A Seat for the Rabble

A Seat for the Rabble

By Ryan Schuette

468 pages | 6 x 1.17 x 9 inches | $18.99

ISBN-13: 979-8988598602

From Amazon: Centuries ago, the peasants of Loran killed their king. The more powerful classes—lords, priests, and merchants—exacted revenge by stripping the lowborn of their seats in the Worthy Assembly. Consumed by unchecked greed and corruption, Loran now teeters on a knife’s edge . . . and there is no end to the terror and injustice visited on Commoners.

As the priestking’s loyalists ruthlessly seize peasant children and plot their coup, Jason Warchild sees a war coming—a war he means to prevent. Aided by his cunning sister and traitor uncle, the bastard prince enters a deadly tournament to claim his crown, unite the land against his family’s enemies—and return peasants to power for the first time in hundreds of years.

Amid tournament politics and threats of violent revolution, two children embark on quests that will shake the kingdom to its core. One, a boy hostage, accompanies a sorcerer to confront an ancient evil sowing the seeds of strife. The other, a peasant girl, stakes her soul on a gambit to raise her father from the dead.

Lord, knight, hostage, peasant: the fires will engulf them all in the fight for a voice in their own rule.

 

Praise for A Seat for the Rabble

“From its electric first pages, Schuette’s epic adult fantasy debut grips with a rich, tense, multi-perspective story of a kingdom in unrest. . . . A journalist, [he] writes crisp, compelling scenes that demonstrate an understanding of power, conflicted loyalties, and the ways that history—both ancient and recent, true and made up—powers contemporary conflicts.”BookLife by Publishers Weekly (Grade: A)

“Schuette’s extensive world is an enticing one. Religion, class systems, and past events play large parts in the conflict. . . . Griffins fly; swords cleave; and the unsuspecting are sometimes slaughtered. . . . Yet the fighting and feuding are matched in such a way to keep the intriguing plot moving swiftly. The competing interests make for a curious, highly detailed, engrossing fantasy.” Kirkus Reviews

“Masterful storytelling and epic worldbuilding make this a must-read for fans of political fantasy. Ryan Schuette weaves a complex world of political intrigue, class conflict, and the pursuit of power in this enthralling epic fantasy.” —ALEXANDRIA DUCKSWORTH, Independent Book Review

“If you like getting marooned in a book, so far removed from real life that there’s no need for rescue, then A Seat for the Rabble was made for you! . . . [It’s] a sumptuous feast for the mind.”NICKY FLOWERS, Indies Today (Rating: ★★★★★)

“[A]n unputdownable story. . . .” —SHERRY FUNDIN, fundinmental.com

 

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