de Castell’s new fantasy release

March 21st, 2024

Sebastien de Castell is set to release the first book of his new fantasy series in April, Play of Shadows (Mobius $35.00). de Castell transports us to the swashbuckling fantasy world where Damelas Shademantaigne tricks his way into the company of actors who work at the magnificent Operato Belleza, with hopes of escaping the wrath of the Vixen that is waiting to duel him. One night, a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines on stage and accidentally reveal that the city’s most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer. This twist of fate causes Damelas to seek help from his boisterous friend Bereto and another misfit actor to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids finds him.

de Castell has a degree in Archeology but left his short-lived career as an Archeologist to pursue his the-world-is-my-oyster type career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor and product strategist. To date, he has published 16 books, including the internationally acclaimed Greatcoats series: Traitor’s Blade (Jo Fletcher Books, 2015), Knight’s Shadow (Quercus, 2016), Saint’s Blood (Jo Fletcher Books, 2017), and Tyrant’s Throne (Jo Fletcher Books, 2018), as well as the 6-book series for Young Adults, Spellslinger.

His Greatcoats series was shortlisted for the 2014 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy, the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut, the Prix Imaginales for Best Foreign Work, and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His YA fantasy series, Spellslinger, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and is published in more than a dozen languages.

The Greatcoats series is about a band of heroes known as the Greatcoats, who once brought justice to a troubled kingdom with their knowledge of the King’s laws and their skills with a blade. With the Greatcoats being disbanded after the King’s demise, how will they continue to save the kingdom from traitors, conspiracies, assassins and other perilous challenges ahead?

The Spellslinger series follows the adventures of Kellen, on the brink of a mage’s duel and facing a life of servitude without magic, who must rely on his wit to avoid disgrace. However, when Ferius Parfax, a mysterious traveler known as an “Argosi,” enters his life, she offers him a different path. Despite her enigmatic nature, Ferius becomes Kellen’s last chance to regain his lost magic. Together, they embark on a journey of spellslinging mastery fraught with challenges and uncertainties, where cunning and unpredictability may be their greatest assets.