We Are Not Good People (Ustari Cycle) (71 page)
Read We Are Not Good People (Ustari Cycle) Online
Authors: Jeff Somers
Above and beyond all of these, of course, Olympian and leviathan-like, stands the man who actually signs the contract that sends those pennies cascading to be collected in unused mason jars by my aforementioned literary agent on behalf of me, the author, the guy who actually writes the book, and that person is, of course, my editor, Adam Wilson, whose suggestions and ideas for the book were disturbingly intelligent and interesting, and I thank him for it while simultaneously becoming enraged that anyone might contribute something to my story I did not myself think of, and whenever I express these feelings of rage to my aforementioned literary agent, she pours out two glasses of good Scotch and at first I think she’s going to have a belt with me but then I slowly realize these are medicinally intended for me. And she’s right, I feel lots better.
ARTIFACT:
nonmechanical magical object, often but not always inhabited by an intelligence that guides it
ASAG:
demon companion
BARNA:
an Artifact
BILUDHA:
Rite, Ritual, a major spell
BILUDHA
TAH NAMUS:
The Rite of Death
DALRA:
literally, to fly out
DIMMA:
golem, an animated sculpture or object, guided by an intelligence
ENUSTARI:
Archmage
FABRICATION:
mechanical magical object, trapping a demonic intelligence or reproducing a complex spell with no, or only a very small, sacrifice
GASAM:
teacher, Master
GEAS:
curse, obligation
GESPU:
an Artifact
GIDIM:
demon, Summoned by a dual sacrifice from which it takes form
GLAMOUR:
illusion
GULLA:
a Fabrication, literally, to overwhelm, destroy
IDIMUSTARI:
little magician, Trickster
KURRE:
literally, change, alter
MU:
Cantrip, minor spell
NAMUS:
to die, death
NIKAS:
literally, result
SAGANUSTARI:
high magician
SILIG:
literally, to stop
SISKUR:
a Bleeder
SUTAKA:
literally, to push at
UDUG:
demon, a specific Artifact
URTUKU:
apprentice
USTARI:
mage, magician
JEFF SOMERS
was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but as a student of history, you already knew that. Credited with being the first author to discover a penchant for drinking booze and laying about, he frequently forgets what day it is and where, precisely, his pants might be at any given moment. As a young child his family was hopeful he might grow up to make a difference in the world, but as he made his way through his schooling they slowly lowered their expectations. When he announced a desire to write fiction they collectively threw up their hands and stopped paying attention. He oftens claims to have invented the dance known as the Dougie.
In 1995 Jeff began publishing his own magazine,
The Inner Swine
(
www.innerswine.com
). His first novel,
Lifers
, was published in 2001; the Avery Cates series, beginning with
The Electric Church
, was published by Orbit Books from 2007–2011; and in 2013 republished
Chum
with Tyrus Books. He’s also had stories published in many magazines, most of which regret the connection. His story “Ringing the Changes” was chosen for “Best American Mystery Stories 2006” and his story “sift, almost invisible, through” appeared in
Crimes by Moonlight
edited by Charlaine Harris in 2010.
He currently lives in Hoboken, New Jersey, with his lovely wife, Danette, and their plump, imperious cats Pierre, Oliver, Spartacus, Otto, Coco, and Homer Spit. Jeff insists the cats would be delicious.
In between all this and writing, too, Jeff plays guitar, chess, and staves off despair with whiskey.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
authors.simonandschuster.com/Jeff-Somers
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
THE USTARI CYCLE
“Fixer”
We Are Not Good People
THE AVERY CATES SERIES
The Electric Church
The Digital Plague
The Eternal Prison
The Terminal State
The Final Evolution
STAND-ALONE NOVELS
Lifers
Chum
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Gallery Books
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Jeff Somers
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
First Gallery Books trade paperback edition October 2014
Part One of this book was originally published in an altered form as
Trickster
by Pocket Books in February 2013.
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Interior design by Jaime Putorti
Cover design by Alan Dingman
Cover photography by Arcangel
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-1-4516-9679-0
ISBN 978-1-4516-9682-0 (ebook)