Publisher's Synopsis
Michael Swanwick-The Hugo, Nebula, and
World Fantasy award- winning author of Stations
of the Tide-delivers a stunning "Postutopian"
novel of swashbuckling adventure, dangerous
women, and genocidal AIs.
Dancing with Bears follows the adventures of
notorious con men Darger and Surplus: They've lied
and cheated their way onto the caravan that is delivering
a priceless gift from the Caliph of Baghdad to
the Duke of Muscovy. The only thing harder than
the journey to Muscovy is their arrival in Muscovy.
An audience with the duke seems impossible to
obtain, and Darger and Surplus quickly become
entangled in a morass of deceit and revolution.
The only thing more dangerous than the
convoluted political web surrounding Darger and
Surplus is the gift itself, the Pearls of Byzantium,
and Zoësophia, the governess sworn to protect
their virtue.
This steampunk-esque adventure explores
the great game of espionage and empire building,
from the point of view of the world's most accomplished
con men, Darger and Surplus.
