For the magician Valerian, time is running out and he must pay the price for the pact he made with evil many years ago.

His mistreated apprentice is Boy, a child with no name who serves his master well and finds solace in the company of Willow, a girl who serves the singer at the theatre where Boy and Valerian perform.

Set in crumbling cities and frozen countryside in a distant time, Boy and Willow battle to help the cruel Valerian cling to life.

Longlisted for the Guardian Children's Book Prize