Blurb

The world is teetering on the edge of war and madness the likes of which haven’t been seen for an age, yet all the schemes of the ambitious and cruel matter very little to Arkos Rhidain, a table-scrubber wanted for murder. That his victim was a rapist and a fiend seems to mean far less than the weight of the dead man’s purse when balancing the scales of justice, and even less still when said killing was achieved through the summoning of fire.

An unfortunate way to discover you’re a divinate, true, but one day, if he lives long enough, Arkos might wield the drop of divine blood running through his veins as a fully trained sage, the heroes and mystics of which a thousand slurred songs are sung. But that day will not be today. Today Arkos’s sole concern is foiling the deluge of danger that keeps hounding him, his friends, and his timely rescuers. The gods may have a plan for Arkos Rhidain; a plan of blood, of glory, of struggles and turmoil that could set the entire world ablaze. But frankly, Arkos couldn’t give a damn. All he wants is a soft bed to rest in, a fresh ale to drown his sorrows, and for people to very kindly stop trying to kill him.

Fate can be a fickle wench, but that’s just the sage’s lot.

Release date: Out now!

Download a PDF of the prologue at the bottom of the page.

Will you like my book?

Yes, now go and buy it!

But seriously, I write with a single aim: to entertain. I don’t like comparing myself to other authors because a writer should have a voice all their own, and frankly, any new author who honestly thinks they’ve written the next Stormlight Archive or Malazan is probably a little full of themselves. What I will do is list a few of the authors that I believe have had the greatest impact on my own writing style; ingredients that have been thrown into the seething cauldron of my mind whose flavours have no doubt infused my writing in some way.

·       Joe Abercrombie: my all-time favourite author. I wouldn’t dream of saying my work even remotely stacks up to the mere shadow of this modern genius of fallible characters and gripping stories, but Abercrombie has certainly made his mark on me. Real people swear, bleed, and shit, and so real characters should as well.

·       Robert Jordan: Wheel of Time isn’t my absolute favourite series of all time, but I started the first draft of my book (my very first foray into writing) the literal day after finishing A Memory of Light. So yes, I’ve also got to give props to the Sand-Man for completing the single most inspirational book series I’ve ever found. Wheel of Time is, in my opinion, the purest example of high epic fantasy, a continuous storyline that transcends book after book culminating in a the most epic of endings. To me, this is what epic fantasy should be, and this is what my own selection of incoherent ramblings ultimately intends to fling itself towards.

·       Nicholas Eames: Kings of the Wyld is my favourite single book of all time (so far), and that’s because it embodies the purest essence of an entertaining read. From start to finish that book is engrossing, authentic, and most importantly, fun. Fun, fun, fun on every page, even when there isn’t really anything going on. Eames could have written a book entirely about the boys from Saga sat in a locked room having a serious drinking session and it would still be one of the most enjoyable books I’ve come across. It was this book that really drove home to me that you can have all the fancy story twists and turns and buckets and buckets of beautiful language, but above all you need the reader to have a good time on the journey. It’s that element that turns a book that you respect into one that you love.

So there you go. If you’ve liked what you’ve read above, then chances are you’re going to like my work. And if you want a little taster, a PDF version of the prologue is available for free below. Try before you buy.

Download the Prologue in PDF here!

Artwork created by the awesome Mr. Lawrence Jackson.