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Blurb
WE WILL PUT YOU IN THE DIRT, BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE YOU BELONG.
In the wake of the Siege of Adira, lives have changed forever. The Theradoran army has collapsed after what appeared to be a failed assault in their favour, and the new Adiran King, Sefil, will lead the way for the alliance.
At the cost of finding her father’s killer, the presumed-dead Queen Esme finds herself in the enemy’s hands, living with a new name and an insurmountable task: dismantle the Empire of Therador from the inside out.
Aobian fighters rescue their exiled one, Drift, who attempts to reveal the weight of hundreds of years worth in secrets. Lies are more valuable than truths, and only time will tell how far the truth can really go. One book of histories may hold forgotten answers, but Drift’s search is urgent, and time is running out.
Comps
The darker edges of THE JUSTICE OF KINGS, the emotional crescendos of THE REALM OF THE ELDERLINGS, and the hard magic of THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE.
AN EMPIRE OF DIRT & LIES is the second novel in the series, continuing the multi-pov story that began in AN EXILE OF WATER & GOLD. If you like the darker side of Richard Swan’s Justice of Kings, the emotional crescendos of The Realm of the Elderlings, or the hard magic of The Cosmere, this one is for you.
About the Author
Joshua Walker is the author of The Song of the Sleepers series. He was born in Sydney, Australia and was an avid reader from the age of five, when he first read The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien ‘all by himself’.
The gift of science fiction, fantasy, comics and nerd culture in general came from Josh’s dad, and namely, his white cupboard filled with old DC and Marvel gems. From a young age, Josh was reading through all the core stuff. His fantasy journey really began with the Star Wars expanded universe and David Eddings.
When he was 14, he started writing a fantasy novel about a knight who would come to reclaim his people from a terrifying enemy. He finished this novel during his Liberal Arts degree, and spent rather too long convincing himself that it might be good.
The obsession never left him, and he wrote another failed story about an anthropomorphic fox. Fast forward to 2019 and he’d finished another novel, which adapted his first fantastical idea, and actually was pretty good, though it still was not enough. He did, however, receive some brilliant rejections from various agents – and one in particular gave him the hope and drive to keep going.
In 2023 he finished drafting An Exile of Water & Gold, his debut novel, as well as a novella to accompany it, named The Rest to the Gods. He got the idea from the central mystery at the heart of the first Toy Story movie, and his obsession with trees, symbiosis, and bioluminescence.
Josh currently lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and BFD (Big Fluffy Dog). In between spending time with his family and friends, he sticks to a regimented writing routine, and is also a primary teacher. He also makes his own beer, and likes to think it’s pretty good.
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