Thanks to Ace Books for including The Black Song in their Summer Fantasy Sweepstakes draw along with these four other great books. To have a chance winning go here to sign up the relevant mailing list.
For more info on The Black Song check out the book page.
Songs of the Dark – Short Fiction from the World of Raven’s Shadow is now available in ebook and paperback. Songs of the Dark collects all the Raven’s Shadow novellas published so far into one volume.
*Cover illustration by Kevin Goeke. Cover design by STK Creations.
The special limited edition signed hardcover is also still available to buy from Subterranean Press.
About the Book:
“Heard whispers of the Dark all my life. It’s a strange feeling when a whisper becomes a shout.”
Songs of the Dark collects all four novellas from the world of Anthony Ryan’s internationally best-selling Raven’s Shadow trilogy.
A Duel of Evils – Centuries before the rise of the Unified Realm, the final battle looms between the city-state of Kethia and the Volarian Empire. As told by Imperial Chronicler Lord Verniers, this terrible event is shrouded in many secrets and, some say, wrought by servants of the Dark.
Many Are the Dead – When word reaches the north of a fresh outbreak of the dreaded Red Hand, Brother Sollis, the finest swordsman in the Sixth 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.
The Lady of Crows – A quest for bloody vengeance forces Derla, a skilled and deadly veteran of the Varinshold underworld, into the service of the arch schemer King Janus.
The Lord Collector – Veteran Realm Guard Jerhid, newly appointed Lord Collector of the King’s Excise, finds himself battling ruthless smuggler gangs and worse on the wild southern shore of the Unified Realm.
Four compelling tales of mystery, magic, intrigue, and battle presented in one volume for the first time – featuring all-new introductions by the author. The print editions also feature and black-and-white interior illustrations by Anthony Ryan.
In other news, many thanks to David Walters of FanFiAddict.com for his spoiler free review of The Pariah – Book One of The Covenant of Steel:
“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.”
I’m pleased to report that the signed, limited edition hardcover of Songs of the Dark, the collection of my Raven’s Shadow short fiction, is now in stock and shipping from Subterranean Press. The collection includes a new introduction, author notes on each of the stories and black-and-white interior illustrations by yours truly.
It’s a strange feeling when a whisper becomes a shout.”
Songs of the Dark collects all four novellas from the world of Anthony Ryan’s internationally best-selling Raven’s Shadow trilogy.
Centuries before the rise of the Unified Realm, the final battle looms between the city-state of Kethia and the Volarian Empire. As told by Imperial Chronicler Lord Verniers, this terrible event is shrouded in many secrets and, some say, wrought by servants of the Dark.
When word reaches the north of a fresh outbreak of the dreaded Red Hand, Brother Sollis, the finest swordsman in the Sixth 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.
A quest for bloody vengeance forces Derla, a skilled and deadly veteran of the Varinshold underworld, into the service of the arch schemer King Janus.
Veteran Realm Guard Jerhid, newly appointed Lord Collector of the King’s Excise, finds himself battling ruthless smuggler gangs and worse on the wild southern shore of the Unified Realm.
Four compelling tales of mystery, magic, intrigue, and battle presented in one volume for the first time—featuring all-new introductions and black-and-white interior illustrations by the author.
Limited: 400 signed numbered hardcover copies: $125
Lettered: 26 signed specially bound copies, housed in a custom traycase: $600
In other news, I’m excited to let you know that work on the Draconis Memoria RPG continues a pace and I’m now able to share a sneak peak of pages from the rule book.
The game will be produced by Hirukoa based on Dungeon & Dragons 5th Edition and funded via Kickstarter. More details to come when I have them.
Many thanks to Fantasy Inn for hosting the cover reveal for my new novel The Pariah – Book One in the all new The Covenant of Steel trilogy.
Cover illustration by Jaime Jones who also painted the UK cover for The Waking Fire – see more of his work at www.artpad.org. Cover design by Lauren Panepinto (@Panepinto).
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 by Orbit in the US on August 24th and in the UK on August 26th, 2021.
No pre-order links for the audiobook yet but watch this space. Thanks to everyone at Orbit for their hard work in making this happen and to you, Dear Reader, for patiently awaiting news of what I’m writing next.
In other news, the UK paperback edition of The Black Song – Book Two of The Raven’s Blade – releases on February 11th. I was going to do another signed book giveaway but recent, I assume, COVID-related experiences with international shipping means I’ll hold off until the US paperback comes out in June when, vaccines permitting, things will have calmed down a bit.
You can pre-order the UK Black Song paperback here:
The ebook edition of Blood Song – Book One of the Raven’s Shadow trilogy – is on sale at £0.99 as a Kindle Daily Deal via the UK Amazon storee. The sale ends at midnight tonight so act now if you don’t want to miss out.
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.
A matchless warrior is pitted against a near-God in the second epic installment of the Raven’s Blade series.
“It has long been our lot in life, brother, to do what others can’t.”
Vaelin Al Sorna was known across the realm as the greatest of warriors, but he thought battles were behind him. He was wrong. Prophecy and rumor led him across the sea to find a woman he once loved, and drew him into a war waged by the Darkblade, a man who believes himself a god—and one who has gathered a fanatical army that threatens all of the known world.
After a costly defeat by the Darkblade, Vaelin’s forces are shattered, while the self-proclaimed immortal and his army continue their terrible march. But during the clash, Vaelin regained some of the dark magic that once gave him unrivaled skill in battle. And though the fight he has been drawn into seems near unwinnable, the song that drives him now desires the blood of his enemy above all else…
“…expert worldbuilding, crackling dialogue, gripping action and subtle shifts on the political chessboard.” – Publisher’s Weekly.
For anyone who missed it, The Black Song released in the UK on July 28th.
Thanks to everyone at Ace for helping to bring The Black Song into the world, particularly my editor Jessica Wade. Thanks also to my UK editor James Long and my agent Paul Lucas.
The Black Song the second and final book in The Raven’s Blade duology and, to answer an oft-asked question, it will be Vaelin’s last adventure… for the time being. I think he’s earned a break after everything I’ve put him through but, rest assured, he will be back eventually. In the meantime I have other stories to tell and new worlds to explore – watch this space for details to be announced in the near future.