Asunder
core novel 2024 Asunder
Record
| First published | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.08 (2,452 ratings, collected 2026-09-05) |
| Page count | 432 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781250625434 |
| First-edition date | 2024-08-20 |
| First-edition publisher | Tordotcom |
| First-edition country | United States |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
Asunder is a 2024 dark fantasy novel by Kerstin Hall. Karys Eska works as a deathspeaker in a troubled city, bound to an eldritch entity named Sabaster that lets her communicate briefly with the newly dead, a gift she uses to investigate suspicious deaths for paying clients. A routine job goes wrong when she is drawn into the case of a dying stranger named Ferain, who is carrying dangerous secrets. In trying to save him, Karys inadvertently binds his spirit to her own shadow, an act with potentially disastrous consequences for them both. Forced together and wary of one another, the pair set out on a journey toward the heart of a faded empire, pursued by uncanny threats, while Karys becomes increasingly aware that the debts she owes to her gods, her family, and her clients will eventually come due.
Where it sits
- Universe: Asunder
- Series: Asunder core; position 1 of 1 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Kerstin Hall
Awards (verified)
- Nebula Award (Best Novel), 2024: finalist
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2025: finalist
Notes
- Distinct from Hall's separate Mkalis Cycle (The Border Keeper, Second Spear) and her other standalone novel, Star Eater, neither of which is in the canon yet.
- From the series record (Asunder): A single standalone novel.
Sources
← Asunder dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.