The Knave of Secrets

May 2, 2022
Livingston (Glitch Rain) delivers an entertaining fantasy about the lengths people will go to uncover—and protect—their secrets. Cardsharp Valen Quinol is known to be one of the greatest gamblers in all of Valtiffe—but he’s really one of the land’s greatest cheaters. With the help of his unconventional friends, Teneriève and Jacquemin, masters of disguise who assume ever-changing characters at the card table, and his wife, Marguerite, who’s a master of card marking and dice loading, there’s not a game he can’t win. Then the leader of a dangerous gang strong-arms Valen into playing in the biggest game of the year—and the stakes are the players’ deepest secrets. Of course, Valen wins, and he and his friends are unwittingly pulled into a complex war among gangs, rival rulers, and the mystical Sèminaire—all of whom want to get their hands on the state secret that he’s won. There’s intrigue and magic aplenty as Valen and friends work to avoid the power players coming after them. The novel’s weakness, however, lies in the secret itself, which doesn’t feel scandalous or even interesting enough to warrant all the commotion. Still, readers who enjoy wily con artist protagonists and complex political machinations won’t want to miss this. Agent: Becky LeJeune, Bond Literary.

May 1, 2022

In Livingston's (Glitch Rain) new fantasy thriller, the magical setting of Valtiffe and the history of its Forbearance Game showcase the fantasy of politics as it truly is, a game of chance where every player is a pawn no matter how high their ambitions or how noble (or otherwise) their birth. In this game, fortunes and empires rise and fall on the turn of a card or the roll of the dice. Valen Quinol may have flunked at traditional magic, but as a successful cardsharp he knows that his uncanny luck is as dependent on magic as it is a marked deck. He goes into the Forbearance Game thinking he's playing for the right to become a voting citizen with access to games of chance at much higher stakes, but he's really the pawn of pirates and emperors using him to turn the tide of conquest and diplomacy. He'll be lucky if the cost of the deadly secret he has won doesn't turn out to be his life. VERDICT This novel's sleight-of-hand mix of gaming, thievery, secrets, and politics will remind readers fondly of Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, although Valen's crew is not quite as loyal or memorable. Fans of politically inspired fantasy will love watching the game.--Marlene Harris

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June 1, 2022
For decades, the nations of Cadogna and L'Ombre have sought political control and the downfall of the other. Now each have turned their statecraft gamesmanship on the independent island nation of Valtiffe. On the island itself, literal gamesmanship is on display at the numerous gaming tables dedicated to cards, dice, and other games of luck at the clubs and bars in the city of Sault-Leronne. Valen Quinol believes he has mastered the magic of luck, and how else should he apply his gift than by fleecing the bourgeoisie out of their coin? Always looking for the bigger game, he finally has access to the Forbearance Game, the most exclusive and high-rolling game in town. To get the invite, however, he must do the bidding of the leader of the miscreant gang operating in the shadows of Sault-Leronne. Deciding the reward outweighs the risk, Valen accepts the assignment, but the night quickly becomes far more dangerous than expected. The Knave of Secrets is a fast-paced action story steeped in magic, history, political intrigue, and suspense.

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