Pleased at long last to announce my new series ‘The Draconis Memoria’, the first volume of which – ‘The Waking Fire’ – will be published by Ace/Roc in the US and by Orbit in the UK in July of 2016. Many thanks to my agent Paul Lucas of Janklow & Nesbit, my editors at Ace – Jessica Wade and Susan Allison, and my UK editor James Long for all their hard work in making this happen. The Orbit press release can be viewed here. Below is the full text of the Ace press release:
ACE BOOKS TO PUBLISH AN ALL-NEW SERIES FROM
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ANTHONY RYAN
New York, NY, July 22, 2015—Ace Books, an imprint of the Berkley Publishing Group, will publish The Draconis Memoria, a new fantasy series from New York Times bestselling author Anthony Ryan. Ace acquired North American and translation rights to three books from Paul Lucas at Janklow & Nesbit, and the series has been sold in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom, where Orbit will publish. Ace will release the first novel in the series, The Waking Fire, in hardcover in July 2016.
Anthony Ryan began his career as a self-publishing sensation with the release of Blood Song, the first novel in The Raven’s Shadow trilogy. Sales began to rise and caught the attention of former Berkley Vice President and Editorial Director Susan Allison, who quickly acquired the trilogy and released Blood Song in hardcover in July 2013. The subsequent novels, Tower Lord (Ace, July 2014) and the recently-released Queen of Fire (Ace, July 2015), became New York Timesbestsellers. To date, The Raven’s Shadow trilogy has been published in fifteen countries, and over 200,000 copies of the novels have been sold worldwide.
The Waking Fire is set in a vibrant new world where the blood of drakes—creatures similar to dragons—is valued beyond reckoning, and can be distilled into elixirs that grant fearsome powers to those who are “blood-blessed.” The novel follows an unregistered blood-blessed as he searches for an elusive variety of drake so potent, its capture would mean unrivalled riches; the second in command of a blood-burning ironclad ship; and a young woman in a lifelong contract to a trading syndicate, whose espionage mission places her on the front lines of a newly declared war. As empires clash and arcane mysteries reveal themselves, these characters are tested again and again and soon discover that the fate of the world rests on their shoulders.
Ace Senior Editor Jessica Wade, who will edit the series, says, “The Draconis Memoria opens up an incredible new world for readers. It’s a perfect blend of engaging, complex characters, rich, incredibly inventive detail, and the trademark gripping storytelling on a breathtakingly grand scale that has made Anthony Ryan such a success. Readers have something amazing to look forward to.”
The Draconis Memoria is a remarkable new epic fantasy series with steampunk flavor, full of the phenomenal worldbuilding and non-stop action that have gained Anthony Ryan a global fan base.
July 22nd, 2015 at 6:32 pm
Well, it’s about time. Raven’s Shadow books were a stunner and a new series from you is very welcome. So excited already, and the wait must be unbearable… I need to endure it!
July 22nd, 2015 at 7:17 pm
Many thanks. Check the Recommended Reading page for plenty of great books to read in the meantime.
July 22nd, 2015 at 7:56 pm
Adding this series to my must have list. Looking forward to imagining your new world, Anthony! Cheers!
July 23rd, 2015 at 1:36 am
ohhhh this sounds wonderful
July 23rd, 2015 at 3:24 am
Can’t wait! So cool to have another book to look forward to already. Half way through Queen of Fire and loving it! Best prose in the business!
July 23rd, 2015 at 9:31 am
Love this so much , I fell in love with Raven’s Shadow series , and look forward to this new one, but may I ask, Mr. Ryan, Do you plan on revisiting your characters in the Raven’s Trilogy someday? I can’t get enough of them I admit it 🙂
July 23rd, 2015 at 10:56 am
Thanks Farah. Raven’s Shadow will return, but it’ll be while.
July 23rd, 2015 at 11:01 am
Best News I heard all day Yaaay
Thank you alot Mr. Ryan for answering.
July 23rd, 2015 at 5:04 pm
Perhaps it would be possible for you to provide insight on the writing and editorial process as it unwinds over the next year?
Am blown away by Queen of Fire, currently 2/3rds of the way through the audiobook version. There is no better way of travelling to and from work each day!
July 26th, 2015 at 2:54 pm
I am excited to hear that you are writing a new series !!! I must say that I was completely floored by the Raven’s Shadow trilogy. I am avid fan of the fantasy genre, and have read some incredible stories fuelled by imagination and creativity. However, the best authors, for me personally are the natural story tellers – those gifted few who take you into their world and make it real. After reading Blood Song, I was elated to find a new author whose writing evoked immersion into a rich and wonderful tapestry of storytelling in its purest form. The first book had me hooked, and I maintained that same sense of awe with book two, and have just purchased book three today ! So thank you and I hope for many years and many stories to come…
July 26th, 2015 at 5:12 pm
Thanks Monty, much appreciated.
July 27th, 2015 at 8:44 pm
So pleased to see there will be another series after the Raven’s shadow.
July 27th, 2015 at 10:14 pm
Great news, as I really liked the Raven’s Shadow trilogy.
I went and pre ordered the Kindle version on Amazon.
July 29th, 2015 at 2:20 pm
Helo Anthony, I am 65% through QOF, and enjoying every bit of it.
Draconis Memoria’s release date of next year July, which is blazing fast release date (especially considering the quality of raven shadow series).
Has this series been in the works while you were writing Raven Shadow?
Can you tell us a bit about the book? are there swords in it?
July 29th, 2015 at 11:30 pm
Hi Babalo,
The new series is set in a world at a mid-19th century level of development so, whilst there are some edged weapons in the mix, they tend to fight with pistols and rifles… and cannons… and gatling guns. Basically, there are a lot of guns.
Thanks for the kind words.
Anthony
August 7th, 2015 at 7:06 pm
Sounds fucking awesome!
August 27th, 2015 at 4:39 am
For those wanting a taste of this new series you can check out Sandrunners in Legends II: Stories in Honour of David Gemmell. Seems to be a short intro into this new world.
I wasn’t to sure about this new series, but after reading Sandrunners, I’m sold!
December 14th, 2015 at 11:31 am
Really good news, Big fan of the Raven’s Shadow series, was sad when I finished the series as it gave me great company on my daily commute, Now I can look forward to another promising series from a very talented writer.
Thanks!
December 14th, 2015 at 12:08 pm
Thanks Rohit. Hope you like it.
Best,
Anthony