A happy journey to Andrew Knighton’s Silver and Gold, the seventh shuttle to emerge from starship Candlemark’s Reckless imprint. An Aztec-inspired fantasy of art, friendship, and rebellion, it seamlessly blends myth and history to present the thorny choices that always confront creators of passion, ambition and talent.
This is what Anna Spark Smith (author of the critically acclaimed Empires of Dust trilogy) had to say about the novella: “Politically charged, vivid and hopeful, a delight: just the kind of thing we need right now!” And to whet appetites for this deeply evocative parallel-world fantasy work, here’s a salient synopsis:
The goldsmith Cualli lives in a land of endless summer, where blood sacrifices hold back the dark of winter. Through her craft, she grants power to priests and soldiers, channelling the magic of Emperor Sun. But what matters to Cualli is not power; it is proving herself as the empire’s finest goldsmith.
Not everyone feels blessed by the empire’s blood-stained faith. Dissent is turning to rebellion and the rebels want Cualli on their side, whether she likes it or not. When the season of sacrifice threatens the lives of her closest friends, Cualli must face a choice: will she fight for change through the illegal magic of silver, or will she bask in her own triumph and the endless golden summer?
Andrew Knighton is a freelance writer and an author of fantasy and alternate history. He has ghost-written fourteen novels, co-written The Bear’s Claws, a Cold War alternate history, and has over fifty short stories published in magazines, websites, and anthologies. He was a finalist in the Top Cow Comics talent hunt and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize for short fiction.
The story of the brooch shown on the cover of Silver and Gold is told in Sympathetic Magic. The background comes from the talented Alan C. Caum whose covers, maps and witty interior illustrations (camouflaged as context-rich ads) grace many Candlemark works.
Silver and Gold is available on Amazon and on our website, where a purchase brings along the full digital bundle (PDF, Epub and Mobi). All C&G ebooks are DRM-free.
Come journey on parallel worlds with us—but always remember that some values are universal!
