When a fire rips through the Venetian Arsenal in 1569, the enigmatic Emanuele De Zante, spy-catcher and secret agent, is betrayed by his lover, imprisoned, and accused of treason. Given the chance to escape, he embarks on a trans-European odyssey that will test his loyalty and force him to question even his own identity.
Through a series of deadly political games leading all the way to the Sultan's palace in Constantinople, De Zante and his companions spiral headfirst toward a conflict in which the great empires of the Republic of Venice and the Ottomans threaten the very foundations of civilization.

Wu Ming is a collective of four Italian fiction writers based in Bologna, Italy. Wu Ming's books include the bestselling novel Q (under the former pseudonym Luther Blissett), which was nominated for the Guardian First Book Award, 54, and Manituana. Their website is www.wumingfoundation. com.