It’s a damn fine day for lovers of contemporary heroic fantasy. Earlier this year, the crowdfunding campaign for Shawn Speakman’s The King-Killing Queen raised 250 thousand dollars, an impressive amount for any form of media these days, let alone prose fiction. We interviewed Speakman about this achievement, and we’re happy to announce the first volume in the The King-Killing Queen Trilogy is now available from Speakman’s Grim Oak Press! Check out the book’s full cover below, after these official details on the release — and Speakman’s first live event celebrating it…
In partnership with Grim Oak Press, Skybound proudly announces the retail release of The King-Killing Queen, book one of the high-fantasy trilogy written by award-winning literary talent Shawn Speakman (author, The Dark Thorn; editor, Unfettered), with a cover by Magali Villeneuve and illustrations by Donato Giancola. Published through Speakman’s Grim Oak Press, The King-Killing Queen is available digitally and on audiobook, narrated by Tara Sands, today. The hardcover version will be available everywhere books are sold on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.
To celebrate the release of The King-Killing Queen, Speakman will join iconic authors Christopher Paolini (Murtagh: The World of Eragon (Inheritance Cycle)), Terry Brooks (Sister of Starlit Seas), & Robin Hobb (The Farseer Trilogy) at Seattle’s renowned University Book Store on November 14. More details about the events and ticket purchases can be found right here.
Sylvie Raventress is named heir to the throne after the High King passes and finds herself at the center of a conspiracy orchestrated by her siblings that may not only mean her death, but a war between the worlds of Man and Fae. Now she must rely on a Fae guide, an aged knight, and a light-weaver to restore the fracturing kingdom and become High Queen.
Kicking off a noteworthy partnership between Skybound and Shawn Speakman’s Grim Oak Press, The King-Killing Queen Kickstarter campaign successfully raised $250K in April 2023. Skybound’s first crowdfunded novel, it joins a record-breaking slate of graphic novel campaigns from the company that have elevated a diverse group of voices, including Ava’s Demon Book One, Ava’s Demon Book Two, Excellence, Mr. Lovenstein Presents: Failure, and The Extra Fabulous Experience.
The King-Killing Queen (ISBN: 978-1-95600035-1 | SRP: $17.99) is available now on digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play. The hardcover version will be available at booksellers and everywhere books are sold on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.
