{"product_id":"a-rope-of-thorns-9781504063906","title":"A Rope of Thorns","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe second book in the \"top-notch horror-fantasy saga,\" following \u003ci\u003eA Book of Tongues\u003c\/i\u003e, is \"a spectacular blend of Aztec religion and Western gunslinging (\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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 . . . \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"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.\" --\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"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.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe Turned Brain\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eA Book of Tongues\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Boundary-busting horror-fantasy . . . This promising debut fully delivers both sizzling passions and dark chills.\" --\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Ridiculously vivid . . . A magic-riddled, horror-strewn West with hexes running around wrecking reality and a spectrum of queer characters.\" --Tor.com \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Truly one-of-a-kind: violent, carnal and creepy.\" --\u003ci\u003eFangoria\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGemma Files, a former film critic, journalist, screenwriter, and teacher, has been an award-winning horror author since 1999. She has published two collections of short work; two chapbooks of speculative poetry; the \"weird western\" Hexslinger Series; a story-cycle; and the standalone novel \u003ci\u003eExperimental Film\u003c\/i\u003e, which won the 2016 Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel and the 2016 Sunburst Award for Best Adult Novel. Files also has several story collections and a collection of poetry forthcoming.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Open Road Media Science \u0026 Fantasy","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50377917333778,"sku":"9781504063906","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d809d0e3-b6e9-4789-bd02-2b14e27ff1d8.jpg?v=1728635851","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/a-rope-of-thorns-9781504063906","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}