A Rope of Thorns

The second book in the top-notch horror-fantasy saga, following A Book of Tongues, is a spectacular blend of Aztec religion and Western gunslinging (Publishers Weekly). Welcome to Hex City. Population: magicians. Thanks to hexslinger Reverend Asher Rook, sorcerers now have a sanctuary where they can live and work in peace. But a storm is coming-a tempest known as Chess Pargeter. Infuriated by his former lover Rook's betrayal and sacrificed in the name of the Mayan goddess who is Rook's current consort, Chess leaves a trail of death and destruction in his wake. Caught up in Chess's crusade is Pinkerton-agent-turned-outlaw Ed Morrow and a young woman spiritualist. But there are more than Chess's own demons to be reckoned with, including a resurrected lawman with a bone to pick-and a final judgment to deliver . . . Paints a stark, vivid, and gory picture of the 'wild west' in the years following the Civil War . . . Files's latest is not for the squeamish but should delight fans of gothic Western fantasy and Central American myths. -Library Journal Files' prose remains a delight to read, the cadence of her sentences captures the wild west setting perfectly, and the images she paints are a fascinating mix of frontier practicality and magic bred surrealism. -The Turned Brain Praise for A Book of Tongues Boundary-busting horror-fantasy . . . This promising debut fully delivers both sizzling passions and dark chills. -Publishers Weekly Ridiculously vivid . . . A magic-riddled, horror-strewn West with hexes running around wrecking reality and a spectrum of queer characters. -Tor.com Truly one-of-a-kind: violent, carnal and creepy. -Fangoria