Portal of a Thousand Worlds

Set in an alternate nineteenth-century Imperial China, this epic fantasy follows the approach of a catastrophic magical event. Ten centuries have passed since the Portal of a Thousand Worlds last opened, bringing chaos and upheaval to the ruling dynasty. Now the mystical gateway is rumored to be opening again, and various factions are preparing for the upheaval to come. The Firstborn, a reincarnated figure who remembers all his past lives, knows what the future holds but has been imprisoned by the repressive imperial government. As the dowager empress guards a fateful secret and a rebel army gathers strength under the Bamboo Banner, those seeking wealth and power begin executing sinister plots. The story weaves together themes of rebellion, political intrigue, larceny, seduction, shape-shifting, dark magic, and murder across a cast that includes royals, thieves, prostitutes, gods, warriors, dragons, assassins, merchants, and mages.