Tag Archives: the seven swords

The Kraken’s Tooth – Released Today

My new novella The Kraken’s Tooth – Book Two of The Seven Swords – is released today by Subterranean Press. Most of the hardcovers have already sold out but I’m told there may be a few left if anyone wants to head over to the Subterranean Press site to snag one.

The Kraken’s Tooth is also available in ebook:  amazon.com  – KoboNook 

The ebook edition doesn’t appear to have filtered through to non-US stores yet. There will also be an audiobook edition, narrated by Steven Brand, available from Audible (hopefully soon) – I’ll post links  to both when I have them. 

About the Book:

THE GREAT MERCHANT CITY OF CARTHULA—RAISED FROM THE BONES OF A KRAKEN ON THE WHIM OF A GODDESS

WHERE NOBLE HOUSES CALL UPON DARK MAGIC TO TRIUMPH IN THEIR ENDLESS AND DEADLY GAME FOR DOMINION…

Landless one-time king Guyime, once called Pilgrim but known to history as the Ravager, has survived the fall of the Execration – an event that set him on a path to find the legendary Seven Swords. 

Guided by sorcery, Guyime journeys to Carthula in the centre of the First Sea to claim the mythical blade known as the Kraken’s Tooth. Aided by three companions – the beast charmer Seeker, a powerful sorceress and a scholarly slave – Guyime ventures into Carthula’s perilous underbelly to secure a prize guarded by ancient magics, cursed spirits, and lethal traps. But can he survive an ultimate ordeal crafted from his worst nightmares?

Continuing the epic story begun in A Pilgrimage of Swords, The Kraken’s Tooth is a fast-paced tale of low intrigue and grand adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of the Raven’s Shadow and Draconis Memoria trilogies. 

From Publishers Weekly (Starred Review):

“Ryan masterfully combines vivid characterization and understated worldbuilding in the stellar second fantasy novella in his Seven Swords series (after A Pilgrimage of Swords)… Ryan does a superior job of propelling the adventure along while simultaneously pulling back the layers of [the fallen king] Guyime’s tortured backstory, and the robust fantasy world is described in clean, evocative prose…”

Anyone wishing to check out the first book in the Seven Swords series, check out the Pilgrimage of Swords book page.

Thanks to my editors, Yanni Kuznia and Bill Schafer, and everyone else at Subterranean for making this happen. Also, many thanks to Didier Graffet for another wonderful cover. 

I’ll be running a mailing list giveaway for signed hardcovers closer to Christmas, so be sure to sign up to the list to make sure you don’t miss out. 


Upcoming ‘Black Song’ Signed US Hardcover Giveaway

Just a quick post to let you all know that on 4th September I’ll be running a quickie mailing list exclusive give-away for five signed, lined and dated copies of the US hardcover edition of The Black Song to mark the one month-aversary of its publication.

In order to enter you have to be a signed-up member of the mailing list – sign up here. I’ll be sending out an email to subscribers on 4th September with a clickable link for those who want to be entered into the draw, so make sure you check your spam folders to ensure you don’t miss out. Winners will be chosen at random and notified on Monday September 7th. The give-away will be open to all mailing list subscribers, not just US residents.

In other news – it transpires that I totally missed the publication of the Italian edition of The Wolf’s Call in April – Il richiamo del lupo (La spada del corvo #1) is now available, published by Fanucci Editore. Click here for the Amazon.it link, but I’m assured it’s available in all good bookshops, COVID restrictions permitting. (If anyone knows the name of the cover artist, please let me know so I can credit them).

Finally, a reminder that The Kraken’s Tooth – the second novella my ‘Seven Swords’ series from Subterranean Press – will be released on 30th September and is available for pre-order here: https://subterraneanpress.com/krakens-tooth.

If you order before the release date you have the added bonus of being entered into a draw to win an original signed illustration by me and you won’t have to send me emails complaining about the price of hardcovers on eBay after Subterranean have sold out.

The ebook and audiobook editions of The Kraken’s Tooth will also be available when the hardcover is released.


New Podcast Interview/’The Black Song’ Giveaway/’The Waking Fire’ Price Drop

Thanks to David Walters for inviting me to be interviewed on FanFiAddict’s ‘Authors on a podcast talking books’. You can hear me waffle on about The Black Song and various writer-related gubbins via these links:

FanFiAddict website: https://fanfiaddict.com/2020/07/11/authors-on-a-podcast-talking-books-ep-42-anthony-ryan/

Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/authors-on-a-podcast-talking-books/id1489100521?ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5flRejokJOk3ODDJHv8mUH

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Good news everyone, my author copies of the UK hardcover edition of The Black Song have arrived which means I’ll be able to run a giveaway for signed copies after all. I’ll be running the giveaway in about a week and winners will be chosen from existing mailing list subscribers, so make sure you sign up to have a chance of winning. 

The Black Song will be released in the UK on July 30th and the US on August 4th. Pre-order links are here.

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Thanks to everyone who entered The Kraken’s Tooth advance review copy giveaway. The winners have now been notified. Please check your spam folders to make sure you haven’t missed out on a prize. Pre-order links for The Kraken’s Tooth are on the book page.

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And finally, I’m pleased to report that the US ebook edition of The Waking Fire – Book One of The Draconis Memoria – has been reduced in price to $3.99, so if you were thinking about starting this series but hadn’t yet taken the plunge, now would be a very good time. Where-to-buy links and book description are on The Waking Fire book page.


