A Secret Atlas

Book excerpt: From New York Times bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole comes the first book in a fantasy saga unlike any you’ve ever read. “[A Secret Atlas] has it all—wild magic, the excitement of epic fantasy, and the adventure of exploration in the age of sail.”—Publishers Weekly In Nalenyr, the family of the Royal Cartographer not only draw the maps, they also explore uncharted territories, expanding the existing knowledge of the world. Their talent has yielded them enormous power—and dangerous enemies. Now a younger generation of the Anturasi clan embarks on an expedition that may cost them their lives. Keles and Jorim have been sent on a mission to explore the darkest corners of the unknown. As one charts the seas, looking for new lands, the other braves a region torn apart by ancient magics. Meanwhile, back at home, their sister, Nirati, struggles to protect her brothers from the lethal plots of their rivals. For what Keles and Jorim discover threatens the fragile peace maintained since the near-apocalyptic Cataclysm and provokes a murderous act that sets off a chain of events shaking the world—both discovered and undiscovered—to its core. . . .