Bared Blade

Praise for Kelly McCullough

SPELLCRASH

“Simple and elegant …McCullough is the true demigod of Web magic. Brilliant!”

—
Huntress Book Reviews

“The book is filled with action and suspense. The world-building is awesome, the plot intense, and there is plenty of pathos and humor.”

—
Three Crow Press

“Entertaining and rapid-fire.”

—
San Francisco Book Review

MYTHOS

“A smooth, flowing tale that entices the imagination.”

—
Huntress Book Reviews
(4½ stars)

CODESPELL

“A hint of cyberpunk, a dollop of Greek mythology, and a sprinkle of techno-magic bake up into an airy genre mashup. Lots of fast-paced action and romantic angst up the ante as Ravirn faces down his formidable foes.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“One long adrenaline rush, with a few small pauses for Ravirn to heal from his near-fatal brushes with the movers and shakers of the universe, all while trying to figure out how to survive the next inevitable encounter.”

—
SFRevu

“Imaginative, fascinating, with a lot of adventure thrown in …Mr. McCullough has followed his first two books with a worthy sequel.
CodeSpell
will keep the reader on edge.”

—
Fresh Fiction

“This third book featuring hacker extraordinaire Ravirn is every bit [as much] of a fast-paced energetic page-turner as its predecessors. Ravirn continues to be a fascinating protagonist, and the chaotic twists of the plot carry the reader through to the end.”

—
RT Book Reviews

CYBERMANCY

“McCullough has true world-building skills, a great sense of Greek mythology, and the eye of a thriller writer. The blend of technology and magic is absolutely amazing, and I’m surprised no one has thought to do it quite like this before.”

—
Blogcritics.­org

“This is the second book in McCullough’s series that fuses hacking culture with ancient gods, and it’s every bit as charming, clever, and readable as its predecessor.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“It’s smoothly readable, vivid, and fun …highly recommended.”

—
MyShelf.­com

“McCullough has the most remarkable writing talent I have ever read …Not satisfied to write a single genre or to use a subgenre already made, he has created a new template that others will build stories upon in later years. But know this: McCullough is the original and unparalleled.”

—
Huntress Book Reviews

WEBMAGE

“The most enjoyable science fantasy book I’ve read in the last four years …Its blending of magic and coding is inspired …
WebMage
has all the qualities I look for in a book—a wonderfully subdued sense of humor, nonstop action, and romantic relief. It’s a wonderful debut novel.”

—Christopher Stasheff, author of
Saint Vidicon to the Rescue

“Inventive, irreverent, and fast-paced, strong on both action and humor.”

—
The Green Man Review

“[An] original and outstanding debut …McCullough handles his plot with unfailing invention, orchestrating a mixture of humor, philosophy, and programming insights that give new meaning to terms as commonplace as ‘spell-checker’ and [as] esoteric as ‘programming in hex.’”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“A unique first novel, this has a charming, fresh combination of mythological, magical, and computer elements …that will enchant many types of readers.”

—
KLIATT

“McCullough’s first novel, written very much in the style of Roger Zelazny’s classic Amber novels, is a rollicking combination of verbal humor, wild adventures, and just plain fun.”

—
VOYA

“
WebMage
contains a lot of humor and a highly inventive new way of looking at the universe, which combines the magic of old with the computer structures of today.”

—
SFRevu

“Complex, well paced, highly creative, and, overall, an auspicious debut for McCullough …well worth reading for fans of light fantasy.”

—
Sci Fi Weekly

“[A] fascinating world, somewhat redolent of Zelazny’s Amber universe …The interface between magical and computer technology definitely tickles my inner geek.”

—
MIT Science Fiction Society

“This fast-paced, action-packed yarn is a lot of fun …weaving myth, magic, IT jargon …into a bang-up story.”

—
Booklist

“McCullough has done a fantastic job integrating technology and mythology, and Ravirn is a wonderfully sympathetic protagonist.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“Kelly McCullough has the hacker ethic and the hacker mindset down pat …The combination of mythos, magic, and technology is great fun …Ravirn is the literary grand nephew of Corwin of Amber …If you like the Amber books, you will certainly enjoy
WebMage
.”

—
Bewildering Stories

“It has finally happened. Someone crossed the genres of sci-fi and fantasy to create a magical world that has modern (futuristic) computer hackers …McCullough has taken characters out from the darkness of mythology and brought them into the light of this modern digital age …out-freaking-standing.”

—
Huntress Book Reviews

“The action kept me reading way past my bedtime …gripping and imaginative.”

—
Blogcritics.­org

“This is a wild, fun ride. It is perfect reading for any time.”

—
Rambles.­net

Kelly McCullough

ACE BOOKS, NEW YORK

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over
and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

BARED BLADE

An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the author

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Ace mass-market edition / July 2012

Copyright © 2012 by Kelly McCullough.

Excerpt from
Crossed Blades
by Kelly McCullough © 2012 by Kelly McCullough.

Maps by Matthew A. Kuchta.

Cover art by John Jude Palencar.

Cover design by Judith Lagerman.

Interior text design by Laura K. Corless.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

ISBN: 978-1-101-58098-1

ACE

Ace Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

ACE and the “A” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is
stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the
author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

ALWAYS LEARNING

PEARSON

For Laura,
the bright star at the center of my universe

First and foremost I want to thank Laura McCullough; Jack Byrne; Anne Sowards; my mapmaker, Matt Kuchta; Neil Gaiman for the loan of the dogs; cover artist John Jude Palencar; and cover designer Judith Lagerman.

I also owe many thanks to the active Wyrdsmiths: Lyda, Doug, Naomi, Eleanor, and Sean. My Web guru, Ben. Beta readers: Steph, Ben, Dave, Sari, Karl, Angie, Sean, Laura R., Matt, Mandy, Becky, April, Mike, Jason, Jonna, and Benjamin. My family: Carol, Paul and Jane, Lockwood and Darlene, Judy, Lee C., Kat, Jean, Lee P., and all the rest. Lorraine, because she’s fabulous. My extended support structure: Bill and Nancy, Sara, James, Tom, Ann, Mike, Sandy, Mandy, and so many more. Also, a hearty woof for Cabal and Lola.

I’d also like to thank the many people at Penguin who do so much to make me look good: Kat Sherbo, Anne Sowards’s fabulous assistant; production editor Michelle Kasper; assistant production editor Andromeda Macri; interior text designer Laura K. Corless; publicist Brady McReynolds, and my copy editor, Mary Pell.