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Your next favorite book
is waiting.
Prepare to be entranced by this utterly unique and completely spellbinding dark fairy tale from the million-copy bestselling M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts.
In a kingdom forgotten by history, a legend unfolds ...
Wounded in his county's endless wars, former soldier Mag Tresti finds work in the home of a reclusive widow, Jannae Mirchella. But Jannae is more than she seems. A witch of great skill and might, she hides her powers and her deep-laid plans behind a mask of harmless respectability.
When a dead demon falls out of the sky, the fates of the soldier and the witch are irrevocably intertwined. On the demon's body Mag finds a tinderbox—an artefact of terrifying magical power that can not only grant his every wish, but also change the fate of nations.
This is a tale of spellcraft and devilry, of witchcraft and trickery—of the wickedness that resides within a few, the goodness that lies deep within us all, and the choices on which our lives turn.
"A compelling exploration of the brutality of the social divide, the hypocrisy of rulers, and the futility of war. Surprising and redemptive; Carey masters yet another subgenre of speculative fiction." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Carey deftly handles issues of morality, religion, and justice while still keeping this fantasy adventure moving. Shifting points of view allow readers to see the ambiguities in the usually binary battle of good versus evil. Fantasy fans—especially of Joe Abercrombie's The Devils—will love Carey's updated version of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale." ―Booklist (starred review)
"Carey writes a fabulous fantasy novel that will delight fans of the horror-comedy show Grimm, giving those who love old-fashioned stories with a modern twist a lot to enjoy." ―Library Journal
"A marvelous dark fable. Echoes of The Brothers Grimm and Faust do not detract from the originality on display in The Tinder Box; indeed, Carey's craft manages to feel at once familiar and startling, which for me is a hallmark of exceptional writing. *Of course* that elegant sentence rolled out that way—how could it have done otherwise? This novel, along with last year's Once Was Willem, confirms M.R. Carey's place among the best living writers in horror and fantasy." ―Christopher Buehlman, author of Between Two Fires
"The Tinder Box sparks with wonder and peril, unleashing a tale that feels both fresh and familiar, old and new. It holds all the magic of a fable and all the complex kindness and cruelty of a human heart. Prepare to be enchanted!" ―Melissa Caruso, author of The Last Hour Between Worlds
This information about The Tinder Box was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
M. R. Carey has been making up stories for most of his life. His novel The Girl With All the Gifts was a USA Today bestseller and is a major motion picture based on his BAFTA-nominated screenplay. Under the name Mike Carey he has written for both DC and Marvel, including critically acclaimed runs on X-Men and Fantastic Four, Marvel's flagship superhero titles. His creator-owned books regularly appear in the New York Times bestseller list. He also has several previous novels, two radio plays, and a number of TV and movie screenplays to his credit.
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