Echo City
Authors: Tim Lebbon
Praise for DUSK by Tim Lebbon
Winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel, 2006
“Totally original. I’ve never read anything like it—new wonders at every turn. One might subtitle it ‘A Riveting Work of Staggering Imagination.’ ”
—F. P
AUL
W
ILSON
“Lebbon has a way of throwing staggering images at you which you almost have to pause and think about before you can fully grasp. This is fantasy for grownups—and the ending made my jaw drop. This is an excellent book, and I would not say that unless I meant it.”
—P
AUL
K
EARNEY
“Dusk
is a deliciously dark and daring fantasy novel, proof of a startling imagination at work. Lebbon’s writing is a twisted spiral of cunning, compassion, and cruelty.”
—C
HRISTOPHER
G
OLDEN
“An exquisitely written, unique world is revealed in this novel. It’s rare indeed to witness the conventions of fantasy so thoroughly grabbed by the throat and shaken awake. Even more enticing, this first novel in the series concludes with a jaw-dropping finale, and for what it’s worth, such a reaction from me is not a common occurrence.”
—S
TEVEN
E
RIKSON
“A gripping and visceral dark fantasy. Lebbon has etched a powerful new version/telling of the traditional magical quest, whose tortured twists and turns will (alternately) disturb and electrify its readers.”
—S
ARAH
A
SH
“A compelling, if harrowing, read … dark, nasty, and visceral and yet a real page-turner.… Definitely worth reading.”
—SFFWorld
“Well-drawn characters and a literate way with the grisly distinguish this first of a new fantasy series from Stoker winner Lebbon.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Dark, gripping swords-and-sorcery noir … A promising departure for horror novelist Lebbon.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
Praise for DAWN
“A terrific horror fantasy … The story line is action-packed and filled with the usual creative war gadgetry that keeps Tim Lebbon tales fresh.… A superior tale.”
—SFRevu
“This sequel to
Dusk
again demonstrates Bram Stoker Award winner Lebbon’s consummate talent for viscerally visual fantasy [with] strong and unusual characters and a plot of epic proportions.”
—
Library Journal
“The relentless imagination and evocative prose that made
Dusk
such a thrilling read are still in evidence … Lebbon has shaken up high fantasy with his duology, and it was a pleasure to read.”
—SF Site
Praise for FALLEN
“Stoker winner Lebbon successfully combines quest adventure and horror in this gripping and disturbing tale.… Lebbon creates vivid and convincing major and minor characters, places and creatures, blending wonder and nightmare in this dark and memorable novel.”
—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
“The joy of reading one of Tim Lebbon’s Noreela tales is discovering what new surprises the author has conjured up.… Shocking, tragic, and haunting …
Fallen
is just another outstanding addition to the Noreela mythos, and every time I visit this terrifying yet fascinating world, the harder it becomes to tear myself away.”
—Fantasy Book Critic
“What makes this such a rollicking read is not only the plot—a fast-moving story, laced with action, a smattering of sex and a very pleasant sense of wonder—but also the way that Tim has used his obvious writing skills to produce a damn good yarn.… the best yet.”
—SFFWorld
“If Lebbon continues writing the Noreela stories to this high standard, the series could be as exciting as George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire novels. 4 out of 5 stars.”
—
SFX
Praise for THE ISLAND
“Gripping … offers hope that the compelling protagonists can achieve believable heroism if they’re willing to pay for it.”
—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
“A uniquely terrifying horror fantasy that contrasts the homey comforts of a small seaport town with horrors that come from the realm of nightmares. A standout choice for most dark fantasy readers.”
—
Library Journal
“Riveting … This stand-alone story is a pulse-pounding adventure with visceral thrills and Lebbon’s signature moral ambiguity … and Noreela is as inspired and fascinating as ever.”
—
Booklist
A
LSO BY
T
IM
L
EBBON
NOVELS
Noreela
The Island
Fallen
Dawn
Dusk
The Hidden Cities
(with Christopher Golden)
Mind the Gap
The Map of Moments
The Chamber of Ten
Hellboy
Hellboy: Unnatural Selection
Hellboy: The Fire Wolves
Bar None
Mesmer
The Nature of Balance
Hush (with Gavin Williams)
Face
Until She Sleeps
Desolation
30 Days of Night
30 Days of Night: Fear of the Dark
The Everlasting
Berserk
NOVELLAS
White
Naming of Parts
Changing of Faces
Exorcising Angels (with Simon Clark)
Dead Man’s Hand
Pieces of Hate
A Whisper of Southern Lights
The Reach of Children
The Thief of Broken Toys
COLLECTIONS
Faith in the Flesh
As the Sun Goes Down
White and Other Tales of Ruin
Fears Unnamed
Last Exit for the Lost
After the War
Echo City
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2010 by Tim Lebbon
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Spectra, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
S
PECTRA
and the portrayal of a boxed “s” are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
eISBN: 978-0-345-52270-2
v3.1
For my sister Joan
In conclusion, my despair: the concept that Echo City could be all there is; the thought that we are alone; the conceit that humanity rose from one man, expanding into one place, shunning the beyond though dangerous it must be. This is abhorrent to me. It denies our nature, which has been proven again and again to be exultant and brave. It disregards the very idea of our progress as a race and the ultimate triumph that must come. But such ignorance is clasped to the heart of those who claim rule over us. And though I see glory in our future, before glory, I see pain.
B
ENJERMEN
D
AXIA
,
Truth—An Exhortation to Revolt
Thanks once again to editor extraordinaire Anne Groell, who always sees the big picture and helps me find it. Also thanks to David Pomerico and everyone at Bantam, my ever-wise agent Howard Morhaim, and all those writers and friends who make sure it’s never a lonely business. You are too numerous to list, but you know who you are.
As it left the city, the thing did not once look back. It walked with heavy steps, looked forward with rheumy eyes, and its misted breath soon dispersed in the air. It did not look back, because its purpose was ahead, and large though this thing was, its brain was small and simple, its reason for being very precise. It moved away from the world and out into the Bonelands, and it would never return.
Darkness concealed the start of its journey. It was aware of people in the buildings and ruins around it, but Skulk Canton was a place whose residents would keep to themselves. If they did not, its maker had instructed it to force their attention away. In its rudimentary mind, the idea of violence was little different from the process of placing one foot in front of the other, or breathing, or blinking its eyes to clear them of sand.
For a while as it started across the desert, the ground still bore signs of Echo City. Rubble from tumbled walls marred its path, and it had to step aside or climb over. One spread of land was scarred with the evidence of digging, the reason and results long since lost to time. And here and there it saw the remains of a body.
The moon’s pale crescent lit its way. Beyond the moon, countless stars speckled the clear, cold night. The thing had no concept of what moon and stars were, because they bore no connection to its purpose. But it looked up at them with curiosity nonetheless. Its maker had granted it that, at least.
Soon it was away from the outer limits of the city. It walked as it had been instructed, avoiding places where the sands looked thin and loose and keeping to harder, easier surfaces. No plants existed out here, and no animals—nothing but sand and rock and the dry, heavy air it breathed. Sometimes a gentle breeze whispered a skein of sand across its path, and it held its breath as it passed through the brief, scouring cloud.