Anna Stephens, the author of the Godblind trilogy (Godblind, Darksoul, and Bloodchild), has sold a new fantasy series to HarperVoyager, according to The Bookseller. The first installment, The Stone Knife, is set for a November 2020 release.
According to The Bookseller, The Stone Knife is the first of a series, Songs of the Drowned and is about a number of characters as tensions between major empire and its rival nations are about to erupt into war.
The book “follows warriors, diplomats, courtesans, and spies in the powerful Pecha empire and the beleaguered nations on its borders. As the empire goes to war, the magical ‘song’ that pervades its lands and pacifies its people begins to fail.”
In a statement, Stephens notes that the series is “something of a departure from my previous trilogy,” and that “While many of the themes are similar, for the first time I’m incorporating both magic and monsters into my work, which has been both a challenge and a joy.”