But the power of his newly-built balanthast is even greater than he dreamed. Driven by desperation and genius, the alchemist constructs a device that transcends magic, unlocking the mysteries of bramble s essential nature. Threatening to strangle the city under poisonous vines. The bramble, a plant that feeds upon magic, now presses upon Khaim, nourished by the furtive spellcasting of its inhabitants and In the beleageured city of Khaim, a lone alchemist seeks a solution to a deadly threat.

A world of glittering memories and a desperate present, where everyone uses a little magic, and someone else always pays the price. In paired novellas, award-winning authors Tobias Buckell and Paolo Bacigalupi explore a shared world where magic is forbidden and its use is rewarded with the axe. Monuments to people who loved magic too much. A little at first, and then more-until whole cities are dragged down under tangling vines and empires lie dead, ruins choked by bramble forest. It sprouts in tilled fields and in neighbors' roof beams, thrusts up from between street cobbles, and bursts forth from sacks of powdered spice. Every time a spell is cast, a bit of bramble sprouts, sending up tangling vines, bloody thorns, and threatening a poisonous sleep.

Where he sought to save a cityĪnd its people, the balanthast has the potential to save the world entire-if it doesn't destroy him and his family first.Magic has a price. Driven by desperation and genius, the alchemist constructs a device that transcends magic, unlocking the mysteries of bramble's essential nature. The bramble, a plant that feeds upon magic, now presses upon Khaim, nourished by the furtive spellcasting of its inhabitants and threatening to strangle the city under poisonous vines. In the beleaguered city of Khaim, a lone alchemist seeks a solution to a deadly threat. In the paired novellas, The Alchemist & The Executioness, award-winning authors Tobias Buckell and Paolo Bacigalupi explore a shared world where magic is forbidden and its use is rewarded with the axe.

The Alchemist by Paolo Bacigalupi