The Tower & Knife Trilogy

This story from Mazarkis Williams is another that reaches outside the realm of traditional fantasy. A magical geometric disease is spreading throughout the Cerani Empire with very few to oppose it. The king is the only one holding things together, and, unbeknownst to the public, he's sick too. What follows is a mad scramble to keep this secret, and for the heirless throne. It falls to an assassin, a sorcerer prince, and his foreign bride to keep the empire steady. Williams' world has some influence from the Ottoman Empire, though it's also littered with a well-explained magic system and plenty of court intrigue. Fans of steady pacing may not be at home here, as Williams' tends to ebb and flow as the drama picks up, some things happening all at once, and others very slowly. However, readers who enjoy minimal hand-holding will take to this style, which makes you join up many of the dots yourself. This also lends itself to the story, which has you second guessing characters and sitting open-mouthed at its twists. The polish gets significantly stronger as you progress through the trilogy, with an elegant conclusion and a feeling of real character depth. Read if you like: Interesting magic systems, high fantasy, epic fantasy.