nothing there is quite what it seems. Some venture on quests for ancient magical artifacts that might aid them—but all those quests turn . . . sideways. Some are deadly. Some races turn into chases. Meanwhile, Senrid, the Marloven warrior king, goes covert, staying one step ahead of the conquerors who want him dead. Atan, the queen who prides herself on peaceful solutions, discovers she has a talent for strategic thinking And Jilo, the nerdy son of a lowly sergeant who has been singlehandedly striving to save the once-great Chwahir nation from an insane king, crosses a continent to carry a message—the easiest quest of all—with utterly unforeseen results.

“Written with heart-piercing vividness and sly humor, a roller coaster of emotions!” “Consistently brilliant, this series showcases what fantastic worldbuilding can be.” The long-awaited conclusion to The Norsunder War is also the culmination to the entire Sartorias-deles arc. Find out why one reader on Reddit said, “Beginning with INDA, this entire series utterly ruined me, and then gave me such joy and hope!” Secrets both ancient and current are revealed, as the alliance—at times uneasy—works together to reclaim Sartorias-deles from Norsunder. Leaders around the world plan a simultaneous counterattack, but that is only a decoy away from the battle in the realm of the mind against a world-devouring power. Hibern must solve a lethally dangerous puzzle as she dodges the hunter; grief-stricken Senrid must team with the man his beloved has chosen while his kingdom is overrun; Jilo singlehandedly intends to wrench the sinister Chwahir from their overwhelmingly poisonous tyrant; Imry, former commander, is now renegade, and even more dangerous; Marga begins to assert her powers; and everything comes down to Detlev, once the world’s chief villain. And yet, in spite of the mounting dangers, some manage to find love . . . Read the pulse-pounding, heart-lifting conclusion to The Norsunder War.