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Sam Sykes
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Seven Blades in Black (The Grave of Empires Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Sam Sykes (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,262 ratings
Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Acclaimed author Sam Sykes returns with a brilliant new epic fantasy that introduces an unforgettable outcast mage caught between two warring empires.

Her magic was stolen. She was left for dead.

Betrayed by those she trusts most and her magic ripped from her, all Sal the Cacophony has left is her name, her story, and the weapon she used to carve both. But she has a will stronger than magic, and knows exactly where to go.

The Scar, a land torn between powerful empires, where rogue mages go to disappear, disgraced soldiers go to die and Sal went with a blade, a gun, and a list of seven names.
Revenge will be its own reward.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    The Grave of Empires
  2. Print length
    706 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Orbit
  6. Publication date
    April 9, 2019
  7. File size
    4061 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sykes is a master at taking familiar elements of fantasy and stirring them to a wicked, wholly original churn. In Sal the Cacophony, Sykes has crafted a protagonist for the ages. Ludicrous, wicked, delightful."―Pierce Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Red Rising

"Seven Blades in Black offers villains that are as memorable and unique as the heroes. Action, magic, romance and humor mingle well in this mammoth tale. It's an immersive read in a well realized world."―Robin Hobb, New York Times bestselling author of Fool's Assassin

"Exciting and inventive. I never realized how much I needed wizard-hunting gunslingers in my life."―Peter V. Brett, New York Times bestselling author of The Warded Man

"Seven Blades in Black is terrific. The tale of Sal the Cacophony is delightfully sarcastic and deeply sorrowful."―Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld

"Gunslingers and mad mages and monsters, oh my. Sykes' latest is a brutal and vulgar epic yet still fun enough that - and I say this as the highest of compliments - makes me wish like hell it ends up with an adaptation into a role-playing game."―Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author

"Sykes' writing is full of heart, hilarity, and the frank understanding that as humans we are all disasters. Come for the adventures, stay for the weirdos."―R. F. Kuang, author of The Poppy War

"By the end of the first page, you'll know Sam is in love with his characters. By the end of the second, you'll know you are too."―Myke Cole, author of The Armored Saint

"A love letter to Final Fantasy and badass women, told with with an irresistible mix of passion and wit."―David Dalglish, author of Soulkeeper

"With skillful worldbuilding, unexpected humor, and characters real enough to touch, this is easily Sykes's best book to date."―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Compulsive from start to finish."―Kirkus (starred review)

"Action fantasy with soul -- albeit a small, dirty, funny soul."―Brent Weeks on The City Stained Red

"Sam Sykes continues to reinvent the fantasy adventuring party in a vibrant world of rude magic and good intentions gone bad. Bold and exuberant, never cynical, Sykes fights the good fight on behalf of rich fantasy that nonetheless refuses to apologize for being kick-ass fun."―Scott Lynch on The City Stained Red

"Sykes has put the fun back in fantasy with fantastic creatures and a lovable crew of malcontents. The City Stained Red is like David Eddings meets Conan the Barbarian."―Brian McClellan on The City Stained Red

About the Author

Sam Sykes -- author, citizen, mammal -- has written extensively over the years, penning An Affinity for Steel, the Bring Down Heaven trilogy, Brave Chef Brianna, and now The Grave of Empires trilogy. At the time of this writing, no one has been able to definitively prove or disprove that he has fought a bear.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B079RCCRM6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orbit (April 9, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 9, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4061 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 706 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,262 ratings

About the author

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Sam Sykes

Sam Sykes

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Sam Sykes is the author of the acclaimed Tome of the Undergates, a vast and sprawling story of adventure, demons, madness and carnage. He lives with two hounds in a small, drab apartment and has eaten at least one of every animal on earth. You can visit his website at www.samsykes.com

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
1,262 global ratings
Seven Blades of Brilliance!
5 Stars
Seven Blades of Brilliance!
There are many authors who can thread a good yarn, but Sam does something more—he delivers his tales straight to your core. And with each page turned, Sykes latches onto your heart, wrangles your emotions, and then coddles your soul within the whispered promise of more yet to come. With this said, I look forward with great anticipation as I hanker for the next volume in this series, Ten Arrows of Iron.
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Top reviews from the United States

Joseph R.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great world building, great characters, flips from humor to tragedy and back like it's effortless
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2019
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It's a very odd world we live in now. I discovered Sam Sykes because of a comical twitter thread between him and fellow author (who I haven't gotten around to reading yet but I will) Chuck Wendig. That twitter thread also managed to spawn a slightly entertaining horror/comedy. Strange times. Now, Seven books later Mr. Sykes is my favorite modern fantasy author. His humor and his devotion to his characters and the seemingly effortless way he does his world building make for some of the best fantasy novels I've read in my entire life. His most recent book, Seven Blades in Black, was entertaining and beautiful, and heartbreaking from beginning to end. I cannot recommend this book enough. It's a love letter to not just fantasy but also Sykes' love Japanese RPG's like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger. There are so many little references that I know I haven't found them all yet and can't wait to read this book again. My only complaint is that I don't have the sequel in my hands right now but I guarantee that I will be pre-ordering it and waiting impatiently for it until it arrives at my doorstep and I can devour it immediately.
Sam Sykes loves what he does and you can feel it in the words he puts on the page. If you're looking for a fun adventure with wonderful characters who feel alive then this is the book for you. As his previous series is six books all together this is a great starting on point to get an idea what kind of stories this guy tells. And I would not be surprised at all that if you read this you'll immediately want to read his other stuff. Pretty much anything this guy puts out I will read from now until the heat death of the universe.
2 people found this helpful
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Robert D Schwenker
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Dialogue and Action
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2020
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I really enjoyed this book for the fun and quick dialogue, as well as the action. My initial negative reaction to guns and machines in a “fantasy genre” disappeared entirely after a chapter or two. The pacing was really strong, and the use of the interrogation setting to pull you out of the story was well orchestrated. Sal the Cacophony is a great character. Even without knowing her motivations in the beginning her obsession doesn’t feel odd, it feels normal, and I easily bought into it.

