Thanks, as always, to Steven Brand for his excellent narration.
A reminder that The Kraken’s Tooth, the second novella in this series, is now available for pre-order. Links on the book page.
In other news, I’m proud and delighted to announce that The Wolf’s Call has won the Booknest Fantasy Award for Best Traditionally Published Novel. Huge thanks to everyone who voted and congrats to my fellow winners. Best of all, I now own this badass blade!
And finally, the audiobook of The Black Song, the second and final book in The Raven’s Blade, is also now available for pre-order from Audible.com. No UK pre-order yet but watch this space.
The audiobook edition of my novella A Pilgrimage of Swords, Volume One of The Seven Swords, narrated by Steven Brand, will be released by Audible on March 24th and is now available for pre-order.
In other news, I’m delighted to report that The Wolf’s Call, Book One of The Raven’s Blade, has been shortlisted in the ‘Best Traditionally Published Novel’ category for the Booknest Fantasy Awards. Thanks to everyone who voted in the first round. Anyone who would care to drop by and vote in the final round please go here: http://booknest.eu/component/k2/AWARDS/1812
And finally, those of you who follow me on Twitter may have noticed that the Advance Review Copies of The Black Song, Book Two of The Raven’s Blade, have arrived. I’ll be running an exclusive mailing list giveaway for five copies closer to the release date (when, hopefully, it’ll be easier to get to the post office). Be sure to sign up to the list if you want a chance of winning a signed ARC.
Thanks for reading and please stay safe in these troubled times.
My novella A Pilgrimage of Swords was released by Subterranean Press in September and, somewhat to my surprise, has since sold out in hardcover.
In the spirit of the season, and to express my gratitude for the response to this novella, I thought I’d give readers who missed out another chance to win a signed copy. Therefore, I’m holding a quickie giveaway for existing subscribers to my mailing list and anyone who subscribes between now and midnight GMT December 25th.
Five lucky winners will receive a signed limited edition hardcover of A Pilgrimage of Swords. Winners will be chosen at random and notified on December 26th.
A Pilgrimage of Swords is the first in a series entitled The Seven Swords. The next volume, The Kraken’s Tooth, will be released by Subterranean Press in September 2020. Check back in the new year for a cover reveal – once again the illustration is by Didier Graffet and is really something special.
Thanks to the nice people at Deep Magic Magazine for publishing my new novella Fire Wings in their Winter 2019 issue. This is a never-before-published 35,000-word tale set in the same world as my short story The Hall of the Diamond Queen.
You don’t have to have The Hall of the Diamond Queen to follow the novella but if you want to check it out for completeness it’s available free to subscribers of my mailing list or as part of the Unbound anthology from Grim Oak Press.
In addition to Fire Wings this issue has two short stories, a novelette and one other novella to enjoy. Here’s the full table of contents:
Forged in Iron and Blood by Jeanna Mason Stay
The Job Prospects of History Majors by Alyssa Eckles
Fairy Lights by Laurie Lucking
A Power Arcane Caitlyn McFarland
Fire Wings by Anthony Ryan
The issue also has extended sample chapters for the following novels:
My all-new novella, A Pilgrimage of Swords, is released today by Subterranean Press. Most of the special edition hardcovers have already sold out but I’m told there are a few left if anyone wants to head over to the Subterranean Press site to snag one.
It is two hundred years since the deity known as the Absolved went mad and destroyed the Kingdom of Alnachim, transforming it into the Execration, a blasted wasteland filled with nameless terrors. For decades, desperate souls have made pilgrimage to the centre of this cursed land to seek the Mad God’s favour, their fate always unknown.
Now a veteran warrior known only as Pilgrim, armed with a fabled blade inhabited by the soul of a taunting demon, must join with six others to make the last journey to the heart of the Execration. Allied with a youthful priest, a beast-charmer, a duplicitous scholar, an effete actor and two exiled lovers, Pilgrim must survive madness, malevolent spirits, unnatural monsters and the ever-present risk of treachery, all so that the Mad God might hear his prayer and, perhaps, grant redemption. But can sins such as his ever be forgiven?
