Hit the Road

Mark your calendars

The cover is revealed. The blurb is out. The pre-order links are up. Book 3 of Tales of the Plains, The Iron Road, arrives this September (2025, history fans), in hardback, ebook and audio.

What’s it all about, then?

I wrote a little bit about the book and its origins in the Fantasy Hive reveal post, which I’d recommend checking out. This book brings the Tales of the Plains trilogy to a close, and with it, the story of Ree and Javani. It continues the themes of the series of “growing up, and growing old”, as Peter Newman so aptly put it, the duties of family, and what it means to be free.

As you’ll see from the blurb, book 1 arch-baddies The Miners’ Guild are back, and now Ree and Javani find themselves on a collision course with their enemies. There will be action, arguments, tension, banter, horror and heartbreak, and a whole lot of things blowing up.

And swearing, of course. Sorry, Mum.

What about reading order?

This being book 3, we’ll be seeing a few familiar characters from the trilogy so far, and maybe even one or two from my first series, Articles of Faith. While both The Hunters and The Company of the Wolf can be read standalone, this one probably requires having read both beforehand to get the most out of it.

You don’t need to have read The Black Hawks and The Righteous, but if you have, you might spot a few extras along the way. And you can always go back and read them afterwards, which might be quite rewarding.

Will there be a Story So Far?

Yes! There will be a Previously On… section at the start of the book! I even capitalised the names that you need to pay attention to.

Any special editions?

Goldsboro Books will be offering a signed first edition as before, and we may just have something cooking elsewhere too. Watch this space…

Will there be any more books in the world of Ree, Javani, Chel and co?

Well, never say never, but for now the series is complete, and with it, the stories I wanted to tell in this world, going all the way back to The Black Hawks. And while that book was first published in 2019, I wrote the first draft of it in 2015, and had been kicking around ideas for the story and setting since not long after my wedding in 2009. I’ve spent a very long time living these characters, and the world around them, and I think it’s safe to say that what comes next will be a bit of a departure!