The Witch & The City
The Witch & The City by Jake Burnett, published by South Window Press on October 24, 2023, is a fantasy novel comprising 284 pages. Set in the prison-city of Osylum, which floats in an endless abyss, the story centers on the enigmatic Lady who rules the city through the Wardens—mysterious creatures that manage the inmates while enforcing strict control over any attempts to escape. The narrative follows Oneirotheria, a new inmate with no memory of her past, as she navigates the chaotic environment of Osylum, filled with broken buildings and graffiti that reflect her internal turmoil.
As Oneirotheria embarks on a journey to piece together her fragmented memories, she discovers that she may possess the key to both her escape and the hidden truths of the city’s origins. The book explores themes of identity and connection, as Oneirotheria interacts with fellow inmates who have their own agendas. Readers will find a richly woven fantasy world where the boundaries between reality and illusion blur, and secrets lie in every corner, waiting to be uncovered. The Witch & The City invites exploration of its lyrical prose and intricate storytelling, appealing to those interested in complex narratives within fantastical settings.
Official synopsis Publisher
The prison-city of Osylum floats in the midst of an endless abyss. The reclusive Lady rules it; distant, inscrutable, and never seen. Her will is imposed by the Wardens, eldritch creatures who tend to the convicts’ needs but also ruthlessly purge anyone who tries to escape.
Osylum’s newest inmate, the witch Oneirotheria, has no memory of who she is, where she came from, or why she is imprisoned. Instead, her mind is a mess of spells and lore and other people’s voices. The city mirrors her internal confusion; a jumble of broken buildings covered in hundreds of snippets of graffiti.
As Oneirotheria re-assembles her own shattered past (aided by a few inmates of dubious intent), she learns she may hold not just the key to escape, but the intertwined secrets of the city’s origin and a lost love that transcends countless lives.
For readers of Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi and Madeline Miller’s Circe, The Witch & The City introduces a lyrical and baroque fantasy world, where an ocean lurks behind every mirror, puppets pull the strings of the living, and even the skulls have secrets to tell… if a witch knows how to listen.
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