REVOLUTIONARY · STRATEGIST · RULER

OSTROG

The man who understands how power works—and believes that someone must always control the machine.

Ostrog enters Graham's story before Graham meets him. His supporters rescue the Sleeper from the Council, his name moves through the crowds, and his organisation turns public unrest into a successful revolution.

When Graham finally reaches him, Ostrog appears to possess everything Graham lacks: information, confidence, political networks and practical control.

That competence makes him indispensable during the fall of the Council. It also makes him dangerous afterward.

Ostrog believes complex civilisation requires hierarchy and central direction. The conflict between him and Graham begins when the promises used to mobilise the people collide with Ostrog's conviction that the people cannot truly govern the systems on which they depend.