After years of service to the corrupt Imperial Republic of Falcrest, Baru Cormorant finally knows how to destroy it. She’s discovered a deadly, weaponized blood plague. And if she releases it, the epidemic will kill millions . . . not just in Falcrest, but worldwide. As her divided mind turns on itself, Baru’s enemies close in. She must choose between genocidal retribution and a harder path. All she has to do is defeat a conspiracy of kings, spies and immortals, manipulate the outcome of two great wars, and steal the greatest riches in the world. If Baru triumphs, she can force Falcrest to abandon its colo

Her world was shattered by the Empire of Masks. For the power to shatter the Masquerade, she betrayed everyone she loved. The traitor Baru Cormorant is now the cryptarch Agonist - a secret lord of the empire she's vowed to destroy. Hunted by a mutinous admiral, haunted by the wound which has split her mind in two, Baru leads her dearest foes on an expedition for the secret of immortality. It's her chance to trigger a war that will consume the Masquerade. But Baru's heart is broken, and she fears she can no longer tell justice from revenge...or her own desires from the will of the man who remade her.

The vast and mysterious universe is explored in this reprint anthology from award-winning editor and anthologist Neil Clarke (Clarkesworld magazine, The Best Science Fiction of the Year). The urge to explore and discover is a natural and universal one, and the edge of the unknown is expanded with each passing year as scientific advancements inch us closer and closer to the outer reaches of our solar system and the galaxies beyond them. Generations of writers have explored these new frontiers and the endless possibilities they present in great detail. With galaxy-spanning adventures of discovery and adventure, from generations ships to warp drives, exploring new worlds to first...

Завтра Бару Корморан выйдет на пляж и увидит на горизонте алые паруса. Империя Масок нагрянет, вооружившись монетами и чернилами, доктринами и компасами, мылом и ложью. Чужаки завоюют Тараноке, родной остров Бару, перепишут его культуру, запретят его обычаи и отнимут одного из ее отцов. Но Бару терпелива. Она проглотит свою ненависть и станет частью Маскарада. Она пробьется наверх и заполучит власть, чтобы освободить свой народ. Проверяя ее верность, Маскарад прикажет Бару навести порядок в далеком Ордвинне, притоне мятежников, шпионов и герцогов-бунтарей. Но Бару весьма искушена в политических играх, а ее безжалостность в вопросах тактики может сравниться лишь с ее...

THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT is an epic geopolitical fantasy about one woman's mission to tear down an empire by learning how to rule it. Tomorrow, on the beach, Baru Cormorant will look up from the sand of her home and see red sails on the horizon. The Empire of Masks is coming, armed with coin and ink, doctrine and compass, soap and lies. They'll conquer Baru’s island, rewrite her culture, criminalize her customs, and dispose of one of her fathers. But Baru is patient. She'll swallow her hate, prove her talent, and join the Masquerade. She will learn the secrets of empire. She’ll be exactly what they need. And she'll claw her way high enough up the rungs of power to set her people...