Winner of the World Fantasy Award 2019, Best Collection.For fans of Ken Liu and Gene Wolfe.Khaim, the last city of a once-great empire, clings to life.This is a world poisoned by its addiction to magic. Every time a spell is cast, toxic bramble sprouts, bursting forth from tilled fields, thrusting up from between cobblestones. A bit of magic, and bramble follows until whole cities are consumed by tangling vines. Armies hack and burn... yet in a world that can't give up magic's sweet succour, the bramble can't be stopped.When Jeoz the alchemist discovers a potent new weapon to wield against the bramble, his invention promises Khaim freedom from fear and starvation. But these are twisted times and the bramble is not the only corruption that blights the land.'Pulses with the siren call of power, the throb of remorse and dreams of redemption' Daily Mail.'Exploring themes of power, corruption, greed and thwarted hope, the authors deliver an absorbing and sensitive fantasy' Guardian.