Vigil

From award-winning author Angela Slatter comes her first full length novel, Vigil, where the normal and the weyrd combine.

‘Verity Fassbinder comes on like a high-octane mix of Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden and Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone - dry, smart, funny, fuelled by a need to protect the weak, and driven by a past that haunts her. Verity's BrisVegas is a far cry from the streets of Brisbane you'll see in tourist brochures, a dark supernatural playground where anything can happen and where the strangest of us can find safe haven. If you loved True Blood, or if you've ever loved a great PI series, then Vigil is for you. Smart, funny, and engaging. I can't wait for the sequel!’ - Jonathan Strahan, editor of The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year series

Verity Fassbinder has her feet in two worlds.

The daughter of one human and one Weyrd parent, she has very little power herself, but does claim unusual strength - and the ability to walk between us and the other - as a couple of her talents. As such a rarity, she is charged with keeping the peace between both races, and ensuring the Weyrd remain hidden from us.

But now Sirens are dying, illegal wine made from the tears of human children is for sale - and in the hands of those Weyrd who hold with the old ways - and someone has released an unknown and terrifyingly destructive force on the streets of Brisbane.

And Verity must investigate - or risk ancient forces carving our world apart.

‘A brilliant start to what promises to be an enjoyable series . . . Angela has set the scene for the rest of the series, by offering an original and fresh tale encompassing many genres that will enthral all readers alike’ - Starburst Magazine

‘The world of the Weyrd collides with modern-day Brisbane, bringing chaos in its wake. A brilliant new urban fantasy with elements of murder mystery and magic - I'm already looking forward to the next Verity Fassbinder adventure’ - Alison Littlewood, author of A Cold Season

‘A rich paranormal dark fantasy.’ - Colin Steele, Sydney Morning Herald Online

‘Slatter's work is excellent, and eminently readable . . . It's easy to see how she's managed to make such an impact on the genre’ - British Fantasy Society

‘Angela Slatter is an Australian author who spins beautiful yarns in a musical, fascinating narrative style’ – SFSite

‘One of the most important voices in fantasy’ - SF Signal

‘Rich and heady as honey mead, potent and earthy as great Scotch, the sublimely dark tales of Angela Slatter are an addictive delight’ - Neil Snowden

‘Simply put: Slatter can write! Beautifully, stylishly, accurately. She conjures ghosts and spirits and forces us to recognise the monsters that are ourselves . . . she conjures the secret and private worlds hidden just inside the curtains of reality, and she does it with sentences as sparse and sharp-edged as unused razor blades. She's my pick: a writer who will constantly surprise; and just when you think she's at the top of her game, she will go on to become impossibly better. Read this writer. She'll drop the scales right out of your eyes’ - Jack Dann, award-winning author of The Memory Cathedral

‘Angela Slatter [is one] of the most daring and exquisitely polished writers on today's' speculative fiction scene’ - Karen Miller, author of the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker series

‘Vigil dares to be different, eloquent, emotive, and exciting in equal measures; it marks the start of what will become the new must-read urban fantasy series. You will be eagerly awaiting the next trip down under with baited breath; such is the brilliance of this novel’ - Ginger Nuts of Horror

‘Striking urban fantasy set in Brisbane . . . Verity has touches of Katniss Everdeen but quickly establishes herself as a strong, likeable and positive female heroine in her own right, and her topsy turvy adventures fighting for the powers of good in an almost divergent world are pleasing and fast-paced. This is the opening to a trilogy and the next volumes will prove most welcome’ – Lovereading’

‘Verity is the best thing about the book . . . she's a surly, straight-talking, Doc Marten-wearing punchbag who investigates Weyrd-related crime on behalf of the beleaguered "normal" police . . . it'll be interesting to see what's next for her.’ - SFX

‘If you like reading intelligent dark urban fantasies, I would definitely recommend picking up Vigil. It is a fine and an exciting novel.’ - Upcoming4.me