Galabras Nachecko is a necromancer in Golathreon, who is asked by Tyber Walthus, the Duke’s seneschal, to obtain the kra of a notorious land-pirate at the moment of death; it turns out that the pirate might have knowledge of a certain jewel that had been in Walthus’s family for generations and that he had lost when giving it to his fiancee, who apparently died in a cave-in some years earlier. Unfortunately for Nachecko, the kra is not very helpful in this quest; in addition, one of the Duke’s special police or “sniffers” wants to know what Walthus is up to considering that he had never told the Duke about this jewel. Even worse, the jewel turns out to be an artifact left by the Demiurge after its use in the creation of the universe, and that artifact doesn’t want to be found, just wants to be left alone…. Matthew Hughes has taken on the role of heir to Jack Vance with respect to the universe that Vance created many eons ago; while I have never taken to Vance’s writing, I love Hughes’s, and this stand-alone novel is a good example of his inventiveness, humour and world-building that could serve as an in to his other works or as a great new addition to those of us who already know his oeuvre; highly recommended! ( )