I also need to let you know that, despite the listed publication date, the audiobook release is likely to be delayed by several weeks. Steven Brand is an in-demand actor and narrator these days so, to avoid switching to another voice, the recording sessions need to be put back to accommodate his schedule. Obviously it would be better for all formats to be published at the same time and I do apologise for this delay. However, both myself and the publisher, felt it was important to continue with Steven as the voice of the series.
In other news, the signed hardcover edition of City of Songs – Volume Three of my novella series The Seven Swords – is currently on sale at the less-than-half price of $15. Available only from the Subterranean Press website.
I don’t know how long this sale will last so act now if you don’t want to miss out on a bargain.
For today only, the US ebook edition of The Pariah – Book One of the Covenant of Steel – is a Kindle daily deal at $2.99. I’m told the price will be matched by other US ebook vendors. Find it via the follow links:
Links to other formats and UK vendors are on the book page.
“Ryan (the Raven’s Shadow series) impresses with this fantasy trilogy opener… The author makes buy-in easy thanks to three-dimensional characters and intelligent prose that grips from the opening sentence.” – Publisher’s Weekly starred review.
“The Pariah is a sharp, brutal tale and a brilliant introduction to theCovenant of Steel series. While the story itself is grim and bloody, Ryan’s prose and characterization are a beacon in the darkness. A remarkable story that I did not want to end.” – FanFiAddict.
Also, The Martyr – Book Two of the Covenant of Steel – is now available for pre-order – find where-to-buy links on the book page.
In other The Martyr news, UK signed book store The Broken Binding is offering a limited number of signed hardcover pre-orders. These appear to be selling fast so act now to make sure you don’t miss out. They also ship internationally so don’t be put off if you live outside the UK.
Full details and buy links for other formats are on the book page.
And now for something completely different…
Last September I managed to carve out some time to write a non-fantasy novel that’s been hanging around my head for quite a while. It’s still early days so there’s no publication date yet, and the title may well change, but here’s the announcement on Publisher’s Marketplace to wet any interested appetites.
Watch this space for more concrete news when I have it.
The US ebook edition of The Pariah, Book One of The Covenant of Steel, is on sale at $2.99. This is a Black Friday only sale so act quickly if you don’t want to miss out.
In other sale news, Subterranean Press is currently offering the hardcover signed special editions of Songs of the Dark and City of Songs at half price.
“Ryan (the Raven’s Shadow series) impresses with this fantasy trilogy opener… The author makes buy-in easy thanks to three-dimensional characters and intelligent prose that grips from the opening sentence.” – Publisher’s Weekly starred review.
“The Pariah is a sharp, brutal tale and a brilliant introduction to the Covenant of Steel series. While the story itself is grim and bloody, Ryan’s prose and characterization are a beacon in the darkness. A remarkable story that I did not want to end.” – FanFiAddict.
About the book:
The Pariah begins a new epic fantasy series of action, intrigue and magic from Anthony Ryan, a master storyteller who has taken the fantasy world by storm.
Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path – one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier’s life in the king’s army.
Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain, a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse, Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance. But as dark forces, both human and arcane, gather to oppose Evadine’s rise, Alwyn faces a choice: can he be a warrior, or will he always be an outlaw?
“Ryan (the Raven’s Shadow series) impresses with this fantasy trilogy opener… The author makes buy-in easy thanks to three-dimensional characters and intelligent prose that grips from the opening sentence.” – Publisher’s Weekly starred review.
“The Pariah is a sharp, brutal tale and a brilliant introduction to the Covenant of Steel series. While the story itself is grim and bloody, Ryan’s prose and characterization are a beacon in the darkness. A remarkable story that I did not want to end.” – FanFiAddict.
About the book:
The Pariah begins a new epic fantasy series of action, intrigue and magic from Anthony Ryan, a master storyteller who has taken the fantasy world by storm.
Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path – one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier’s life in the king’s army.
Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain, a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse, Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance. But as dark forces, both human and arcane, gather to oppose Evadine’s rise, Alwyn faces a choice: can he be a warrior, or will he always be an outlaw?
The Pariah will be released in the UK on August 26th. Pre-order links are on the book page.
Thanks to everyone who entered the signed hardcover giveaway. The winners have now been chosen and notified. Check your email spam folders to make sure you haven’t missed out on a prize.
Anyone who would like another chance at a signed hardcover can enter the Orbit giveaway which is open until August 31st and includes an exclusive print of the cover illustration by Jaime Jones.
f you’d like to hear (or see) me talk some more about The Pariah and my writer origin story check out this interview I did with the Wizards, Warriors and Words Podcast with fellow fantasists Dark Ashton, Jed Hearne and Michael R Fletcher.
