King of Shards by Matthew KresselKing of Shards

by Matthew Kressel

ISBN: 978-0-9796246-2-9

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Ebook available from all major book retailers.

About King of Shards

Daniel Fisher doesn’t know he’s one of the Hidden Thirty Six, powerful humans who sustain not just Earth, but millions of Shards, remnant husks of shattered worlds. But Ashmedai, King of Demonkind, knows exactly who Daniel is. On Daniel’s wedding day, Asmhedai abducts Daniel to the hell Shard of Gehinnom, where humans and demons dwell in abject misery. There they meet Rana, a mason girl who can build far greater things than palaces. And Marul Menacha, a mysterious witch who survived the trip to the Heavenly Orchard and returned with a forbidden secret. Ashmedai warns them of an evil plot hatched by Mashit – queen of demons and Ashmedai’s ex-lover. Evil Mashit plans to murder the Hidden Thirty Six, destroying not just the Earth but all the myriad Shards.

Daniel must gain the trust of the Mikulalim, cursed creatures who slink like ghouls through the night. And he must navigate the treacherous politics of nomadic desert tribes, gathering his forces for the ultimate confrontation with Mashit and her demon Legion, while simultaneously trying to save Earth and all the myriad Shards from oblivion.

A story unlike any you’ve ever read. Read what NPR Books says is “A fantastic twist on Jewish mythology [and] a radical reinvention of Jewish faith and folklore, not to mention the portal fantasy.”

Praise for King of Shards

“A fantastic twist on Jewish mythology…a radical reinvention of Jewish faith and folklore, not to mention the portal fantasy…”One city’s rubble is the next city’s foundation,” Kressel writes. Not only does that simple, profound idea underpin King of Shards’ plot, it’s the method to the book’s majestic, resonant, reality-twisting madness.” — NPR Books

“Kressel draws heavily on Hebrew legend and biblical lore to build a robustly imagined fantasy world…Kressel advances his plot briskly through a series of alliances, betrayals, separations, and reunions, and the veiled motives of several of his characters keep his story pleasingly unpredictable. His skill at extrapolating traditional religious lore into the stuff of fantasy bodes well for future books in the series.” — Publishers Weekly

“With surprising twists and a deep and detailed universe, King of Shards, the first in a trilogy, is likely to be remembered for more than its Jewish roots.” – Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog

“A surreal and exotic adventure in a unique mythological setting. Scary, exhilarating fun!” – N.K. Jemisin, award-winning author of The Inheritance Trilogy, the Dreamblood series, and The Fifth Season

“In this prismatic tale of demons, righteous warriors, and multiple universes, Kressel plumbs the depths of Kabbalistic lore to create a unique fantasy cosmos. Daniel Fisher’s wedding day becomes a nightmare when he finds himself transported to a harsh desert world–and discovers his intended bride is a demon. It turns out Daniel is one of the Lamed Vav, the thirty-six righteous people who are destined to fight evil. To stop the ravages of the demon, Daniel must go on a terrifying journey and form unlikely alliances along the way in this engaging new epic fantasy.” — The Huffington Post

“[A] fascinating first novel…King of Shards is the first entry of the Worldmender Trilogy, and its use of Hebrew culture and legend to build a complex, dynamic setting serves to imbue every page with an epic mythos. Kressel presents a compelling alternate reality that readers can escape to while also pondering the nature of what is real.” — Shelf Awareness

“Matthew Kressel’s King of Shards is an imaginative, intelligent, and soaring debut that mixes Jewish folklore/mysticism and modern-day social politics. The result is a unique spin on epic fantasy that is both timeless and timely, and a hell of lot of fun. You’ll want to follow Daniel and Rana through the Shards. Trust me.” –Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Little Sleep.

“With his debut novel King of Shards, Matthew Kressel rips a young man out of present day New York and plunges him into the depths of his family’s secret history. This is a world where the mysticism of The Kabbalah and Torah begin to seem like everyday commentary, where ordinary people attempt to live their lives despite the extraordinary turmoil of unending conspiracy, secret saints, scheming demons, and shattered universes. This novel shakes the foundations of everyday reality, and the ensuing chaos is pure pleasure.” –Christopher Barzak, author of One for Sorrow and Wonders of the Invisible World

“With King of Shards, Kressel threads portal adventure through ancient mythos. His demons and demi-gods and his very human (or mostly human) characters have to work their way through the terrifying, violent, and often beautiful alternate planes he’s built using his incredible imagination and traditional and Apocryphal knowledge as a tableau. You will emerge transformed.”
— Fran Wilde, author of Updraft

“Kressel’s rich landscapes sing with ancient resonance by the light of modern flair. He weaves compelling tradition with innovative high Fantasy; culture and creativity become foundations for new myths featuring heroes built to shine.” – Leanna Renee Hieber, award-winning author of the Strangely Beautiful saga

“A gripping trek across a unique desert world rich with Kabbalah-inspired magic and vivid demons builds to a whirlwind climax. Daniel, taken from our world, and Rana, uprooted from her life on hers, grapple with the power of their destinies, and its danger, to both our world and the entire cosmos.” — Scott H. Andrews, World Fantasy Award-nominated editor of Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine

“Kressel does an excellent job in fashioning a fantasy world based on Jewish lore and in creating interesting characters and a suspenseful plot. Although it took time to understand the underlying theology of the Shards, that didn’t slow the action.” — Rabbi Rachel Esserman for The Reporter Group

“One of the most ambitious fantasy novels out there.” — Chris Willrich, author of The Scroll of Years