Yesterday we posted the excellent news that Adrian Tchaikovsky had signed a new book deal with Tor.com, well today we’ve heard of another of F-F’s friends, Anthony Ryan, who has landed a new major book deal too!
Most fantasy fans will know of Anthony as a result of his hugely successful Raven’s Shadow trilogy. The series started out being self-published through Amazon, but as sales and 5* reviews quickly began to mount up he attracted interest from Ace Books in the US and Orbit Books in the UK. It turned out to be a good signing by the publishers, because the books that followed in the series, Tower Lord and the recently-released Queen of Fire, became New York Times bestsellers. To date, The Raven’s Shadow trilogy has been published in fifteen countries, and over 200,000 copies of the novels have been sold worldwide. Gives you some hope doesn’t it fellow self-published authors? 🙂
Well, back to this new deal: it is for a three-part series (again, signed by Ace Books in the US and Orbit Books in the UK) and the first is called The Waking Fire. It will hit shelves in both countries by July 2016. Here’s what has been released so far:
The Waking Fire is set in a vibrant new world where the blood of drakes—creatures similar to dragons—is valued beyond reckoning, and can be distilled into elixirs that grant fearsome powers to those who are “blood-blessed.” The novel follows an unregistered blood-blessed as he searches for an elusive variety of drake so potent, its capture would mean unrivalled riches; the second in command of a blood-burning ironclad ship; and a young woman in a lifelong contract to a trading syndicate, whose espionage mission places her on the front lines of a newly declared war. As empires clash and arcane mysteries reveal themselves, these characters are tested again and again and soon discover that the fate of the world rests on their shoulders.
Ace Senior Editor Jessica Wade, who will edit the series, says, “The Draconis Memoria opens up an incredible new world for readers. It’s a perfect blend of engaging, complex characters, rich, incredibly inventive detail, and the trademark gripping storytelling on a breathtakingly grand scale that has made Anthony Ryan such a success. Readers have something amazing to look forward to.”
James Long, Editor at Orbit Books, said: “The Waking Fire is, quite simply, an absolute blast. Existing fans and new readers alike will find a huge amount to love about this fantastic new series.”
We’re promised that The Draconis Memoria is a remarkable new epic fantasy series with steampunk flavor, full of the phenomenal worldbuilding and non-stop action. Not too much wrong there! We’re sure that those who have read and enjoyed Anthony’s first Epic Fantasy trilogy will be excited to see what he can do in a different setting.
More news as we get it!
Jennie Ivins