"There has always been magic." This perfectly captures the essence of Sword Catcher, the first book in Cassandra Clare's (Shadowhunter Chronicles; Clockwork Prince) new epic adult fantasy series. Indeed, there is magic in some form everywhere within these pages, from the spellbinding world-building of the city of Castellane to the magic system practiced by the small, isolated community of the Ashkar. In this thrilling story, Clare whisks readers away to a world of decadence and conspiracy, where most characters have one thing in common: a desire for power and wealth.

The "Sword Catcher" in the title refers to Kel, an orphan torn away from all he knew and brought to the city's castle to be the body double for the young prince, Conor Aurelian. The first part of the novel follows the two boys as they grow up together, becoming as close as brothers. Kel's future, had he stayed in the "Orfelinat," or orphanage, would have culminated in a lowly fate: "He could scrape by as a lamplighter, or a ship's boy if he was lucky, and would be poor as dirt." Instead, as Sword Catcher, he would live in the Palace and have whatever he desired. The only catch is that, through the use of talismans and charms, he would be made to look like the prince and might need to sacrifice his own life to protect his royal counterpart.

Kel soon comes to realize that the world of the palace is filled with shifting alliances, shadowy secrets, and political maneuverings. In addition to these intrigues, readers are introduced to the criminal underworld of the "pickpockets of the Warren"; the "well-known tale in the Maze about the Ragpicker King, the most famous criminal in Castellane"; and the walled area of the Sault, where the Ashkar live. Clare gives these groups complex, detailed histories and mythologies--their cultures feel layered, vibrant, and alive. She is well-known for character diversity in her stories, and the world of Castellane does not disappoint in this regard. With the Ashkar, she has showcased an under-represented culture in the fantasy genre by including elements from Jewish traditions, such as the wisdom of the Sanhedrin.

An assassination attempt in the royal court brings Kel and Lin Caster, a female physician and member of the Ashkar, together as they navigate a network of secrets and conspiracies. Behind the scenes, the enigmatic and dangerous overlord of the underworld, the Ragpicker King, oversees and orchestrates events with subtle, wily charm. Clare's perfectly paced plot--with exciting action sequences, forbidden romance, and cloak-and-dagger machinations--propels the action forward, drawing readers deeper into the web of mysteries and secrets in which Kel and Lin find themselves.

Through Kel's story as a forcibly displaced orphan whose new sole purpose is to give his life for another, as well as Lin's experience as part of the Ashkar community whose members are ostracized for their ability to use magic, important themes are addressed--identity, prejudice, and belonging. Lin thinks of herself as "knowably, clearly, Ashkar--alien in a way the sailors who thronged the port of Castellane simply weren't. Travelers had a clearly delineated role and place. The Ashkar did not." Lin also must deal with the inequity of women in a religious society. She questions the status quo: "for a religion that purports to worship a Goddess, who was once a powerful Queen, there are a great many men making decisions about what I, a woman, can read and do."

The magic system Clare creates is fascinating, with events in the past contributing to a world where all magic has been erased, except for the "small spells and talismans of gematry, the ancestral magic of the Ashkar." She also does an incredible job of building an immersive world, from the landscape and architecture to the embroidery on sumptuous clothing. Readers, and Kel, are first introduced to Castellane with this imagery-rich portrayal of the city as "huddled in the bottom of the valley like a hedgehog reluctant to poke its nose out of the safety of its lair."

Throughout the novel, each detail is meticulously and elegantly crafted--nothing overlooked--so that the world of Castellane and the Ashkar tantalizes and teases every sense, as in this evocative description of a library: "These books were as beautiful as the sun sinking behind Tyndaris. Kel could smell the scent of the leather that bound them, the ink on their pages, the bitterness of the stamping mill where the paper was made." Clare's characters are written with nuance, wit, and depth, making them relatable and likable. This, coupled with the breathtaking world that she has created, will leave readers yearning to return to Castellane, and soon, for the conclusion of this grand and twisty adventure. --Grace Rajendran

(photo: Sharona Jacobs)

Cassandra Clare (Clockwork Prince) is the author of the bestselling Shadowhunter Chronicles. She is also the co-author, with Holly Black, of the fantasy series Magisterium. With more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, her books have been translated into more than 35 languages. Shadowhunter Chronicles has been adapted as both a major motion picture and a television series. Sword Catcher, coming from Del Rey on October 10, 2023, is the first book of a new epic fantasy series for adults, featuring Kel, the titular Sword Catcher, a look-alike for the prince who serves as the royal's decoy as he navigates the magical world of Castellane and its subcultures.

What influenced your move into the adult fantasy genre, and what were the main differences between writing for the YA market versus for adults?

