Having narrowly avoided a death-dealing blow to the speakeasy and everyone inside of it and still reeling from betrayal, the Lackadaisy crew is in dire straits.Mitzi makes a risky business decision that may buy her time while costing her the last of her allies.Rocky seeks to recruit his cousin for his newfound job skills and ventures into dangerous territory with Ivy in a bid to reclaim a former whiskey supply.Mordecai's secretive plans are interrupted by the calculations and conjurations of his Marigold colleagues.Meanwhile, struggling to make a getaway, Zib stumbles on an enigmatic outsider whose presence threatens to upend the entirety of the St. Louis underworld.

Having narrowly avoided a death-dealing blow to the speakeasy and everyone inside of it and still reeling from betrayal, the Lackadaisy crew is in dire straits.Mitzi makes a risky business decision that may buy her time while costing her the last of her allies.Rocky seeks to recruit his cousin for his newfound job skills and ventures into dangerous territory with Ivy in a bid to reclaim a former whiskey supply.Mordecai's secretive plans are interrupted by the calculations and conjurations of his Marigold colleagues.Meanwhile, struggling to make a getaway, Zib stumbles on an enigmatic outsider whose presence threatens to upend the entirety of the St. Louis underworld.

Iris Wildthyme and her new friend Tom visit the Doctor at home in 1973. While out on a day trip, a single carriage materializes out of nowhere, full of comatose bodies in eighteenth century dress. As they arrange for these people to be taken to the hospital, they are watched by an oddly-dressed boy and gift, who quickly vanish. Meanwhile the train passengers die and crumble into a green powder -- Verdigris.

Gods meddle in the fates of men, men play with the fates of gods, and a pretender must be cast down from the throne in this breathtaking first fantasy novel from Ann Leckie, New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards. For centuries, the kingdom of Iraden has been protected by the god known as the Raven. He watches over his territory from atop a tower in the powerful port of Vastai. His will is enacted through the Raven's Lease, a human ruler chosen by the god himself. His magic is sustained via the blood sacrifice that every Lease must offer. And under the Raven's watch, the city flourishes. But the power of the Raven is weakening. A usurper has claimed the throne. The kingdom borders are tested by invaders who long for the prosperity that Vastai boasts. And they have made their own alliances with other gods. It is into this unrest that the warrior Eolo--aide to Mawat, the true Lease--arrives. And in seeking to help Mawat reclaim his city, Eolo discovers that the Raven's Tower holds a secret. Its foundations conceal a dark history that has been waiting to reveal itself...and to set in motion a chain of events that could destroy Iraden forever.