Fate of the Argosi

The third utterly compelling fantasy adventure in the ARGOSI trilogy, exploring the origins of the SPELLSLINGER series to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers alike.While liberating a notorious thief from prison, Ferius Parfax encounters an inmate named Chedran, one of the last living members of her people, the Mahdek. Ferius agrees to help him and the Mahdek remnant reach a mystical island where they can live free from persecution.Chedran convinces the Mahdek elders that this refuge is their last chance to repopulate their civilisation so they can one day retake their homeland, and so the elders rule that all Mahdek must remain on the island to bear and raise children.Now Ferius has to decide what debt she owes the society into which she was born before she's trapped on the island forever, and Chedran and the elders lead her people towards a future of tyranny and war.

"Dramatic, gripping, and fantastically fun." -- Kirkus Reviews on Way of the Argosi "A fun, fast-moving adventure, with surprising depth and insight." Jim C. Hines, Hugo Award-winning author, on Spellslinger "An intriguing system of magic, wry humor, and a twisting plot make for an entertaining series debut. Kirkus Reviews on Spellslinger "Exotic, original and gripping from the get-go, Spellslinger is a must-read. Jonathan Stroud, New York Times bestselling author, on Spellslinger "Told with the conviction of Ursula Le Guin and the dash of Alexandre Dumas." New Statesman on Spellslinger "Spellslinger is the start of something truly special. Sebastien de Castell is a master of breakneck pacing, dagger-sharp dialogue, and twists you didn't see coming--and this series has it all."Nicholas Eames, author ofKings of the Wyld onSpellslinger "Hugely enjoyable - fast-paced, compassionate, wise and with terrific characters." Amanda Craig, author of Hearts and Minds onSpellslinger "A tremendously fun read full of wit and action." James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost on Spellslinger "A bucket-load of tension is offset with humour, power struggles, lots of magic and some great characters. Fantasy junkies will devour with relish."Guardian onSpellslinger "Written with such obvious joy and brio that it demands to be read."RJ Barker, author ofAge of Assassins on Spellslinger "There's room for wit and playfulness amid the high-stakes duels and death matches, and Kellen's career is likely to run and run."ObserveronSpellslinger "We can confidently say that de Castell's new series has hit the ground running." Starburst Magazine on Spellslinger "It has cliff hangers, pace, humour, life lessons, and a memorably feisty squirrel cat."Sunday Times onSpellslinger

Sebastien de Castell had just finished a degree in Archaeology when he started work on his first dig. Four hours later he realized how much he actually hated archaeology and left to pursue a very focused career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor and product strategist. His only defence against the charge of unbridled dilettantism is that he genuinely likes doing these things and that, in one way or another, each of these fields plays a role in his writing. He sternly resists the accusation of being a Renaissance Man in the hopes that more people will label him that way. Sebastien lives in Vancouver with his lovely wife and two belligerent cats. Follow Sebastien at www.decastell.com or on Twitter: @decastell