The Ill-Made Mute

The stormriders land their winged stallions on the airy battlements of Isse Tower. Far below, the superstitious servants who dwell in the fortress's lower depths tell tales of wicked creatures inhabiting the world outside - a world they have only glimpsed. Yet it is the least of the lowly, a mute, scarred, and utterly despised foundling, who dares to scale the tower, sneak aboard a windship and then dive from the sky. But the hearth-side tails are all true. Unhuman wights are real in all their legions. They haunt every pool, every turn in the road, threatening and tormenting travellers. A perilous journey begins. The Ill-made Mute Special Edition is revised and extended with extras, including Dart-Thornton's introduction and fragments of her early writing. "Not since Tolkien's 'The Fellowship of the Ring' fell into my hands have I been so impressed by a beautifully spun fantasy." ~Andre Norton, Grand Master of Science Fiction.Winner of Locus Magazine's 'Best First Novel' Award'Hobbit-fanciers will find much to delight them in The Ill-Made Mute.'The Times'[The Ill-Made Mute] is a generously conceived, gorgeously written novel, recalling to mind the wonder we encountered upon reading such books as Tolkien's or Mervyn Peake's.'The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'Cecilia Dart-Thornton ... proves she's able to bring the unicorn back alive, netted in golden prose.'The Washington Post 'With deep roots in folklore and myth,tirelessly inventive, fascinating, affecting and profoundly satisfying - and Dart-Thornton has plenty in reserve for sequels. A stunning, dazzling debut.'Kirkus ReviewsDart-Thornton's first novel depicts a world that borrows from Celtic mythology but adds a few unique and refreshing twists. Featuring a courageous and unusual heroine, this series opener belongs in most fantasy collections.The Library Journal