Fable For the End of the World

In this gripping dystopian romance by the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning and Lady Macbeth, society is dominated by Caerus, a corporation that uses overwhelming debt to control every aspect of life. Inesa and her brother struggle to make ends meet in a partially submerged town, running a modest taxidermy shop. Their lives take a drastic turn when they discover their mother’s hidden, massive debt, forcing Inesa to consider participating in Caerus's brutal, live-streamed event known as the Lamb’s Gauntlet, where participants become targets. Melinoë, the chosen assassin for this lethal event, is engineered through extensive neural and physiological modifications, known for her lethal elegance and unyielding nature. However, she still grapples with the guilt from her previous failure in the gauntlet—an emotional breakdown broadcasted to the world. As Melinoë hunts Inesa through the desolate lands with the intention to succeed, both women start to question what they have been taught about power and survival. Amidst the chaos and violence, they contemplate the possibility of a new emotion emerging within them. Against all odds, could they be finding love?