The Painted Man

Written by Peter V. Brett

Narrated by Colin Mace

The stunning debut fantasy novel from author Peter V. Brett.

The Painted Man, book one of the Demon Cycle, is a captivating and thrilling fantasy adventure, pulling the reader into a world of demons, darkness and heroes.

Sometimes there is very good reason to be afraid of the dark…

Eleven-year-old Arlen lives with his parents on their small farmstead, half a day's ride from the isolated hamlet of Tibbet's Brook.

As dusk falls upon Arlen's world, a strange mist rises from the ground; a mist that promises a violent death to any foolish enough to brave the coming darkness, for hungry corelings – demons that cannot be harmed by mortal weapons – materialize from the vapours to feed on the living. As the sun sets, people have no choice but to take shelter behind magical wards and pray that their protection holds until the creatures dissolve with the first signs of dawn.

When Arlen's life is shattered by the demon plague, he is forced to see that it is fear, rather than the demons, which truly cripples humanity. Believing that there is more to his world than to live in constant fear, he must risk leaving the safety of his wards to discover a different path.

In the small town of Cutter's Hollow, Leesha's perfect future is destroyed by betrayal and a simple lie. Publicly shamed, she is reduced to gathering herbs and tending an old woman more fearsome than the corelings. Yet in her disgrace, she becomes the guardian of dangerous ancient knowledge.

Orphaned and crippled in a demon attack, young Rojer takes solace in mastering the musical arts of a Jongleur, only to learn that his unique talent gives him unexpected power over the night.

Together, these three young people will offer humanity a last, fleeting chance of survival.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Nov 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9780007568413

Peter V. Brett

Peter V. Brett is the bestselling author of the Demon Cycle series—including The Warded Man, The Desert Spear, The Daylight War, The Skull Throne, and The Core—which has sold over two and a half million copies in twenty-five languages worldwide. He spends too much time on the internet, but occasionally unplugs to practice kickboxing and dad fu. He lives in Manhattan.

Reviews for The Painted Man

[Hazel Hickson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kept me coming back to hear more so exciting brilliant

[AJ · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like the plot but I did find it annoying the way the way the stories kept switching from Arlen to lisha etc. But the I think overall the plot was very good and I found Arlen’s story particularly interesting but I also like the idea that we know the origins of all of the main characters

[S Sri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful book. Original and full world which rings true. Real characters. Absorbing.