Apologies to anyone who signed up for the video confab today with myself and RJ Barker which has had to be put back to 1st September due to RJ battling the lurgy. You can still sign up here: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/ryan-barker-aug2021/register
The Pariah – Book One of The Covenant of Steel – will be released next week. To celebrate I’m running a signed books giveaway for my mailing list subscribers. If you’re not already a subscriber please sign up here by midnight GMT on August 23rd to have a chance of winning.
Prizes as follows:
Three first-place winners will receive a signed, lined and date UK hardcover edition of The Pariah.
Four second-place winners will receive a signed, lined and date US paperback edition of The Pariah.
Five third-place winners will receive a signed bookplate for The Pariah.
The giveaway is open to all subscribers, not just those in the UK and US. Winners will be randomly chosen and notified on August 24th.
For the benefit of ebook readers and audiobook listeners The Map Room has now been updated with the map from The Pariah.
Anyone who would like a second chance can also enter the giveaway being run by my publisher Orbit. In addition to a signed book, the lucky winner will also receive an exclusive print of the cover illustration by Jaime Jones (https://www.artpad.org). No purchase necessary.
I’ll be having a video confab with RJ Barker, author of the excellent maritime fantasy The Bone Ships, on August 24th. To sign up for the event and pose questions please go here.
And finally, Das Schwarze Lied – the German edition of The Black Song – will be released on August 21st. Thanks to my German publisher Hobbit Presse and translator Sara Riffel for making this happen. Thanks also to Federico Musetti for yet another spectacular cover illustration – check out more of his work on Artstation. More details on the Hobbit Presse website.
July 31st 2021 will mark ten years to the day since I first published Blood Song on the Smashwords self-publishing site. For a more detailed version of my pro-writer origin story check out my essay ‘The Long Overnight’ on the Penguin Blood Song page (scroll down to the ‘Author Essay’ bit). Suffice to say, a lot has happened since. One decade, eight (soon to be nine) published novels, a bunch of novellas, and over a million books sold later, I think it’s fair to say I owe it all to that one click of the mouse ten years ago. Funny old world.
On July 31st members of my mailing list will be given the chance to enter a draw for a rare 1st edition, signed, lined and dated US hardcover edition of Blood Song. One second-place winner will receive a signed US edition mass market paperback. Five third-place winners will receive signed Blood Song bookplates. All winners will also receive one of these snazzy Pariah bookplates provided by Orbit and signed by me.
I’m delighted to report that City of Songs – Volume Three in my Seven Swords novella series – has received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly.
‘Ryan ingeniously combines magic and mystery in his outstanding third Seven Swords fantasy.’
Read the full review here (some mild spoiler warnings for those who prefer to come to it completely cold).
City of Songs will be released in special edition signed hardcover and ebook from Subterranean Press in September. Hopefully, the audiobook edition will appear shortly after. To answer an oft-asked question, there won’t be a pre-order page for the ebook, however, I’ll be sure to announce the release and provide the relevant where-to-buy links when they become available.
Heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported the Kickstarter for Grimdark Magazine’s anthology The King Must Fall. Thanks (I like to think) to you, the anthology – which includes an all new Raven’s Shadow novella – has now reached its funding goal. A number of really great stretch goals remain with 8 days left to run. So, if you haven’t already become a supporter, please consider doing so now.
Thanks to those nice people at Orbit for providing this nifty video to remind everyone that my next full-length novel, The Pariah – Book One of the Covenant of Steel – will be released in two months time.
Grimdark Magazine (purely coincidentally) were kind enough to review the book last week and seemed to like it a lot:
‘The Pariah is Anthony Ryan at his best. A fast-paced, brutal fantasy novel with larger than life characters and a plot full of intrigue and suspense. With bloody twists and turns aplenty, this novel is destined to become a favourite of the grimdark community.’
Draconis Memoria RPG update – work continues on this project despite some dreadful pandemic related issues for the publisher. I still don’t have a start date for the Kickstarter but you can now register your interest here to make sure you don’t miss it: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hirukoa/draconis-memoria-rpg
And finally, it will be Blood Song’s tenth birthday on July 31st, which marks the day when I first self-published the book on Smashwords (whereupon it sold a massive five copies before I put it on the Kindle store in January 2012, but that’s a different story). Watch out for a book birthday related giveaway towards the end of the month. Please note – you’ll need to be signed up to my mailing list to have a chance of winning.
