Dancer's Lament

Dancer's Lament is the first book in the early-empire series, Path to Ascendancy, written by Ian C. Esslemont. It was released in the UK on the 25th of February 2016 and in the US on the 31st of May 2016.https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1099815/dancer-s-lament/http://us.macmillan.com/dancerslament/iancesslemonthttp://www.tor.com/2016/03/21/new-malazan-novel-fall-of-light-coming-april-26/
==Publisher's summary==
It was once a land ravaged by war, minor city states, baronies and principates fight for supremacy, and then the rival cities of Tali and Quon formed an alliance and so Quon Tali came into being.
However that was generations ago, that dynasty has collapsed and the regional powers are now clawing at each others' throats once more. But at the heart of Quon Tali lies the powerful city state of Li Heng which has for centuries enjoyed relative stability under the guidance of the powerful sorceress known as the “Protectress”. She is not someone likely to tolerate the arrival of two particular young men in her domain: one is determined to prove he is the most skilled assassin of his age; the other is his quarry - a Dal Hon mage who is proving annoyingly difficult to kill. The sorceress and her cabal of five mage servants were enough to repel the Quon Tali Iron Legions, so how could two such trouble-makers upset her iron-fisted rule?
And now, under a new and ambitious king, the forces of Itko Kan are marching on Li Heng from the south. His own assassins, the Nightblades, have been sent ahead into the city, and rumours abound that he has inhuman, nightmarish forces at his command. So as shadows and mistrust swirl and monstrous beasts that people say appear from nowhere, run rampage through Li Heng's streets, it seems chaos is come - but in chaos, as a certain young Dal Hon mage would say, there is opportunity . . .
== Front matter ==
===Dedication===
For Gerri and the boys
===Acknowledgements===
I offer my deepest appreciation to A. P. Canavan, pre-reader and editor extraordinaire. Also, thanks as always to Simon Taylor and everyone at Transworld for their support; and to Peter and Nicky Crowther, and Howard Morhaim.
===Maps===
File:Map Li Heng.jpg|City of Li Heng (Post-Quon Tali Hegemony)
File:Map Quon Tali DL Version.jpg|Quon Tali
==Editions==
Publisher 	Format/Edition 	First published 	Pages 	ISBN-10 	ISBN-13 	Notes
UK and Commonwealth — Dancer's Lament	UK and Commonwealth — Dancer's Lament	UK and Commonwealth — Dancer's Lament	UK and Commonwealth — Dancer's Lament	UK and Commonwealth — Dancer's Lament	UK and Commonwealth — Dancer's Lament	UK and Commonwealth — Dancer's Lament
Bantam 	Hard cover 	25 Feb 2016 	xxx 	0593074343 	978-0593074343 	First EditionCover by Steve Stone
Bantam 	E-book 	25 Feb 2016 	544 	xxx 	978-1473509627 	Cover by Steve Stone
Bantam 	Audio 	25 Feb 2016 	1009 min 	xxx 	978-1473541436 	Cover by Steve Stone
Bantam 	Mass market paperback 	12 Jan 2017 	544 	xxx 	978-0857502834 	Cover by Steve Stone
United States — Dancer's Lament 	United States — Dancer's Lament 	United States — Dancer's Lament 	United States — Dancer's Lament 	United States — Dancer's Lament 	United States — Dancer's Lament 	United States — Dancer's Lament
Tor 	Hard cover 	31 May 2016 	416 	xxx 	978-0765379443 	Cover by Steve Stone
Tor 	Trade paperback 	31 May 2016 	416 	xxx 	978-0765379450 	Cover by Steve Stone
Tor 	E-book 	31 May 2016 	416 	xxx 	978-1466868588 	Cover by Steve Stone
== Plot summary ==
 
::The following summaries contain spoilersPlease access individual chapter summaries via the Chapter infobox
==Notes and references==
Category:Dancer's Lament
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