Departing from formulaic themes involving quests, magicians, mythical animals, and the like, this fantasy novel follows one with powers more ordinary than those of today’s uber-wizards. Eson has inherited the steam-power legacy of an honored family lineage and the mysterious ability to funnel the assets of others into his own coffers through the mere use of ink and paper. Wearing his power like a second skin, he’s hated by some and feared by others. While recovering from a disastrous relationship with a woman of his own kind, he meets a young slip of a woman who isn’t who she claims to be. As a result of this association, Eson finds he must defend himself against challenges far too close to home, and far too dear. Set in a world that is a tempting concoction of fairy-tale charm and mundane existence, of nightclubs, ancestral homes, and desert cities sparkling with mosaics of colored glass, this work explores the inequities of social class and what it’s like to be among the less fortunate.