Ilario: The Stone Golem: A Story of the First History, Book Two (Ilario, A Story of the First History)

The dramatic conclusion to Ilario: The Lion's Eye! Fleeing a surprise treacherous murder attempt, the former King's Freak and would-be painter Ilario has run to Carthage, the city-state under perpetual darkness, in search of freedom. But strange plots are afoot, and a tenuous, complicated alliance with a bookseller-turned-spy will lead Ilario from the shrouded land into tense negotiations and intrigues in seductive, mercurial Venice, from a fraught return to Iberia to a final confrontation with family . . . and destiny. The second volume of THE LION’S EYE is a stunning historical fantasy from acclaimed fantasist Mary Gentle, set in the secret history of her award-winning ASH series.In the first volume Ilario is fostered by Federico, an impoverished Iberian noble, who plans to gift Ilario to the king for favour. At 15, Ilario joins King Roderigo as the King’s Freak, but while learning the ways of the court, Illario has another lesson to study: abandonment and betrayal. For Rosamunda, Ilario’s birth mother, has arrived - and the secret of Ilario’s shameful birth must be kept hidden. Fleeing a murder attempt, Ilario runs to Carthage, where the Penitence shrouds the sky in darkness... and a strange and awful destiny awaits.Part Two, published two months later, will follow Ilario from Carthage into an adventure spanning continents, from treacherous negotiations and intrigues in seductive Venice, to a fraught return to Iberia, and a final confrontation with destiny. Abandoned at birth in spite of a secret about his identity, Ilario finds himself in the noble court of King Roderigo, where he makes equally powerful friends and enemies before an attempt on his life forces him to face his destiny in the land of Carthage pt. 1: Serenissima pt. 2: Alexandria-in-exile pt. 3: Herm and Jethou. Title from PDF title page (viewed on Oct. 4, 2007).