Red City: Dark academia fantasy where two alchemists are separated by a magical gang-war

Magical mob rivalry, star-crossed ambition and the pursuit of perfection at any cost – set in a glittering, alternate, present-day Los Angeles. Red City is the dark and deadly adult debut from the bestselling author of the iconic Legend series - and perfect for fans of V. E. Schwab.

Alchemy is the hidden art of transformation, an exclusive power wielded by crime syndicates who market it to the world’s elite in the form of sand – a drug that enhances those who take it into a more perfect version of themselves: more beautiful, more charismatic, simply more.

Among the gleaming skyscrapers and rolling foothills of Angel City, alchemy is controlled by two rival syndicates. For years, Grand Central and Lumines have been balanced on a razor’s edge between polite negotiation and outright violence. But when two childhood friends step into that delicate equation, the city – and the paths of their lives – will be irrevocably transformed.

The daughter of a poor single mother, Sam would do anything to claw her way into the ranks of Grand Central in search of a better life. Plucked away from his family as a boy to become a Lumines apprentice, Ari is one of the syndicates’ brightest rising stars. Once, they might have loved each other. But as the two alchemists face off from opposite sides of an ever-escalating conflict, ambition becomes power, loyalty becomes lies, and no transformation may be perfect enough for them both to survive the coming war.

Praise for Marie Lu

‘Marie Lu always delivers’ – Leigh Bardugo, author of Ninth House and Six of Crows

‘Marie Lu is magic’ – Tahereh Mafi, author of Shatter Me

© 2025 Tor (Audiobook): 9781035079469

Release date

Audiobook: 16 October 2025