The Days of the Deer by Liliana Bodoc

The Days of the Deer, part of the Saga of the Borderlands, by Liliana Bodoc comes out on Atlantic Books next month at £12.99.

“It is known that the strangers will sail from some part of the Ancient Lands and will cross the Yentru Sea. All our predictions and sacred books clearly say the same thing. The rest is all shadows. Shadows that prevent us from seeing the faces of those who are coming.

In the House of Stars, the Astronomers of the Open Air read contradictory omens. A fleet is coming to the shores of the Remote Realm. But are these the long-awaited Northmen, returned triumphant from the war in the Ancient Lands? Or the emissaries of the Son of Death come to wage a last battle against life itself?

From every village of the seven tribes, a representative is called to a Great Council. One representative will not survive the journey. Some will be willing to sacrifice their lives, others their people, but one thing is certain: the era of light is at an end.”

The Betrayal of the Living by Nick Lake

Due next month (next year!) is Nick Lake’s The Betrayal of the Living, volume three in the Blood Ninja trilogy (Atlantic Books £12.99).

“Taro is at a crossroads: he has vanquished Lord Oda for good, but with no land and no title, he has no hope of marrying Hana, the daughter of a daimyo. So when Taro receives news of a murderous dragon and the large reward for killing it, he and his friends find themselves on a dangerous quest to slay the beast.

Their mission has the potential to save the people of Japan – but failure will result in the deaths of thousands. And dragons are not the only monsters they will encounter: the dead, led by the odious Kenji Kira, have begun to rise, and they have Taro in their sights.”

In this conclusion to the Blood Ninja trilogy, the future of all feudal Japan is in danger, and everything Taro holds dear will be threatened.”