The second volume in the New York Times best-selling Cradle series! Lindon has taken his first step on the road to power, but the sacred artists of the world outside his homeland are still far beyond him. To advance, he turns to the arcane skills of the Soulsmiths, who craft weapons from the stuff of souls. With new powers come new enemies, but also new allies, including a mysterious mentor who seems interested in Lindon for his own purposes. Even with new training and new help, Lindon is still only a Copper, and he soon finds himself facing down an entire sect of enemy Golds. SERIES DESCRIPTION The Cradle series is the best-selling example of the Progression Fantasy subgenre, which includes works of fantasy where the primary plot revolves around a character growing more powerful in their use of magic. Cradle is high-stakes, fast-paced, and action-focused, with minimal time dedicated to world-building, and as such the books are lean and focused. The series is often compared to anime, with fans using phrases like "anime in book form" or "fantasy novels meet Dragon Ball Z," emphasizing the story's specialty of loud and colorful super-powered battles.