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Master of Poisons

By Andrea Hairston
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Set in a world beset by environmental decay and political strife, Master of Poisons follows Djola, the spymaster of the Arkhysian Empire, striving to save his homeland from ruin while in exile. Alongside him is Awa, a young griot apprentice, discovering her powers amid sorcery, floating cities, and mysterious creatures. Weaving African folktales and postcolonial themes, Andrea Hairston crafts an epic fantasy rich in lush prose and storytelling rhythms, exploring magic, resilience, and transformation.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$3999

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This richly imaginative and thought-provoking fantasy suits readers who appreciate culturally infused storytelling, epic world-building, and lyrical prose. It is ideal for fans of Afrofuturism, postcolonial narratives, and those seeking diversity in speculative fiction.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

This is a prayer hymn, a battle cry, a lovesong, a legendary call and response bonfire talisman tale. This is medicine for a broken world. — Daniel José Older

Award-winning author Andrea Hairston weaves together African folktales and postcolonial literature into unforgettable fantasy in Master of Poisons.

New material for a new edition!
This trade paperback includes an extensive, conversational interview between the author and Daniel José Older!

The world is changing. Poison desert eats good farmland. Once-sweet water turns foul. The wind blows sand and sadness across the Empire. To get caught in a storm is death. To live and do nothing is death. There is magic in the world, but good conjure is hard to find.

Djola, righthand man and spymaster of the lord of the Arkhysian Empire, is desperately trying to save his adopted homeland, even in exile.

Awa, a young woman training to be a powerful griot, tests the limits of her knowledge and comes into her own in a world of sorcery, floating cities, kindly beasts, and uncertain men.

Awash in the rhythms of folklore and storytelling and rich with Hairston's characteristic lush prose, Master of Poisons is epic fantasy that will bleed your mind with its turns of phrase and leave you aching for the world it burns into being.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Master of Poisons has been lauded as "sheer, undiluted brilliance" by Daniel José Older, who calls it "epic, courageous, unapologetically fierce" and "medicine for a broken world." Sheree Renée Thomas praises its ability to inspire hope and imagination for a better future. Pearl Cleage asserts that "nobody does it better than Andrea Hairston," inviting readers to "follow her into the light." This acclaimed novel was named a Best of 2020 Pick by Kirkus Reviews.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781250260567

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 31 August 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: St Martin's Press

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 35.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 213.0mm

Weight: 631g

Pages: 528

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Andrea Hairston Fantasy Fiction General Fiction Sci-Fi & Fantasy

About the Author

Andrea Hairston is a novelist, essayist, playwright, and the Artistic Director of Chrysalis Theatre. She is the author of Redwood and Wildfire, winner of the 2011 Tiptree Award and the Carl Brandon Kindred Award, and Mindscape, shortlisted for the Phillip K Dick and Tiptree Awards, and winner of the Carl Brandon Parallax Award. In her spare time, she is the Louise Wolff Kahn 1931 Professor of Theatre and Afro-American Studies at Smith College. She has received the International Association of the Fantastic in the Arts Distinguished Scholarship Award for outstanding contributions to the criticism of the fantastic. She bikes at night year-round, meeting bears, and the occasional shooting star.

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