City of Lies
core novel 2018 The Poison Wars
Record
| First published | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.77 (2,863 ratings, collected 2026-08-26) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781250306685 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
City of Lies follows Jovan, secretly trained since childhood as a poison-detecting protector, or proofer, to the ruling Chancellor's family, alongside his sister Kalina, whose own abilities were set aside in favor of Jovan's training despite her sharp intelligence and hidden strengths. When the Chancellor dies of an unidentified poison just as a hostile army lays siege to their city-state of Silastra, Jovan and Kalina are thrust into protecting the young, inexperienced Heir at the very moment the city can least afford instability. As they race to identify both the poisoner responsible for the Chancellor's death and the deeper conspiracy behind the siege itself, the siblings must draw on skills neither of them was ever meant to use so publicly, testing loyalties within the ruling family and the city's own fragile chain of command.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Poison Wars
- Series: The Poison Wars core; position 1 of 2 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Sam Hawke
Notes
- From the series record (The Poison Wars): Complete duology, 2018-2020.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series The Poison Wars: position 1 of 2: next Hollow Empire (2020)
Sources
- Poison War series bibliography (specialised series-tracking site)
- https://torpublishinggroup.com/author/sam-hawke/
- City of Lies Wikipedia entry
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