Greetings, Voyagers, We are thrilled to share the magical cover of The Bladebone by Ausma Zehanat Khan, illustrated by Chris Cocozza, which goes on sale October 6th, 2020. This is the last installment in her The Khorasan Archives, a series that lies “somewhere between N. K. Jemisin and George R. R. Martin” (Saladin Ahmed), in which a powerful band of women must use their magic to defeat an oppressive dark regime.
Scroll down to read Ausma’s thoughts on this awe-inspiring cover and learn more about the book!
When I first conceived of the heroine of my Khorasan Archives series, I had an image in mind: one woman against the apocalypse. I pictured her standing alone against a devastated landscape that was rich in the symbolism of her redoubtable quest. I imagined her as a woman who wasn’t entirely fearless, but who refused to give up against the threat of annihilation, facing the end of her world with resolution in her eyes. She believes in herself. She wants you to believe too.
My heroine Arian, is daring, indomitable, and utterly committed to the cause of ousting the Talisman patriarchy that has enslaved the women of her lands. But as with all political tyrannies, women aren’t the only enemy. Led by the sinister and ruthless One-Eyed Preacher, the Talisman have also targeted outsiders, minority groups, scribes, calligraphers, poets, historians, teachers, political dissidents, and free thinkers. With their book-burning purges, and murderous campaigns, they’ve covered the world in grief.
Cue the resistance of the Companions of Hira—the group of women mystics that Arian belongs to. Gifted with the powerful magic of the Claim, Arian has been working in the shadows for a decade, disrupting Talisman slave chains. Now she’s out in the open, taking on the Preacher himself. Aided by the Basmachi resistance in the north, and the Black Khan to the west, Arian and the Companions are headed to a cataclysmic showdown with the Preacher. And though friends and allies abound, the enemy is even stronger—for the Preacher is a sorcerer who has the power to bring the world to its knees.
As the final battle comes, it’s my thrill to present the conclusion of my epic fantasy series. Here on the cover of The Bladebone, the amazing artist Chris Cocozza, has captured the moment where it started, and the moment when it ends: one woman against the apocalypse who will never give up hope.
About The Bladebone