We Are Not Good People (Ustari Cycle) (71 page)

BOOK: We Are Not Good People (Ustari Cycle)
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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.

GLOSSARY OF MAGICAL TERMS

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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

SimonandSchuster.com

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

www.SimonandSchuster.com

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.

GALLERY BOOKS and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at
www.simonspeakers.com
.

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)

CONTENTS

Part I: Trickster

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Part II: Negotiator

Chapter 30

Part III: Glamour

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Part IV: Fabricator

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Acknowledgments

Glossary of Magical Terms

About the Author

BOOK: We Are Not Good People (Ustari Cycle)
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