It wasn't a conscious choice to move into the adult space. It was more that the idea came to me, and as I developed it, I began to realize it was an adult story. I think people often imagine there are very specific differences between adult and YA writing that they can identify immediately, but that's not my experience. If, as in Sword Catcher, their interests and conflicts--marriage, jobs--tend older, then the book is typically adult. And Sword Catcher is very much about people who are looking at things like getting married and what they want to do professionally. Where it comes to Conor and Kel's relationship, especially, it's about two people who were incredibly close as children and now, as they have become adults, that friendship changes shape in ways that threaten it.

Sword Catcher is not part of The Shadowhunters universe. What was the funnest part of creating a totally new world and set of characters for this series, and what were your greatest challenges?

I think a lot of people think of Shadowhunters as one long series, but it's actually a universe of connected trilogies and short stories. For each trilogy I've had to invent a new cast of characters, so that's not something new to me. Usually characters are what come to me first, and the story and the world comes later. It was the same with Sword Catcher. The characters came first, and the concept of the Ashkar and the job of Sword Catcher. The Ragpicker King is a character I used to write about before I was published, and it was really fun to be able to reach back and pull him forward into this story. I'd say my biggest challenge was getting over the fear that adult fiction was something I couldn't write or wouldn't know how to do, or that my existing readers would reject Sword Catcher because it's so different than Shadowhunters or Magisterium. But in the end my love for the story pulled me through the hard parts!

How has your love of travelling inspired the world-building in Sword Catcher?

I traveled a lot with my parents when I was a child. I was an only child, so it was a lot of amusing myself in foreign places. It made me love travel. I love being somewhere that feels different than home, I love new customs and cultures, and especially the way cultures are porous, and blend into each other via travel and trade. I was always interested in the Silk Road, and the way it connected a diversity of people and cultures; Castellane is a city that exists at the crossroads of Silk Road-style trade, and thus is very far from monocultural. I've also always been interested in how long people have traveled for pleasure and adventure--people tend to assume modern tourism started in the 1800s but travelers were writing guidebooks long before that. One of the texts I relied on was Ibn Battuta's A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling, which was written in the 1300s and covers his travels and everything he found amazing about exploring the world.

The evocative descriptions of the city, from the clothing to the food, create an immersive experience that brings Castellane to life. What can you tell us about your research process?

It was extensive! I spent about five years researching for this book--not without interruptions for other things!--because I wanted to make sure Castellane felt like a layered, textured place. It's a Mediterranean climate, so I spent time researching the kinds of plants that grow in those places, and when they bloom and how they'd scent the air, and what people would use them for. Lin is a doctor, so I researched the history of medicine and medical instruments to figure out what kind of drugs she'd prescribe, and what kind of operations she could do. I didn't want a character to take a drink from a bottle of liquor, but from a bottle of jenever or pastisson (a fictionalized version of pastis or absinthe). I didn't want someone to put on shoes, but to put on a pair of boots designed and incised a particular way. I wanted to show how the food that the Ashkar eat is different from Castellani food, which is different from the food of Marakand. I always feel like specificity goes miles in establishing the texture of a world, and a lot of research goes into all of that.

Sword Catcher is filled with nuanced, diverse characters. Why is this important to you and how do you avoid drawing on stereotypes when crafting your characters?

I tend to stick with the best advice I've been given, which is to write from your own experience when you can and research, research, research when you can't. (With research also meaning that absolutely you should consult with people from marginalized communities not your own if you're representing that marginalized community in your work. I had multiple sensitivity readers who worked with me on Sword Catcher and it was immensely helpful.)

Part of the reason Sword Catcher, with the Ashkar, focuses on Jewish mythology and historical Jewish experience is because, as a Jewish fantasy fan, I always had trouble finding literature that represented my experience and history. There are a lot of Jewish writers--but we almost never get to write about ourselves or our own experience. I want Jewish readers to be able to see references to things like the Sanhedrin, certain prayers centering around everything from hand-washing to mourning, even specific colors, and be able to relate that to their knowledge and experience.

What do you think readers of your Shadowhunters books will love the most about this new series?

The characters, I hope! I always feel like releasing a new book to my readers is like introducing mutual friends. Suddenly we all inhabit the same space together. I think those who love the Shadowhunter books and find in them characters they can relate to, will find the same here--from Lin and her stubbornness, to Kel and his devotion to Conor, to Conor and his mischief, to the Ragpicker King and his cunning plans, to Ji An and her sharp sense of humor. I look forward to being able to talk about these characters, who have lived in my mind for so long, with my readers when the book comes out. --Grace Rajendran