GATES OF STONE

An emperor's daughter who refuses to be sidelined. A reluctant prince forced to take a stand. From the ice-bound Khevan empire to the vast Celestial Republic to the lawless islands of the Laut Besar, nobles and nations fight for power and wealth in a world inspired by Asia and the East.

Just before her sixteenth birthday, Princess Katerina is informed she will not be inheriting the throne of the Empire of the Ice-Bear--merely because of her sex. Married off to a foreign lord and exiled to a provincial backwater, she is having none of it--and murders her husband on their wedding night. Determined to have her revenge and regain the throne, she will destroy anyone who stands in her way. Katerina embarks on a perilous voyage in search of the wealth and power she needs to achieve her ambitious goals.

In the Laut Besar, a region of thousands of islands, a pampered prince sets off on a mad quest of his own--to recover the ancient sword of his royal father. Prince Jun, aided only by his decrepit servant and a young fisher-girl, tracks the sword and the sorcerer who has stolen it and fled far across the islands. But Jun's fate is drawing him towards the fabulously wealthy city of Singarasam and a shattering conflict that will change the course of the whole world.

Angus Macallan is a pseudonym for Angus Donald, the bestselling author of The Outlaw Chronicles and the Holcroft Blood historical fiction series. Born in China, he has lived, worked and studied in Asia for much of his early adult life. Angus was awarded a Master's degree with honors in Social Anthropology by the University of Edinburgh, partly based on his field work in Indonesia. A former journalist, he has worked in Hong Kong, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. He resides just outside of London.