I’m delighted to reveal the cover for Upon the Forge of Battle, the third and final volume in the Age of Wrath trilogy.
Many thanks to the design team at Orbit for making this happen. Upon the Forge of Battle will be released in the UK and US on August 25th 2026. No book description yet, but you can pre-order here:
For those unfamiliar with this series, check out The Waking Fire book page for details and where to buy in other formats.
And finally, I’ll be posting the entry form for the annual Xmakkuhfestivus signed book giveaway to my mailing list on December 15th. If you’re not already subscribed, go here to sign up. Prize details to come but expect some special edition hardcovers.
Born of an Iron Storm – Book Two of The Age of Wrath trilogy- is published today in the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Book description:
Born of An Iron Storm continues the epic tale begun in A Tide of Black Steel; a compelling fantasy saga of bloody retribution, deadly intrigue, and desperate courage
The Sister Queens have fallen and Ascarlia lies naked before the storm. A Nihlvarian plan, years in the making, has seen Ascarlia’s enemy seize the capital Skar Magnol. Now the invaders look to the wealthy port city of Olversahl to complete their conquest.
But there is hope.
Elvine is trapped at the heart of the conspiracy, yet her role in the new government offers the chance to plan resistance from within. She must tread a fine line between loyalty and secret disobedience, knowing the smallest mistake will mean her death.
Meanwhile, Thera has secured the Outer Islands, but her loyalist forces alone cannot liberate Skar Magnol. She must seek allies to have any chance of defeating the Nihlvarian threat. But her greater challenge will be to overcome her own doubts and become the leader she needs to be.
If she fails, Ascarlia will fall.
Meanwhile, far away across the ocean, Felnir embarks on a bloody path towards kingship, whilst to the north, Ruhlin seeks escape from the tyrannical realm of Nihlvar where the mysterious Vortigurn holds sway.
In case you missed it, the ebook edition of A Tide of Black Steel is currently on sale at $2.99 for the month of August in the US and Canada, wherever ebooks are sold.
Good news everyone, The Infernus Gate is shipping early. Anyone who ordered the special edition hardcover should receive their copies shortly.
The lettered and numbered tray case editions have sold out but copies of the signed special editions are still available from the Subterranean Press website.
The Infernus Gate ebook should also now be available on most retailers, with the exception of Kobo which might take a week to switch from ‘pre-order’ to ‘available’. Buy here:
The audiobook is also yet to go live on Audible. I’ll update the links on the book page when it does.
I’ll be running a mailing list giveaway for signed hardcovers when my author copies arrive. Sign up to the list if you don’t want to miss out.
This is the seventh and final volume in the saga of the Seven Swords. It’s been a long road and I want to thank all of you who stayed with me on the journey. Anyone new to the series should start with A Pilgrimage of Swords. There’s also a prequel short story, The Scarlet Ziggurat, available as a free download from Subterranean Press.
Here’s the blurb for The Infernus Gate:
‘Ryan doesn’t pull any punches in the wholly satisfying conclusion to the Seven Swords series.’ – Publishers Weekly Starred Review.
VALKERIS – MOST ANCIENT OF CITIES AND SEAT OF THE FALLEN EMPIRE THAT ONCE RULED THE VASTNESS OF THE FIVE SEAS. HERE THE INFERNUS GATE WILL RISE AND UNLEASH DESTRUCTION UPON THE WORLD, UNLESS THE BEARERS OF THE DEMON CURSED BLADES CAN STOP IT…
Guyime, undying bearer of the Nameless Blade, leads his band of misfit heroes into the dark, haunted ruins beneath ancient Valkeris. There they must survive the deadly traps set for them by the arch demon Kalthraxis as he races to open the Infernus Gate and set its monstrous legions loose. Love, loyalty, and courage will be tested to the extreme and a terrible price demanded for the world’s salvation. But is Guyime willing to pay it?
The Infernus Gate is the thrilling conclusion to the epic saga of The Seven Swords from the New York Times bestselling author of the Raven’s Shadow and The Covenant of Steel trilogies.
I’m delighted to announce my participation in the upcoming Unbroken anthology. I’ll be contributing an all-new novella alongside what I think you’ll agree is a pretty impressive line up of authors.
The Kickstarter for Unbroken will go live on September 23rd. You can register your interest via the pre-launch page.
My author copies for this one have also arrived so expect another mailing list giveaway in the near future. Be sure to sign up for the list if you want a chance of winning a signed hardcover.
