Isolate by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
Series: The Grand Illusion, #1, #1
Published by Tor Publishing Group on November 16, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Action & Adventure, Fiction / Fantasy / Epic, Fiction / Fantasy / Gaslamp
Pages: 688
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Netgalley
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L. E. Modesitt, Jr., bestselling author of The Mongrel Mage, has a brand new gaslamp political fantasy Isolate.

Book Bub—The 24 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of Fall 2021

Industrialization. Social unrest. Underground movements. Government corruption and surveillance.

Something is about to give.

Steffan Dekkard is an isolate, one of the small percentage of people who are immune to the projections of empaths. As an isolate, he has been trained as a security specialist and he and his security partner Avraal Ysella, a highly trained empath are employed by Axel Obreduur, a senior Craft Minister and the de facto political strategist of his party.

When a respected Landor Councilor dies of “heart failure” at a social event, because of his political friendship with Obreduur, Dekkard and Ysella find that not only is their employer a target, but so are they, in a covert and deadly struggle for control of the government and economy.

Steffan is about to understand that everything he believed is an illusion.

The Grand Illusion
Isolate
Councilor
Contrarian

Other Series by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
The Imager Portfolio
The Corean Chronicles
The Spellsong Cycle
The Ghost Books
The Ecolitan Matter

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

⭐ 

Isolate

 by L.E. Modesitt Jr. (5★)

L.E. Modesitt Jr. has a way of slowly unfolding a world until it feels like you’ve lived in it yourself. Isolate starts at a simmer but delivers a rich, complex narrative filled with political tension, layered characters, and moral nuance. Steffan and Avraal’s dynamic with Obreduur was especially compelling, and the questions raised about power, corruption, and loyalty kept me hooked. This was a powerful start to the series, and I’m eager to see where it goes next.