Shabble. In appearance, a miniature sun, though coloration tends to be changeable and idiosyncratic. In voice eccentric, speaking at will in any of the accents heard ever on Untunchilamon, even those unplaceable foreign accents otherwise voiced only by the conjuror Odolo. In behaviour feckless, for Shabble has scant regard for consequences. That is Shabble.
While Shabble is still hanging there in the air, a massive energy drain affects all of Injiltaprajura. Lights darken. Fires go out. Candles die. Then, to Shabble’s horror, Shabble feels Something trying to seize Shabble’s own energy. Shabble squeals in fright and flees down the nearest drainpipe. The drainpipe (naturally) leads Downstairs. Downstairs! There is horror down there, and Shabble fears it greatly. Yet the alternative is death.
What has caused this massive energy drain? It is left to Chegory Guy, an Ebrell Islander, to find out. This is unfortunate as his chief skills are as a knifefighter and a rock-gardener. And yet it is he who finally holds the future of the entire, equatorial island of Untunchilamon in his hands.
Hugh Cook is the author of The Chronicles of an Age of Darkness, a ten-volume cult fantasy saga praised for its fierce originality, dark humor, and wildly inventive world-building. Blending epic adventure with biting satire, his work spans orks to ogres, wizards to pirates, magical bottles to wandering mountains. Cook’s novels are known for their rich characters, interconnected stories, and fearless imagination - earning acclaim from authors such as China Miéville and Adrian Tchaikovsky.