Cry, Voidbringer

An unsparing look at cycles of violence, this intimate epic fantasy from debut author Ho racks up a body count worthy of Game of Thrones by pitting two oppressed groups against each other. Hammer, a young woman jilted by her ambitious lover, is a Faceless, “slave-soldiers” named by their enslavers for the weapons they bear. Lashing out at them are the “godchildren,” youngsters who manifest many different kinds of divine power, including one boy blessed by a river god with excessive sweating. Godchild Viridian, kidnapped repeatedly after the murder of her father before eventually being left in Hammer’s care, begins to express a much deadlier ability that could change the balance of power between kingdoms. Illustrator Ho makes the leap to author with a political thought experiment in the ways that power bends even the best impulses into expedient replicas of old methods of tyranny. Readers will need to wade through some harrowing scenes of betrayal and vengeance before the promise of a redemptive sequel is dangled. It’s a brutal but impressive start. Agent: Jennifer Azantian, Azantian Literary. (Oct.)