This month I’ve joined with many of my fellow epic fantasists to take part in a signed books giveaway. One lucky winner will receive this stack of signed books which includes a hardcover of The Pariah:
Queen Mother by Jeff Wheeler (deluxe hardcover)
The Shattered King by Charlie N. Holmberg (paperback)
The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence (paperback)
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan (hardcover)
The King-Killing Queen by Shawn Speakman (hardcover)
Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray (paperback)
The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart (paperback)
Chords of Fate by DK Holmberg (paperback)
Depths of Vanalf by Brady Hunsaker (hardcover)
Blood and Empire by James Maxwell (paperback)
Winter’s Fury by AE Rayne (paperback)
The Threadlight Trilogy by Zack Argyle (deluxe hardcover)
A Promised Vengeance by Sara Larson (hardcover)
Two second place winners will receive an ebook of their choice.
To win the first place prize, you must have a USA mailing address. The second place prizes are open internationally but winners must reside in a country accessible via Amazon in order to receive the e-books.
Please note that by submitting an entry you are agreeing to join the mailing lists of all the participating authors. Of course, you are free to unsubscribe at any time.
In more signed book news, the Broken Binding has announced its special edition offering for Born of an Iron Storm, book two of The Age of Wrath. Here’s the list of features:
Signed by the author
Foil on boards
Digital edges
Designed endpapers
Head and tail bands
Royal hardback
1st edition
The book is being offered initially to members of the Broken Binding subscription club. However, it should also go on general sale via the main website soon.
In other news – I recently sat down for an interview with Gary Conroy of the Dark Finds Podcast to talk about such cheery subjects as apocalypses, writing villains, and holocaust denial (there were some lighter moments too, promise). You can watch or listen via the following links:
I’m also pleased to report that The Infernus Gate, seventh and final instalment in my Seven Swords novella series, has received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Check it out here: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781645243175
The Infernus Gate will be released in special edition hardcover and ebook by Subterranean Press in September 2025. Pre-orders are on the book page.
I’m delighted to reveal the cover for Born of An Iron Storm – Book Two in the Age of Wrath trilogy. Cover design by Ben Prior. Thanks to everyone at Orbit for their work on this.
Born of An Iron Storm will be released on August 26th.
Born of An Iron Storm continues the epic tale begun in A Tide of Black Steel;a compelling fantasy saga of bloody retribution, deadly intrigue, and desperate courage
The Sister Queens have fallen and Ascarlia lies naked before the storm. A Nihlvarian plan, years in the making, has seen Ascarlia’s enemy seize the capital Skar Magnol. Now the invaders look to the wealthy port city of Olversahl to complete their conquest.
But there is hope.
Elvine is trapped at the heart of the conspiracy, yet her role in the new government offers the chance to plan resistance from within. She must tread a fine line between loyalty and secret disobedience, knowing the smallest mistake will mean her death.
Meanwhile, Thera has secured the Outer Islands, but her loyalist forces alone cannot liberate Skar Magnol. She must seek allies to have any chance of defeating the Nihlvarian threat. But her greater challenge will be to overcome her own doubts and become the leader she needs to be.
If she fails, Ascarlia will fall.
Meanwhile, far away across the ocean, Felnir embarks on a bloody path towards kingship, whilst to the north, Ruhlin seeks escape from the tyrannical realm of Nihlvar where the mysterious Vortigurn holds sway.
The signed special hardcover edition of The Infernus Gate – the seventh and final volume in my Seven Swords fantasy novella series – is now available for pre-order from Subterranean Press. (*Cover illustration by Didier Graffet)
The Infernus Gate will be published in September by Subterranean Press in special edition hardcover and ebook and by Audible in audiobook. I’ll post ebook and audio pre-order links when I have them.
Book description: VALKERIS – MOST ANCIENT OF CITIES AND SEAT OF THE FALLEN EMPIRE THAT ONCE RULED THE VASTNESS OF THE FIVE SEAS. HERE THE INFERNUS GATE WILL RISE AND UNLEASH DESTRUCTION UPON THE WORLD, UNLESS THE BEARERS OF THE DEMON CURSED BLADES CAN STOP IT…
Guyime, undying bearer of the Nameless Blade, leads his band of misfit heroes into the dark, haunted ruins beneath ancient Valkeris. There they must survive the deadly traps set for them by the arch demon Kalthraxis as he races to open the Infernus Gate and set its monstrous legions loose. Love, loyalty, and courage will be tested to the extreme and a terrible price demanded for the world’s salvation. But is Guyime willing to pay it?
The Infernus Gate is the thrilling conclusion to the epic saga of The Seven Swords from the New York Times bestselling author of the Raven’s Shadow and The Covenant of Steel trilogies.
