I wanted to give you a glimpse into my next book, which will be released this fall by Curious Corvid Publishing. It’s called A Dance of Darklings and Demons, an original epic fantasy set on the mythical world of Ard.

“While the Titans reigned in the heavens above Ard, Lilith ruled from Kehena below, thirsting for the blood of the innocent to satiate her desires. Lilith sent her darklings from the Tower of Ibris to devour the people in her name until the god Atua sent his warriors, his alchemages…” – From the Book of Ard

When the Olympians subjugated the Titans, the old gods escaped across the stars. A new world called out for help. Ard beckoned the Titans from across the stars to save their world from darkness. They gave magic to aid the people of Ard—Humans, Elves, Animalian, and Nephilim—against the evil of the darklings. These creatures of shadow and death descended from the Obsidian Mountains, seeking to claim magic for themselves. Their world teetered on the edge of annihilation until the Titans begged the god above all, Atua, to intervene and send his acolyte to save Ard—the Alchemage.

These fabled warriors utilized the ultimate power of alchemy and magic. They became shadow hunters, specialists in seeking out and destroying the darklings, but victory came at a cost. The people of Ard shunned the alchemages as heretic demons who had forsaken the Titans for Atua. This went on for over a thousand years as the war continued.

Canaan Treyhawke was among the next generation in a long line of alchemages. He fought at the front lines beneath the Obsidian Mountains, losing his leg to the scourge of the endless war. He continues his fight as a shadow hunter to protect his sister, the woman he loves, and the people of his home in Perdition’s Point. Canaan finds himself embroiled in a mystery that could shake the very foundations of Ard.

A shadow tamer—a human aligned with the Tower of Ibris—is searching for a being born of all the races of Ard known as the Progenitor. This person could be the key to restore Lilith to her former glory. As chaos swirls around Canaan, he travels from the Golden City of Signus Prime to the capital city of Adolphus to discover the identity of the shadow tamer and stop the darkling threat.

You can catch a glimpse of the darlings above thanks to the incredible talents of artist Dennis Saputra. His art will adorn the chapter pages, portraying different creatures within the darling race. Stay tuned for excerpts and a chance to join my ARC readers for this new epic fantasy.

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other fantastic worlds as he weaves through a myriad of flights of fancy in his tales.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—are available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers. The Moonlit Black Cat Tavern is a new collection of short stories available on Amazon.

Cross over The River of Souls in a fantasy novella, take flight in the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, the saga continues in The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel, his first YA fantasy, Gwen Iver and Pendragon’s Puzzle, and the epic fantasy The Prometheus Engine: Book Four of the Forever Avalon Series from Curious Corvid Publishing. A Dance of Darklings and Demons is coming in 2025 from Curious Corvid. Stay tuned for new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.