Book description
Khesh City floats above the surface of the uninhabitable planet of
Vellern. Topside, it's extravagant, opulent, luxurious; the Undertow is
dark, twisted and dangerous. Khesh City is a place where nothing is
forbidden - but it's also a democracy, of sorts, a democracy by
assassination, policed by the Angels, the élite, state-sponsored killers
who answer only to the Minister, their enigmatic master.
Taro lived with Malia, his Angel aunt, one of the privileged few, until
a strange man bought his body for the night, then followed him home and
murdered Malia in cold blood. Taro wants to find the killer who ruined
his future, but he's struggling just to survive in the brutal world of
the Undertow. Then an encounter with the Minister sets him on a new
course, spying for the City; his target is a reclusive Angel called
Nual.
Elarn Reen is a famous musician, sent to Khesh City as the unwilling
agent of mankind's oldest enemy, the Sidhe. To save her own life, she
must find and kill her ex-lover, a renegade Sidhe.
Though they come from different worlds, Taro and Elarn's fates are
linked, their lives apparently forfeit to other people's schemes. As
their paths converge, it becomes clear that the lives of everyone in
Khesh City, from the majestic, deadly Angels to the barely-human
denizens of the Undertow, are at risk. And Taro and Elarn, a common
prostitute and an uncommon singer, are Khesh City's only chance...
Jaine Fenn studied Linguistics and Astronomy at university before
embarking on a career as an IT consultant. She is the author of the
Hidden Empire sequence, which includes Principles of Angels
and Consorts of Heaven
. She lives with her husband in Hampshire.
