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Happy release day to everyone receiving the Tor UK edition of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me today!

If you want your own copy, here are some of the retailer links:

WATERSTONES Blackwell’s

I know it meant more w*iting for us, and the two extra days were torturous enough to make the stiffest upper lip wobble. But in fairness, we are getting some of the prettiest hardcover edges around:

Tor UK hardcover

And there’s even more good news to celebrate: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me has been named one of Amazon’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of April, while also holding a strong lead in major categories like Epic Fantasy and Romantic Fantasy.

Huge congratulations to House Andrews on such an outstanding launch and to the Book Devouring Horde for coming out in force to welcome it!

I have lists of all the great questions you shared on the spoiler discussion post and I love how everyone is interacting with the story. While we wait for House Andrews to come back from the signing tour and join the discussion, you can read this interview they did for the April issue of BookPage.

One more hype and I’m done: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me has also been selected as part of Book of the Month’s April lineup! It’s so exciting to see it included, and we’re grateful to @bookofthemonth for the support.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I will be heading to my local Waterstones to ever so subtly nudge their copies of This Kingdom to their best, most visible lives on the shelves. Public mod service.

UPDATE FROM THE SIGNING TOUR:

House Andrews are signing everywhere they go! In case you didn’t manage to make it to the events, but are in the vicinity, you can still grab your own signed copies:

The Barnes& Noble Arboretum in Austin, Tropes and Trifles in Minnesota, and Joseph Beth in Lexington have numerous signed copies of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me.

In addition, B&N Austin has signed Hidden Legacy copies.

Tropes and Trifles has signed copies of Beast Business, Inheritance, Sanctuary, and Innkeeper and Hidden Legacy (including the little paperbacks which are being phased out).

The post Keep Calm and Maggie On first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

LitStack Spots Here are other books we’ve spotted and we’re adding to our TBR list,…

The post Spotlight on “Small Boat” by Vincent Delecroix appeared first on LitStack.

A wise man once asked a rhetorical question like this: who by worrying can add a single hour to their life?

Excited to read #4 and #5

The Imaro trilogy by Charles Saunders, all from DAW Books: Imaro (November 1981), The Quest for Cush (February 1984) and The Trail of Bohu (October 1985). Covers: Ken Kelly and James Gurney

Charles Saunders (1946 – 2020) was one of two men who established a sub-genre of Sword & Sorcery that has come to be called Sword & Soul. The other was Samuel Delany (1942 – ). Saunders was born in the USA but moved to Canada as a conscientious objector after being drafted for Vietnam. He became a journalist and wrote a lot of nonfiction, much of it dealing with the lives of Blacks in Canada.

Around 1974, Saunders created a fictionalized Africa called Nyumbani and began writing S&S stories set there about a hero named Imaro. These were published in a small magazine but the first one was reprinted by Lin Carter in his 1975 edition of Year’s Best Fantasy. By 1981, some of these stories had been connected into novel form and were published as Imaro, by DAW books (Ken Kelly cover). Two more books followed, The Quest for Cush (1984) and The Trail of Bohu (1985), both with excellent and more appropriate-to-the-character covers by James Gurney.

DAW’s original cover for Imaro, with tag line The Epic Novel of a Black Tarzan, withdrawn and reprinted after a complaint from the estate of Edgar Rice Burroughs

DAW didn’t know how to market a black S&S hero like Imaro and initially the character was compared to Tarzan, probably because of the African connection. Imaro, however, is much more Conan than Tarzan, although he is a unique character and no “clonan.” DAW realized their error and made the better connection, quoting on the back of Imaro:

Imaro’s saga will be compared with that of Conan and other heroes of history and legend…

(An aside about this quote: Conan is implied to be a hero of ‘history and legend.’ That’s a little odd.)

Heroic Fantasy edited by Gerald W. Page & Hank Reinhardt (DAW Books, April 1979). Cover by Jad

Imaro III: The Trail of Bohu has a cover quote:

Imaro follows in the footsteps of Conan

I first discovered Imaro in an anthology I’ve mentioned before called Heroic Fantasy. This led me to the first Imaro novel, although it took a while to find #2 and #3. They make a nice, solid body of work.