When the pre-order goes live, anyone who orders the lettered and numbered edition will be entered in a draw to win the original frontis illustration drawn by yours truly.
Those new to this series should check out volume one – A Pilgrimage of Swords. Details on the bookpage.
There’s also a free Seven Swords prequel short story, The Scarlet Ziggurat, you can download from the Subterranean Press website: https://subterraneanpress.com/tsz-ebook/
I’m delighted to reveal the cover for The Infernus Gate – the seventh and final volume in my Seven Swords fantasy novella series.
Once again the spectacular illustration is by the inestimable Didier Graffet who has provided covers for all instalments in this series. You can see more of his work here: https://www.alanlynchartists.com/didier-graffet
The Infernus Gate will be published in September by Subterranean Press in special edition hardcover and ebook and by Audible in audiobook. Watch out for a pre-order page announcement soon, for now, here’s the book description:
VALKERIS – MOST ANCIENT OF CITIES AND SEAT OF THE FALLEN EMPIRE THAT ONCE RULED THE VASTNESS OF THE FIVE SEAS. HERE THE INFERNUS GATE WILL RISE AND UNLEASH DESTRUCTION UPON THE WORLD, UNLESS THE BEARERS OF THE DEMON CURSED BLADES CAN STOP IT…
Guyime, undying bearer of the Nameless Blade, leads his band of misfit heroes into the dark, haunted ruins beneath ancient Valkeris. There they must survive the deadly traps set for them by the arch demon Kalthraxis as he races to open the Infernus Gate and set its monstrous legions loose. Love, loyalty, and courage will be tested to the extreme and a terrible price demanded for the world’s salvation. But is Guyime willing to pay it?
The Infernus Gate is the thrilling conclusion to the epic saga of The Seven Swords from the New York Times bestselling author of the Raven’s Shadow and The Covenant of Steel trilogies.
When the pre-order goes live, anyone who orders the lettered and numbered edition will be entered in a draw to win the original frontis illustration drawn by yours truly.
Those new to this series should check out volume one – A Pilgrimage of Swords. Details on the bookpage.
Subterranean Press tell me that the special edition hardcovers will now ship on October 18th. You can still pre-order via the Subterranean Press website.
Book description:
THE ANCIENT KINGDOM OF ALCEDON, THE SUN-BLESSED REALM WHICH HAS KNOWN ONLY PEACE FOR GENERATIONS, NOW BESET BY BLOODY REBELLION SPARKED BY THE EMERGENCE OF AN ANCIENT EVIL…
Into this troubled land comes Guyime, legendary ravager king of the north made immortal by the demonic sword he carries. Leading his band of sword bearers, Guyime must prevent the arch-demon Kalthraxis claiming the Warlord’s Tulwar, the last of the seven demon cursed blades. To do so he is forced to ally himself with the King of Alcedon and lead his army onto the dreaded Road of Storms, to fight a war that may cost all their lives and seal the fate of the world…
Continuing the epic saga of The Seven Swords, The Road of Storms is a compelling adventure of war and intrigue from the New York Times bestselling author of the Raven’s Shadow and The Covenant of Steel trilogies.
Lettered: 26 signed leatherbound copies, housed in a custom traycase.
Limited: 1000 signed numbered hardcover copies.
Anyone who pre-orders the hardcover will be entered into a draw to win the fronts illustration drawn by yours truly.
Anyone new to this series should start with A Pilgrimage of Swords, which is available in ebook and audio. Details on the book page.
In other news, you probably know that A Tide of Black Steel, Book One of The Age of Wrath, was released last week. Many thanks to everyone who bought a copy. For those that haven’t, see the book page.
If you missed out on my mailing list signed books giveaway and would like another chance to win one, there are two giveaways currently ongoing for the Broken Binding special hardcover, sprayed edges edition. One is being run by the Broken Binding themselves and the other by the Beard of Darkness podcast which I’ll be appearing on at 7pm UK time on October 6th. Check out the relevant social media posts for details on how to enter:
It's giveaway time! We are giving away a signed, lined and dated copy of our special edition of A Tide of Black Steel! @writer_anthony was kind enough to line and date two copies during his signing session – thank you again 💚
THE AMAZING @writer_anthony will be with me LIVE for an interview and to announce the WINNER. The prize is the INCREDIBLE Special Edition of “A Tide of Black Steel” by the @binding_broken. We will announce the name of the winner LIVE on October 6th at 2pm EST/7pm UK.… pic.twitter.com/rycayQR4HK
