The Faithless
core novel 2023 Magic of the Lost
Record
| First published | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.26 (4,169 ratings, collected 2026-09-14) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780356516240 |
Synopsis
The Faithless, the second novel in C. L. Clark's Magic of the Lost trilogy, picks up in the aftermath of the colonial rebellion that closed The Unbroken, as the newly independent Qazal sends Touraine and the priestess Aranen to Balladaire as ambassadors seeking favorable terms and lasting recognition from the empire that once ruled them. In the Balladairan capital, Princess Luca navigates increasingly dangerous court intrigue as her uncle, Duke Nicholas, maneuvers to seize power for himself, threatening both her claim to the throne and any hope of an honest peace with Qazal. As Touraine and Luca's paths cross again amid the machinations of Balladairan nobility, old loyalties and old feelings resurface even as both women are pulled toward choices that could unmake the fragile truce between their peoples.
Where it sits
- Universe: Magic of the Lost
- Series: Magic of the Lost core; position 2 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: C. L. Clark
Notes
- From the series record (Magic of the Lost): New author record. A completed grimdark/postcolonial epic fantasy trilogy exploring colonialism, queerness, and empire through a soldier-turned-rebel protagonist. The Unbroken was a finalist for 5 major genre awards -- the 2021 Nebula Award for Best Novel, the 2022 British Fantasy Award's Robert Holdstock Award for Best Fantasy Novel, the 2022 Ignyte Award for Best Novel (Adult), the 2022 Locus Award for Best First Novel, and the 2021 Readers' Choice Award for Best Fantasy -- all losses (no wins), verified via Wikipedia's own dedicated The Unbroken article, which is careful to distinguish finalist-only results from wins.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series Magic of the Lost: position 2 of 3: previous The Unbroken (2021) · next The Sovereign (2025)
Sources
- Wikipedia: C. L. Clark
- Wikipedia: The Unbroken
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Faithless_(Clark_novel)
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