Imaro: The Naama War (Sword and Soul Media, December 29, 2009). Cover by Mshindo Kuumba

In 2009, Saunders self-published a fourth Imaro novel called The Naama War, through Lulu. Unfortunately, I didn’t immediately pull the trigger to buy it and now it’s unavailable. I’ve shown the cover pic by Mshindo Kuumba above.

There’s also a short story collection called Nyumbani Tales set in Imaro’s world (below), but the copies I’ve seen are used ones for nearly 150 bucks.

Nyumbani Tales (MVmedia, May 19, 2017). Cover by Edison Moody

Updated versions of the first two Imaro novels (re-edited by Saunders) were published in the early 2000s, although I don’t have them (see below). Saunders also wrote stories about a woman warrior named Dossouye. I read one of these, which was quite good, but the collection is currently unavailable.

I remember hearing of Saunder’s death several months after it occurred and being shocked. His writing, fine as it was, had not brought him any comfortable financial situation.

Reprint editions of Imaro and Imaro 2: The Quest for Cush from
Night Shade Books (February 15, 2006, and January 2007). Covers by Vince Evans

He died in a small apartment with no phone or internet connection, and apparently with no one close enough to him to check on his whereabouts. We can at least hope he’ll be better remembered after his death than he seemingly was before.

Charles Gramlich administers The Swords & Planet League group on Facebook, where this post first appeared. His last article for us was a review of two S&S anthologies, both titled Warlocks and Warriors, edited by Donald M. Grant. See all of his recent posts for Black Gate here.

She's seventeen. She and Ash are probably a few months apart in age though his age is slightly harder to pin down.

I also love Irene, but alas, you cannot take a lynx on a read trip easily. It does not mean Ty will never meet Irene tho.

She does think they should work things out, but she isn't really meddling. She at some point does warn Kit not to break her brother's heart (again) but otherwise she doesn't interfere, probably because she realizes that if they were to mend things with each other, it would have to be their decisions on their own terms.

Hi! Well, BVD takes place in the time period between book 2 and book 3 of The Wicked Powers. So it can't be published until after book 2 regardless of schedule — you're right that working out a schedule for a co-written book is doubly complicated since you have to work with two people's schedules!

In the market for some original art used for Robert McCammon novels? Artist Steve Crisp illustrated gobs of book covers in the UK in the ’80s and ’90s, and many of his pieces are being exhibited on IX Gallery. His original art pieces used for the UK paperback editions of BAAL, BETHANY’S SIN, and MYSTERY WALK are included in the exhibit and are available for purchase.

Penny Dreadful: The Classic Horror Art of Steve Crisp

Even if you’re not looking to purchase, the exhibition is a lot of fun to see!

Robert McCammon (and I) have nothing to do with this sale, I just thought you’d be interested in seeing it, at least.

Women in SF&F Month 2026 officially starts today with a guest post by Lorraine Wilson! Her short fiction includes “Bathymetry” (winner of the British Fantasy Award) and “Mhairi Aird” (published in the British Fantasy Award–nominated anthology Nova Scotia: New Speculative Fiction from Scotland, Volume 2). Her first novel, This Is Our Undoing, won the SCKA for Best Debut and was a finalist for the Kavya Prize as well as the British Fantasy Awards for Best Novel and Best Newcomer. Her […]

The post Women in SF&F Month: Lorraine Wilson first appeared on Fantasy Cafe.

Thank you all for such an incredible release. The turnout, the messages, charts performance and the flood of enthusiasm have launched a thousand Mod R squeees. It’s been wonderful to watch the story resonate with the people it was written for.

And we are being absolutely spoiled today in recognition of our formidable fluffiness!

A brand new character art reveal from Helena Elias, plus an entire bonus scene featuring reigning fan-favorite, Clover.

