Dream of the Jet-Black City

An immersive epic fantasy debut featuring dream-based magic, political intrigue and a perpetually raging storm

Pablo Valcárcel Castro

• Publisher: Zaffre
• eBook ISBN:
  9781785125454
• Year: 2026

An exciting and innovative debut fantasy, the first in a duology, featuring intricate worldbuilding, political intrigue, a magic system based on dreams, a mythic storm raging above a city - and secrets from the past that threaten an entire nation. Perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson, Mark Lawrence and Adrian Tchaikovsky.

'A powerful debut ... This book is well worth your time' JOHN GWYNNE

'This was absolute catnip for me!' MARIE BRENNAN

All such Nightmares were born out of Dreamers' minds - angry, cruel, terrible Dreamers, yes, but still men and women. Here, in the Library, the Nightmares have sparked from dying stories, from the anguished echoes of poets and scribes carved into the crevasses of codexes.

Ash and his crew race across rooftops in pursuit of living lightning from the perpetually raging Motherstorm. This energy the jet-black city of Onyxia depends upon is all that stands between them and starvation. When a monstrous nightmare attacks, death is all but certain - until Ash Dreams a shadow panther into existence to protect himself. But this new power comes with a price: either conscription to the harrowing Academy or indebtment to a wealthy patron.

Daerna belongs to a devout sisterhood who sing canticles to pacify the eternal storm. When she learns of a mysterious sickness spreading through the city's populace, she feels it is her duty to help, even though her order has abandoned the afflicted to their fate. With fellow rebel sisters, her search into the root cause will lead her away from the light into the dark heart of the city where danger lurks.

Geil is a creature born of Dream and bound to the Drake form she conjured to survive her Academy training. While Nightmare-Hunting she encounters a young girl with the dreamer gift and feels compelled to save her from enduring the same cruel fate she faced. But this means returning to the jet-black city, home to the past she has tried to outrun and navigating the political turbulence in the wake of an election.

As each pursues their own ends, they soon discover that they share common interests. But can they find a way to learn from the secrets the city has buried within its past before their whole world turns into a living nightmare?

'What a great read. This is a powerful debut with beautifully sharp prose, distinct characters that leap out of the page, a complex and realistic world full of unpleasant personalities and a magic system that is wonderfully imaginative. This book is well worth your time' JOHN GWYNNE

'Dreams of beauty and nightmarish beasts; skyships and sunken libraries; the mother of all storms . . . This was absolute catnip for me! I cannot wait to see what magic Valcárcel spins next' MARIE BRENNAN

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Maps
• Prologue
• Chapter One
• Chapter Two
• Chapter Three
• Chapter Four
• Chapter Five
• Chapter Six
• Chapter Seven
• Chapter Eight
• Chapter Nine
• Chapter Ten
• Chapter Eleven
• Chapter Twelve
• Chapter Thirteen
• Chapter Fourteen
• Chapter Fifteen
• Chapter Sixteen
• Chapter Seventeen
• Chapter Eighteen
• Chapter Nineteen
• Chapter Twenty
• Chapter Twenty-One
• Chapter Twenty-Two
• Chapter Twenty-Three
• Chapter Twenty-Four
• Chapter Twenty-Five
• Chapter Twenty-Six
• Chapter Twenty-Seven
• Chapter Twenty-Eight
• Chapter Twenty-Nine
• Chapter Thirty
• Chapter Thirty-One
• Chapter Thirty-Two
• Chapter Thirty-Three
• Chapter Thirty-Four
• Chapter Thirty-Five
• Chapter Thirty-Six
• Chapter Thirty-Seven
• Chapter Thirty-Eight
• Chapter Thirty-Nine
• Chapter Forty
• Chapter Forty-One
• Chapter Forty-Two
• Chapter Forty-Three
• Chapter Forty-Four
• Chapter Forty-Five
• Chapter Forty-Six
• Chapter Forty-Seven
• Chapter Forty-Eight
• Chapter Forty-Nine
• Chapter Fifty
• Chapter Fifty-One
• Chapter Fifty-Two
• Chapter Fifty-Three
• Chapter Fifty-Four
• Chapter Fifty-Five
• Chapter Fifty-Six
• Chapter Fifty-Seven
• Chapter Fifty-Eight
• Epilogue
• Acknowledgements
• Glossary
• About the Author
• Copyright