The Shadow Queen

'A wonderful tale set within a well-drawn fantastical world. I loved it' John Gwynne on The Last VigilantThe Shadow Queen is the utterly gripping sequel to The Last Vigilant where an out-of-practice wizard and an outcast soldier must solve an impossible murder to have any hope of saving their kingdom Shunned by the soldiers he commands, haunted by past tragedies, Sargent Holt Hawley is a broken man. But the child of a powerful ally has gone missing, and war between once peaceful nations is on the horizon. So, he and his squad have been sent to find a myth: the Vigilant. They are a rumored last survivor of an ancient order capable of performing acts of magic, and they've been lost to the world for decades. No one truly expects Hawley to succeed. When he is forced to abandon his men, he stumbles upon a woman who claims to be the Last Vigilant. Enelda Drake is wizened and out of practice, and she seems a far cry from the heroes of legend. But they will need her powers, and each other, to survive. For nothing in the town of Scarfell is as it seems. Corrupt soldiers and calculating politicians thwart their efforts at every turn. And there are dark whispers on the wind threatening the arrival of an ancient and powerful enemy. The Last Vigilant is not the only myth returning from the dead. Praise for the Kingdom of Oak and Steel series:'A page-turning mix of mystery and epic fantasy' Anthony Ryan'Latham is an adept at creating sympathetic characters and reinventing fantasy in a way that will have influence on many books after The Last Vigilant' Booklist (starred review)