Spoiler safe after Page 130 Chapter 13, first scene

“So, explain your lady to me.” Shana wiped the table down with a wet rag. “Is she a noble or is she not? Because she’s confusing me.”

Clover sighed. It was a fair question.

They were sitting in the kitchen. The sun had barely risen, and the tea in her cup was hot and aromatic. She’d made a pot this morning, and it had turned out just right. Shana had taken over the kitchen, but they both agreed that Clover’s tea brewing skills were superior.

When Shana showed up in the chainmail and carrying a mace, Clover wasn’t sure they would get along. It took her less than 24 hours to realize that when it came to household staff, they couldn’t do better. Shana was experienced, practical, and capable and she was… solid, somehow. There was something about Shana that said “Mom” to her, although her mother and Shana looked nothing alike.

Back home, she and her mother butted heads. There was a time she couldn’t wait to get out. When the Maid Mother came with the offer to take her to the capital, Clover had jumped on that chance. She could still remember her mom crying when she was leaving, but her own eyes were dry. She’d been too excited and eager. Divine, she was such a stupid baby five years ago.

Now… There were times when she wanted her mom so intensely, she cried quietly into her pillow. Too much had happened, and most of it wasn’t good. There was a time in Derog’s basement when the loneliness tried to strangle her, and she thought her life was over. And then Lady Maggie came, and everything changed.

It was important that Shana understood that Lady Maggie was special.

“She is a lady,” Clover said. “Without a doubt. She looks you in the eye when she talks, and she keeps forgetting to bow her head, like she isn’t used to it. She is very educated. She knows things others don’t, and she can’t do her own hair. When she needs it put away, she makes a three-part plait like she is a child. She has great teeth, and her hands are soft.”

“But?” Shana asked.

“But she carries herself as if she isn’t.”

“Why?”

Clover sighed again. “I don’t know. When we took the house from the slavers, she cleaned the kitchen with me.”

Shana paused. “This kitchen?”

Clover nodded. “On her hands and knees with a rag. Like it was nothing. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen. I really tried. She just…”

Clover imitated holding a rag and scrubbed the invisible floor with it.

Shana stared at her.

“She washed the blood off and everything.”

“Are you serious?”

“It happened. There is more.”

Clover hesitated. This was a very sore point, but she’d been struggling with it for days now, and it was so nice to confide in someone.

She leaned forward and lowered her voice.

“I went to dump the dirty water. When I came back, she was in the bathroom. Scrubbing the toilets.”

Shana blinked. “Divine, preserve us.”

“She told me that we had to clean the house top to bottom to make it ours.”

Shana frowned. “I would have scrubbed the house too, just to get the stink of those fuckers out, but she is a lady. Toilets?”

Clover nodded slowly.

“If you don’t stop her, she will try to do things. Brew her own tea, cook, try to do the laundry…”

“Does she not understand it’s an insult to our skills?”

“I don’t think she does.” Clover gave her a slightly helpless smile. “I think she wants to help.”

Shana put her hands on her hips. “Oh no. This stops now. She is not cooking in my kitchen, I’ll tell you that. I have never needed a noble woman’s help to do my job, and I am not about to start now. Everyone has their duty. I’m the cook, you are the lady’s maid, and she is the lady. She needs to stay in her own carriage.”

Clover sighed. “If only.”

Shana reached over and patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. There are two of us now. We will steer her back on the road. If you have any trouble, come and get me. I will set her straight right quick.”

That was right. She was no longer alone. She had Maggie and Kaiden, and Reynald, who could kill anything, and now the Magnars. It felt like she’d been wandering in a dark forest for so long, she couldn’t even remember what the sun felt like and then stumbled out into a clearing with a fortress in it. The fortress wasn’t in perfect repair, but it was solid and strong, and there was sun shining on it, and everyone inside would defend it with their lives.

Clover smiled and sipped her tea.

P.S. Mod R: Now that we’ve had our goodies,

The US and UK editions of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me are separate releases, from separate publishers. If your copy is arriving on the 2nd of April, that means you are expecting the UK edition. That timing is correct, not a publisher error or issue as I have seen confusion in the comments.