‘The Kraken’s Tooth’ – ARC Giveaway & ‘The Black Song’ Signed, Numbered Edition Pre-order from Goldsboro Books

Thanks to those nice people at Subterranean Press I have three signed Advance Review Copies of my novella The Kraken’s ToothBook Two of the Seven Swords, to give away to mailing list subscribers. If you’re not already a subscriber please sign up here by midnight GMT on July 12th to have a chance of winning. Winners will be chosen and notified on July 13th.

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. The book is also available to reviewers via Netgalley. 

The Kraken’s Tooth will be released in special limited edition hardcover and ebook on September 30th. Further details, excerpt and pre-order on the Subterranean Press website: https://subterraneanpress.com/krakens-tooth

Also, a reminder that anyone who pre-orders will be entered into a draw to win this signed original illustration that appears at the front of the hardcover. I’m told the hardcover may well sell out prior to release so act now if you don’t want to miss out. 

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In other news – I’m happy to report that Goldsboro Books now has a pre-order page for the signed and numbered UK edition of The Black Song: https://www.goldsborobooks.com/product/the-black-song-limited-edition.

About this time I was hoping to run a giveaway for signed UK and US edition hardcovers of The Black Song. Sadly, due to ongoing COVID chaos, I’m not sure when my author copies will turn up. As I don’t want to promise books to readers without a reasonable expectation of when their prize will arrive, I’ll be holding off on this giveaway until I have my author copies. It’s possible this may happen after the book is released, so watch this space for updates.

Please note – the release date for The Black Song has been changed from July 28th to July 30th for the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa – August 4th in the US & Canada. Pre-order details for all formats are on the book page.


SciFi Indie Author Giveaway and ‘The Kraken’s Tooth’ Gets a Starred Review in Publisher’s Weekly

Win a signed paperback of Slab City Blues: The Collected Stories.

I’m happy to announce I’ve teamed up with sci-fi authors Glynn Stewart, Christopher Ruz, Daniel Willcocks, and Matt Ward to do a SF/F raffle giveaway for FREE signed paperback copies of The Ragged Blade, Starship’s Mage, Slab City Blues: The Collected Stories, Dawn of Chaos, Cynetic Wolf, and Death Donor.

Very excited to be working with some of the heavy-hitting indies in the space to offer up some late-night, award-winning distraction in these challenging times.

The contest will be running from June 1st-10th. No purchase necessary.

NOTE: By entering the sweepstakes, you are expressly giving each participating author permission to add you to their email newsletter. You are free to unsubscribe at any time.

Just hop over to mattwardwrites.com/raffle and enter your email to register. Then, on June 11th, one lucky winner will be chosen to receive free signed copies of each of the books. And to keep things interesting, five runner-ups will also be selected to get free electronic copies because everyone loves free books, right?

Interested? Again, just hop on over to mattwardwrites.com/raffle before June 10th and enter your email to register.

Good luck!

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In other news, I’m delighted to report that my upcoming novella The Kraken’s Tooth has received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly – ‘Ryan masterfully combines vivid characterization and understated worldbuilding in the stellar second fantasy novella in his Seven Swords series.’

Read the full review here.

The Kraken’s Tooth will be released in September 2020 by Subterranean Press in special limited edition signed hardcover and ebook. Pre-order here: https://subterraneanpress.com/krakens-tooth

The 26 signed and lettered copies have now sold out. However, you can still pre-order one of the 1000 signed limited editions. These might sell out too so order soon to make sure you snag one. Pre-orders for the ebook will appear closer to the release date.

For anyone new to the series who wants to catch up, A Pilgrimage of Swords is available in ebook here:  Amazon.com  –  Amazon.co.uk  –  Nook  –  Kobo  –  Apple Books  –  Subterranean Press

Buy the audiobook here: audible.com  –  audible.co.uk


The Kraken’s Tooth – Original Illustration Pre-Order Giveaway

Those fine people at Subterranean Press are running a giveaway for the original frontis illustration for the hardcover edition of my novella The Kraken’s Tooth – Book Two of The Seven Swords which began with A Pilgrimage of Swords.

The giveaway is open to anyone who pre-orders the hardcover from the Subterranean Press website. The winner will receive the original illustration hand-drawn by yours truly, signed and datedIt looks like the signed and lettered special traycase hardcover has sold out but the signed and numbered edition is still available. Don’t worry if you’ve already pre-ordered as you’ll automatically be included in the draw. The Kraken’s Tooth will be released in September 2020

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I hope you’re all staying safe and well in these trying times. For everyone patiently waiting for The Black Song advance reader copy giveaway, I hope to run it sometime in May. It will be exclusive to my mailing list subscribers so be sure to sign up to make sure you don’t miss out.


‘A Pilgrimage of Swords’ Audiobook Released Today & ‘The Wolf’s Call’ is an Award Winner

The audiobook edition of my novella A Pilgrimage of Swords, Volume One of The Seven Swords, is now available from Audible.

Buy here: audible.comaudible.co.uk

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!

Check out the announcement here

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. 


A Pilgrimage of Swords – Audiobook Pre-Order Now Available & Other News

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.  

Buy here:  audible.com  –  audible.co.uk

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.


A Pilgrimage of Swords – Signed Hardcover Giveaway

*cover illustration by Didier Graffet

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 available in ebook, buy here:  Amazon.com  –  Amazon.co.uk  –  Nook  –  Kobo  –  Apple Books

Full details are on the book page

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.


A Pilgrimage of Swords – Release Day

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.

A Pilgrimage of Swords is also available in ebook: Amazon.comAmazon.co.ukNookKoboApple Books

Book description:

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. 

‘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.