It gave the Empire its name, but the island and city of Malaz is now a sleepy back-water port. This night its residents are barring doors and shuttering windows: a once-in-a-generation Shadow Moon has arrived and threatens to bring among them demon hounds and other, darker, beings.

This is also the night prophecied for the return of Emperor Kellanved, missing these last years. As factions within the Empire battle over the Imperial throne, the Shadow Moon summons a far more ancient and alien presence for an all-out assault upon the island, one that will determine the fate of the Malaz, and the entire world beyond.