The post Bonus Scene: Is She a Lady first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

Here are 7 Author Shoutouts for this week. Find your favorite author or discover an…

The post 7 Author Shoutouts | Authors We Love To Recommend appeared first on LitStack.

In March I read 10 books. You can see the reviews for all of them, which ones were my favorite, etc. below. Hope you all had a great month of reading!

I started the following series:

• None

I finished the following series:

• Redemptor (Raybearer, Book 2) by Jordan Ifueko (5/5 stars)

My Favorite Books of the Month Were:

• Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett (5/5 stars)
• Redemptor (Raybearer, Book 2) by Jordan Ifueko (5/5 stars)
• Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross (5/5 stars)

– Goodreads Reading Challenge (Progress: /150)

The full list of books that I read this month are shown below:
1. The Glowing Life of Leeann Wu by Mindy Hung (3/5 stars)
2. Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett (5/5 stars)
3. So Far Away by Kat Mellon (4/5 stars)
4. Silver and Lead (October Daye, Book 19) by Seanan McGuire (3.5/5 stars)
5. Hollow Gods (Monstress, Vol 10) by Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda (4/5 stars)
6. Redemptor (Raybearer, Book 2) by Jordan Ifueko (5/5 stars)
7. Wings and Broken Things (Mitzy Moon, Book 3) by Trixie Silvertale, Narrator Coleen Marlo (4/5 stars)
8. Keeper & Kindred (Meow: Magical Emporium of Wares, Book 2) by Toni Binns (4/5 stars)
9. Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross (5/5 stars)
10. The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst (4/5 stars)

In reply to Benedict.

Meant to say how not why!

Hopefully I got most of them right, I am a little unsure of what rank Ivy’s are and perhaps Lucella used a different more nastier sigl.

Plus little things like this help the wiki, it really is quite impressive I don’t think Alex Verus has one!

In reply to Kevin.

Pretty good!

Hey along with being a wonderful edition to the series I think we have seen all these sigls before! I think these characters have the following

Scar and Disel B rank Strength sigl/Ajax.

I guess maybe A to S Rank increases your strength to 2 to 3 times what you can lift?

Calhoun B rank Reflex.

Given that it can help with adrenaline I see why Calhoun prefers this over a Motion sigl that could do the same.

Lucella C+ Rank Stun

I think this was the Life Effect she used in Book One?

Ivy C rank Stun and D+ rank Cat’s eye.

The only one who has two Life sigls, I guess she is good at Light and Life? She might have a higher’s Cat’s Eye if her family is wealthy but I get the feeling they might not be too generous. Or Ivy would rather do itself and accept the bare minimum?

How close why I guessing the sigls?

Archeologists have debated for centuries: what exactly was Will Wight up to in March, 2026? After examining fragments of pottery and some ancient runes, I believe I have a hypothesis.

I suspect that, over the month of March, I wrote a rough draft of The Commander.

I know, I sense your skepticism.
"Where's the evidence?" you ask.
"Is Will Wight even real?"
"Did you do any carbon dating?"

Trust me, I was skeptical myself. But when I compared the text chiseled into the stone tablets of the mausoleum where Will Wight once lived to the funerary urn containing my ceremonially liquefied body, I can come to no other conclusion. I must have written the first draft of The Commander during this time.

Of course, it's tough to do an archeological examination of my own life so many centuries after my death, but that's the kind of dedication that real history requires.

​-Will

Thanks for another very insightful summary of the major Life Sigl effects. I am very much looking forward to the story continuing in Book#4 but it still seems a long way in the future…

I hope that you restarted penning Book#5 and that it is well on schedule for a November 27 release!

Ash is actually around eighteen in TLKOF. I don't know if that changes the calculations!

The chinchilla did not make it into the book, though there is a hint about it if you're looking closely. The chinchilla is angry about being cut and its agent is arguing that it should get a larger role in the next book, or at least a credit as executive producer.