Set in a world where demons and gods walk the earth, A Pilgrimage of Swords is a dark and exciting fantasy adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of the Raven’s Shadow and Draconis Memoria trilogies.
‘Fans of quick, descriptive tales built around shadowy figures with murky motives will enjoy this quest-based story and come away craving more.’ – Starred review in Publishers Weekly.
‘This grim succinct tale should find an eager audience amongst fans of sword-and-sorcery fare.’ – Library Journal.
‘A Pilgrimage of Swords is an engrossing adventure for anyone who likes a story with a great atmosphere and imagination. It is short, sweet, and will leave you wanting a lot more.’ – The Quill to Live.
‘A Pilgrimage of Swords may be a short, quick read, but for what it lacks in pages and words, it makes up for in fantastic storytelling.’ – FanFiAddict.
Thanks to my editor Yanni Kuznia and everyone at Subterranean for the efforts in bringing this to fruition. Thanks also to the always excellent Didier Graffet for his spectacular cover illustration. You can view more of Didier’s work here: https://www.alanlynchartists.com/didier-graffet
The winners of the signed hardcover mailing list giveaway have now been chosen and notified. Check your spam folders to make sure you haven’t missed out on a prize. Join the mailing list so you don’t miss out on future giveaways.
A Pilgrimage of Swords is the first in a series of novellas The Seven Swords. The second volume, The Kraken’s Tooth, will be published by Subterranean Press next year.
My all-new novella, A Pilgrimage of Swords, will be released on September 30th by Subterranean Press. This is the first a series of stories entitled The Seven Swords. The second volume, The Kraken’s Tooth, will be published next year. Full details and description are on the book page.
Subterranean tell me they only have 50 copies of the limited edition hardcover left so hurry on over to their website to order to make sure you don’t miss out. Anyone who orders direct from Subterranean or one of their approved outlets will also be entered in a draw to win a signed original hand-drawn version of the map from the book.
A Pilgrimage of Swords will also be released in e-book, price $4.99. Pre-order links are here.
I’ll also be giving away four signed copies of the limited edition hardcover to existing mailing list subscribers or anyone who joins the list between now and midnight GMT 29th September. Go here to sign up. Winners will be chosen at random and notified on 30th September.
The nice folks at Subterranean Press are running a giveaway for a hand-drawn, signed and dated version of the map from my upcoming novella A Pilgrimage of Swords. The map is the product of my own not-very-dainty hands and will be given away to one randomly chosen lucky person who pre-orders one of the hardcover editions. It looks like the signed and lettered special traycase editions have sold out but the signed edition is still available. Don’t worry if you’ve already pre-ordered as you’ll automatically be included in the draw.
A Pilgrimage of Swords – the first novella in a proposed series entitled The Seven Swords – will be released in September 2019 in hardcover and ebook (the pre-order for the ebook will appear closer to the release date). I’ll be running a mailing list giveaway for signed hardcovers prior to the release so be sure to watch out for that.
Here’s the Publishers Weekly’s Starred Review of A Pilgrimage of Swords:
“Ryan introduces a monster-riddled fantasy world with a perfectly balanced novella, including just enough backstory to create a cohesive story line and flesh out the characters… Fans of quick, descriptive tales built around shadowy figures with murky motives will enjoy this quest-based story and come away craving more (and longer) works set in this fascinating world.”
And here’s the blurb:
ENTER THE EXECRATION,
WHERE THE DAMNED AND THE DESPERATE
COME TO PRAY TO THE MAD GOD…
It is two hundred years since the deity known as the Absolved went mad and destroyed the Kingdom of Alnachim, transforming it into the Execration, a blasted wasteland filled with nameless terrors. For decades, desperate souls have made pilgrimage to the centre of this cursed land to seek the Mad God’s favour, their fate always unknown.
