The Tower of Living and Dying

By: Anna Smith Spark

Narrated by: Colin Mace, Meriel Rosenkranz

A powerhouse story of bloodshed, ambition, and fate, The Tower of Living and Dying is a continuation of Anna Smith Spark's brilliant Empires of Dust trilogy, which began with The Court of Broken Knives.

Marith has been a sellsword, a prince, a murderer, a demon, and dead. But something keeps bringing him back to life, and now there is nothing stopping him from taking back the throne that is rightfully his.

Thalia, the former high priestess, remains Marith's only tenuous grasp to whatever goodness he has left. His left hand and his last source of light, Thalia still believes that the power that lies within him can be used for better ends. But as more forces gather beneath Marith's banner, she can feel her influence slipping.

Read the second book in this "gritty and glorious!" (Miles Cameron) epic fantasy series reminiscent of Joe Abercrombie and Mark Lawrence where the exiled son of a king fights to reclaim his throne no matter the cost.

Critic reviews

"Marked by intense, action-packed battle scenes, this grimdark epic fantasy is the escape you need right now."—Kirkus on The Tower of Living and Dying

'One of the most exciting voices not just in grimdark but in fantasy [...] eclipses almost everything else I've read this year'.—Grimdark Magazine on The Tower of Living and Dying

"Gritty and glorious! A great read."
—Miles Cameron, author of The Traitor Son Cycle on The Court of Broken Knives

"Fierce, gripping fantasy, exquisitely written; bitter, funny, and heart-rending by turns."—Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award winner for Children of Time on The Court of Broken Knives

"Grim, gritty, and fast paced; with great battles scenes! Anna Smith-Spark is one to watch."—Andy Remic, author of the Blood Dragon Empire series on The Court of Broken Knives

"Anna Smith-Spark writes in a unique voice with such pace and veracity your imagination has to struggle to keep up with your eyes."—Adrian Collins, Grimdark Magazine on The Court of Broken Knives

"Captivating."—Marc Turner, author of the Chronicles of the Exile series on The Court of Broken Knives

"All hail the queen of grimdark fantasy!"
—Michael R. Fletcher, author of Beyond Redemption on The Court of Broken Knives

"Spark's gripping debut is definitely one to read and prize."—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Court of Broken Knives

"Holy crap, this is good!"—Grim Tidings on The Court of Broken Knives

"Spark's first novel lives up to its billing as a 'grimdark' tale. The setting may be bleak and dreary, but the worldbuilding is well done and the characters fit right in. Troubled, solitary and downright drug-addled as the protagonist is, readers will come around to his side as the reasons why he seeks for the throne he lost are revealed."—RT Book Reviews on The Court of Broken Knives

"This outstanding, unputdownable debut holds and horrifies like a blood-spattered tapestry. There's rough humour, high drama and a love of story-telling that shines through every page. Plus it's got dragons with bad breath. Brilliant."—The Daily Mail (UK) on The Court of Broken Knives

"It's a bold experiment and feels like something new. An interesting book to read and fascinating to discuss afterwards!"—Mark Lawrence on The Court of Broken Knives

"Exciting twists and turns...Spark keeps the surprises coming all the way to the end. "—Booklist on The Court of Broken Knives

Half brilliant, half slog

Like the first book, half of the story is enthralling, and half leaves me wanting to walk away and never return. The writing gets to be very repetitive to the point where I wish I was reading rather than listening to this book so I could skip past large parts without fear of missing the few gems inlaid within. The only reason I'll keep going onto the third book is because there is just enough here to warrant doing so... and because I have credits to spare and nothing better to do.