City of Bones (53 page)
Authors: Cassandra Clare
PRAISE FOR
THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS
“The Mortal Instruments series is a story world I love to live in. Beautiful.”
Stephenie Meyer, author of
Twilight
“Cassie’s writing makes my toes curl with envy. She is the rare writer who can write fast-paced dramatic fantasy with gorgeous language and memorable characters that you grow to love and worry about, as well as really funny bits that will make you honestly laugh … It is rare to find someone who can do any one of those things well; to find someone who can do them all is just dangerous.”
Holly Black, author of
Tithe
“Hold on tight for a smart, sexy thrill ride.”
Libba Bray, author of
A Great and Terrible Beauty
“Dagger-sharp, funky, and cool.”
Christopher Golden, author of
The Myth Hunters
“Clare’s atmospheric setting is spot-on, informed equally by neo-gothic horror films and the modern fantasy leanings of Neil Gaiman. Werewolves, vampires, angels and fairies all fit in this ambitious milieu. At the core, though, this is a compelling story about family secrets and coming-of-age identity crises. Fans of the smart/chic horror typified by
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
will instantly fall for this series.”
Publishers Weekly
“The story’s sensual flavor comes from the wealth of detail: demons with facial piercings, diners serving locusts and honey, pretty gay warlocks, and cameo appearances from other urban fantasies’ characters … Lush and fun.”
Kirkus Reviews
C
ASSANDRA
C
LARE WAS BORN IN
T
EHRAN AND SPENT MUCH
of her childhood traveling the world with her family; on one trek through the Himalayas as a toddler, she spent a month living in her father’s backpack. She now lives in Manhattan, New York, whose urban landscapes inspired
City of Bones
, her début novel. She says, “In fairy tales, it was the dark and mysterious forest outside the town that held the magic and danger. I wanted to create a world where the city has become the forest—where these urban spaces hold their own enchantments, danger, mysteries and strange beauty.”
City of Glass
is the third and last in The Mortal Instruments sequence. Cassandra is currently working on a prequel trilogy. Before becoming a full-time novelist, she worked as an entertainment journalist in Hollywood; her ambition is to never have to write about Paris Hilton again. She has her own website, at:
www.cassandraclare.com
For my Grandfather
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. All statements, activities, stunts, descriptions, information and material of any other kind contained herein are included for entertainment purposes only and should not be relied on for accuracy or replicated as they may result in injury.
First published in Great Britain 2007 by Walker Books Ltd
87 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5HJ
Text © 2007 Cassandra Claire LLC
Cover illustration © 2007 Cliff Nielsen
The right of Cassandra Claire to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data:
a catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-4063-3141-7 (ePub)
ISBN 978-1-4063-3140-0 (e-PDF)