We are very happy to report that Brendan Durkin at Gollancz has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to J.T. Greathouse‘s debut fantasy trilogy!
The news broke earlier this week, via Bookseller, but we wanted to make sure nobody missed it!
The first novel in the series, THE HAND OF THE SUN KING, is due to be published in hardcover, eBook and audiobook, in February 2021! We’ll keep you updated with more news (covers, etc.) as soon as we have it. In the meantime, here’s a synopsis for the first book…
Wen Alder is soon to take the Imperial examinations, the first step to becoming Hand of the Emperor and to wielding the Empire’s legitimate magic. It has been years since his grandmother showed him her forbidden witchcraft, before she abandoned him to join the resistance. Now his path will take him from lowly student to Empire sorcerer, force him to choose between his country and his family, and have him uncover the truth: that an even greater war is being waged than that with the resistance, one that is magical rather than mundane, one into which he may find himself drawn, whether he wants to be or not.
‘I knew I was on to something special,’ said Durkin. ‘[Greathouse’s] writing flows like silk, the world he has created practically leaps off the page, and Alder’s conflicted journey kept me hooked from beginning to end. I can’t wait for people to read it.’
Here’s what the author had to say about the book and Gollancz acquiring it…
‘I’ve sometimes described THE HAND OF THE SUN KING, and the trilogy it begins, as a distillation of my undergraduate education in history and philosophy, remixed with some of my favourite fantasy elements including complex magic systems, coming-of-age stories, morally conflicted protagonists, ancient mysterious gods, and massive world-spanning empires. Seeing my novels in print is a dream come true, and I am thrilled that this project has found a home at Gollancz alongside many of the preeminent authors of the fantasy genre. I am grateful to Joshua, Stevie, and Brendan for their help and hard work.’
‘I actually picked up Jeremy’s HAND OF THE SUN KING on my very first day as an agent at Zeno and was thrilled to make my agenting debut with such a richly imagined fantasy,’ said Zeno’s Stevie Finegan. ‘Alder’s is an intricate, magical story and Brendan and Gollancz, with their stable including so many of the big hitters in this genre, are the perfect publisher to bring it to readers who will be enchanted by this tale.’
Zeno represents J.T. Greathouse in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.