Book
The Plague Lord
First published 2002
At the court of Kublai Khan in thirteenth-century China, members of the Guild of Pourers are murdered as rumours spread that the exiled Water Lily sect has returned. The group is believed to serve Wen Yi Kwei, the Plague Lord, and its enemies fear that disease and terror will be used against the capital. Kublai turns to his Venetian adviser Marco Polo to investigate.
Marco follows the killings through the streets and institutions of Khanbaliq while distinguishing political conspiracy from claims of demonic power. The case connects court rivalry, urban sanitation and the movement of travellers across the Mongol Empire. His position as both trusted official and foreign observer gives him access, but also makes him vulnerable to factions that resent his influence.
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