In the Survival of the Fittest, Not All Men are Created Equal. Some are Created Lions. Kirin Wynegarde-Grey is a young lion with a big job - ensuring the stability and order of the Upper Kingdom, a genetically-altered Empire built in the Ashes of the 'Ancestors,' where humans are legend and animals walk like men. When an Ancestor awakens in the West, Kirin must lead a team that includes his unpredictable brother, a lethal swordswoman and three mysterious specialists to eliminate this ancient threat before it can usurp the Way of Things and plunge all the kingdoms into a state of war.

Jack the Ripper gave her his heart. Now he wants it back. The year is 1888, the clockwork British Empire is crumbling and young writer Ivy Savage has literally received a heart in the post. Terrified, her father sends her north to a strange sanitarium in Lancashire where the brilliant but unpredictable “Mad Lord of Lasingstoke” makes his home. Here, Ivy finds the dead are as dangerous as the living and she is immediately swept into a world of manners, mystery, and supernatural intrigue, uncovering a secret that will lead both her and the Mad Lord back to London and the dark streets of Whitechapel.