Now a veteran warrior known only as Pilgrim, armed with a fabled blade inhabited by the soul of a taunting demon, must join with six others to make the last journey to the heart of the Execration. Allied with a youthful priest, a beast-charmer, a duplicitous scholar, an effete actor and two exiled lovers, Pilgrim must survive madness, malevolent spirits, unnatural monsters and the ever-present risk of treachery, all so that the Mad God might hear his prayer and, perhaps, grant redemption. But can sins such as his ever be forgiven?
Set in a world where demons and gods walk the earth, A Pilgrimage of Swords is a dark and exciting fantasy adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of the Raven’s Shadow and Draconis Memoria trilogies.
Thanks to those nice people at Subterranean Press I have three signed Advance Review Copies of my novella A Pilgrimage of Swords to give away to mailing list subscribers. If you’re not already a subscriber please sign up here by midnight GMT on April 20th to have a chance of winning. Winners will be chosen and notified on April 21st.
Any book reviewers/bloggers/book-tubers who would like a copy please get in touch via the contact page and I’ll ask Subterranean to send you one.
A Pilgrimage of Swords will be released in special limited edition hardcover and ebook in September 2019. Further details, excerpt and pre-order on the Subterranean Press website: https://subterraneanpress.com/pilgrimage-of-swords-3583.
The audiobook edition of Many Are the Dead: A Raven’s Shadow Novella, narrated by Steven Brand, will be released by Audible on March 12th. Pre-order here: Audible.com – Audible.co.uk
*(Cover by Kevin Goeke, design by Shawn King)
Description:
“The Faith requires all we have.”
New York Times bestselling author Anthony Ryan returns to the Raven’s Shadow world in this prequel novella set ten years before the events in Blood Song.
For decades the brothers of the Sixth Order have fought a savage war against the Lonak clans amidst the frozen peaks of their Dominion.
When word reaches the north of a fresh outbreak of the dreaded Red Hand, Brother Sollis, the finest swordsman in the Order, leads a small band to a long-abandoned castle in search of a potential cure, but discovers a far greater threat lurking in the mountains.
Enemies become allies as Sollis leads an increasingly desperate fight against an inhuman enemy steeped in the power of the Dark.
“Brilliantly written… Anyone who has read Blood Song will adore this.” – Fantasy Book Review.
“Many Are the Dead is a good treat to gobble up while we wait for the continuation of Vaelin Al Sona’s story.” – Grimdark Magazine.
To celebrate, I’m giving away 10 promo-codes for a free download of the audiobook. Current subscribers to my mailing list are automatically entered. If you’re not a subscriber and want a chance to win a free audiobook, go here to sign up. The winners will be chosen at random and notified on March 12th.
I’m very pleased at long last to announce the release of Many Are the Dead, an all new never before published Raven’s Shadow novella.
Description:
“The Faith requires all we have.”
New York Times bestselling author Anthony Ryan returns to the Raven’s Shadow world in this prequel novella set ten years before the events in Blood Song.
For decades the brothers of the Sixth Order have fought a savage war against the Lonak clans amidst the frozen peaks of their Dominion.
When word reaches the north of a fresh outbreak of the dreaded Red Hand, Brother Sollis, the finest swordsman in the Order, leads a small band to a long-abandoned castle in search of a potential cure, but discovers a far greater threat lurking in the mountains.
Enemies become allies as Sollis leads an increasingly desperate fight against an inhuman enemy steeped in the power of the Dark.
Mailing list subscribers will know that I promised this a while ago but for ‘reasons’ had to sit on it until now. The ebook will be released on 2nd November but you can pre-order it now on the Amazon Kindle store: Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk – and Kobo. Links to ibooks and Nook to follow. Anyone who just can’t wait, or prefers the dead tree option, can order the paperback which is already available: Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk.
To celebrate the release I have ten signed paperbacks to give away to existing mailing list subscribers or anyone who joins the list by the 2nd of November. Winners will be chosen at random and notified on 3rd November. Go here to sign up.
Thanks once again to Kevin Goeke (movco-art.com) for the spectacular cover illustration and to Shawn King (stkcreations.com) for the cover and interior book design.
