New York playwright Gordon Dahlquist became famous overnight, as they say, when Penguin Publishing offered him a two-million-dollar contract for his debut novel, The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, and its future sequel. And the “Black Book of Death” did not disappoint expectations. Having miraculously escaped after the airship on which a clique of conspirators was heading to the Duchy of Mecklenburg fell into the sea, Miss Celeste Temple, the killer nicknamed Cardinal Chan and Doctor Abelard Swenson find themselves on the inhospitable northern shore. The violence of the elements is not enough for them: as soon as the flood subsides, either wolves or werewolves, as well as ominous emissaries from the distant capital, immediately begin to prowl the surrounding area. Yes, the plans of the conspirators are thwarted - but now the legacy of Count Orkanc, his mysterious machines and alchemical records, is being hunted by rival factions from the highest echelons of power and the last glass woman. Moreover, rumors about the death of the entire top conspirators in the cold waters of the northern sea turned out to be somewhat exaggerated...