The Scar as a world is also well crafted, there is not a ridiculous amount of at can bog down many stories, but the political factions and the territory have enough descriptions to allow you to shape it as you want to without force feeding your imagination.

Definitely would recommend this enjoyable (although violent) book.
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K. J. Avila
5.0 out of 5 stars I can't wait for the next one.
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2019
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More and more often, I find myself trusting my fiancé to pick out books for me to read. This was one of those times.

I don't normally pick up reads this long, but I'm definitely glad I didn't let this one pass me by! As someone who played Final Fantasy a ton as a teenager, this scratched an itch I didn't even realize I had.

Everything I read about this story leading up to when I actually read it myself kept talking about how it's a love letter to Final Fantasy and that's honestly the best way to describe the world of Seven Blades in Black. The entire book felt like I was playing a video game, and was more immersive than most of the fantasy I've read. Usually I avoid high fantasy like the plague because the bits I've been exposed to tend to drag when it comes to the world building. That was not the case with this one. The world building was seamless, and at no point did I feel like the writer was just dumping information on me. That might have been due to the fact that the majority of the story was the main character telling someone else her adventures, but it really felt natural. The story had an intimate feel I don't come across often in this genre.

I'm pretty sure Sal the Cacophony has taken up her rightful place as my favorite female lead I've read in a very long time. She's a bad-ass antihero and more complex than I was expecting her to be. It's not often we get female anti-heroes written with the same complexity we get for the male ones, and for that alone Sam Sykes deserves all the awards. Honestly, this book is a must read for people tired of the same old in fantasy. The world is dynamic, the magic system new an interesting, and the cast is diverse and a breath of fresh air. It's everything I've ever wanted in fantasy and then some.

Needless to say, I can't wait for the next one. But, if you're like me and tend to avoid series, you can still pick this one up. The story is complete in its own way, and while there's a sense of more to come, it's so satisfying an ending that I'm not upset I need to wait an indefinite amount of time before the next one.
5 people found this helpful
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Thomas Frank
5.0 out of 5 stars Think Outlaw Star meets The Good, The Bad and The Ugly/Hang 'Em High
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
So I finished "Seven Blades in Black" by Sam Sykes, All I can say is WOW!
Sal the Cacophony is wonderful new LGBTQ+ antiheroine, on a bloody path of vengeance to pay back those who took from her, who finds a possible path to redemption.
In the midst of a war on a broken world between 2 warring factions , neither of which is admirable, Sam Sykes writes a deeply engrossing story of vengeance, love, growth, and populates it with engaging characters, from the Broken antiheroine Sal The Cacophony and her mystical gun of the same name, to her friend/lover Liette, Cavric the revolutionary who revolts against his own revolution, Congeniality the loyal murderbird, differing magic systems, past intrigues and betrayals exposed to the brutal justice of a harsh world and antiheroine. Mixing in traces of anime, westerns, low fantasy, steampunk, magical powered weapons and more "Seven Blades in Black" is engaging, engrossing roller coaster of a read that exposes the truth slowly but inexorably,about not just the world Sal the Cacophony inhabits, but her and the forces that drive her on her bloody path through that world.
Think Outlaw Star meets The Good, The Bad and The Ugly/Hang 'Em High with magic and you are in for a rollicking ride through the Scar.
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Edward Jones
4.0 out of 5 stars It's a good interesting trilogy- worth your money.
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2023
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It has a good story, but I would have been happier if it had more of a straight-to-the-point story. In other words you need to reread this again to be able to follow exactly what the author is saying. It's good enough to make you want to do that.
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Top reviews from other countries

Kyle
5.0 out of 5 stars A grim fantasy novel
Reviewed in Canada on May 23, 2023
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An excellently put together novel, fantasy with all the horrors and absurdities high powered magic would bring out. It's dark, it's funny, it's tragic and sometimes quietly hopeful. A very good read
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Reader2
1.0 out of 5 stars So bad!
Reviewed in Spain on April 2, 2024
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This is unreadable. I read 28% and gave up. It's a YA book, so childish!
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S. Maurer
5.0 out of 5 stars Dark and funny
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2023
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I wasn't sure what to think from the cover art, but the book had good reviews...

I'm glad I picked it up as it was a great read. The slow, teased out exposition was perfectly paced amongst a rollercoaster of a ride.

I really enjoyed Sam's story telling mechanism of one woman's journey of revenge and I'm looking forward to the next book!
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Dean Westcott
5.0 out of 5 stars A ripping good yarn
Reviewed in Australia on September 3, 2019
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One of my favourite books for 2019. Hard to put down, full of action, angst, a smelly bird and a sword called Jeff. The characters grow within themselves, grew on me and developed in complexity as the story went on. Superbly written, plot has believable twists and been a while since I had to read so carefully ensure I was getting all the nuances. Can’t recommend highly enough.
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D. Trasler
5.0 out of 5 stars The best book you haven't read yet. Fix this immediately.
Reviewed in Canada on September 14, 2019
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This is not a book for the fainthearted. Sam Sykes does not write of puppies and kittens frolicking in the happy summer sun. His story of Sal the Cacophony and her quest is rough and bloody, and violent and magical. Also, there are giant murderbirds. If Mad Max was a woman, rode a giant parrot and wielded a sword called Jeff and a gun that fired magical rounds....In fact, never mind, it's nothing like Mad Max. It's nothing like any book you've already read. Just get a copy, and read it. Your life will be better for the experience, trust me.
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