Hope and Red

by Jon Skovron

Overview

In the first book of this fun, action-packed fantasy trilogy, a warrior and a thief must come together to stop the forces that threaten their people.

Hope's old life ended the night her entire village was massacred by the emperor's forces. Now, trained in secret by a master warrior, her new life is centered on only one goal: vengeance.

Red lives by the skin of his teeth and sharpness of his wit. An expert thief and a brilliant con artist, he cares for only one thing: a good time. But when the empire's soldiers start to encroach on his territory, taking down his friends with it, he may have to re-prioritize.

Together, they will take down an empire.

Start reading this daring adventure that Sam Sykes called, "Furious where it needs to be, deceptively tender where it can get away with it, adventurous all around!"

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316268134
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	06/28/2016
Series:	The Empire of Storms , #1
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	162,726
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Jon Skovron is the author of several young adult novels and his short stories have appeared in publications such as ChiZine and Baen's Universe. He lives just outside Washington, D.C. with his two sons and two cats. The Empire of Storms is his first adult fantasy series.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/25/2016
YA author Skovron builds on his strengths in his first book for adults, diving deep into the lives of two, gruesomely orphaned children in an Earthsea-like island realm. The land is ruled by a degenerate imperium whose amoral face is the biomancers—part scientist and part sorcerer—who operate with utter impunity for ends of their own. Bleak Hope is the sole survivor of a village destroyed by a biomancer. She’s raised by the leader of a sect of warrior monks who give her all the skills she will need to wreak vengeance. Red, son of a chemical-addicted artist and a prostitute, hitches his star to Sadie the Goat, who mentors him into becoming the greatest thief in the stews of New Laven. When the adolescents emerge from their apprenticeships, they launch their adult voyages. Skovron’s eye for characterization and situations is exceptional, raising this from a fun ninja and pirate mash-up to a compelling coming-of-age yarn that genuinely merits a multivolume treatment. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Furious where it needs to be, deceptively tender where it can get away with it, adventurous all around."—Sam Sykes

"Hope and Red is my favorite book of the year. Full of nonstop, irresistible adventure, it captures that wonderful classic epic fantasy feel, while introducing a fantastic pair of memorable new heroes. I can't wait for the sequel!"—Sarah Beth Durst, author of The Queen of Blood

"Skovron's eye for characterization and situations is exceptional... A compelling coming-of-age yarn."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Engaging ... [Skovron's] skillfully developed world, filled with swords and magic, is a perfect foil for his dynamic characters."—Library Journal

"A great swashbuckling adventure."
—The Sun (UK)

"A fun beginning ... promises to be a great series."—Philadelphia Free Press

"The adventures of Hope and Red will continue, and you should plan to sail with them."—SFRevu

"Gripping and, most importantly, fun."—SFX

From the Publisher

06/15/2016
Bleak Hope, the only survivor of her village's massacre by the emperor's mystical biomancers, is taken in and secretly trained by a Venchen warrior monk. Hope learns skills that will help her in her quest for vengeance. Another orphan, Red, is fostered by one of the biggest names in the criminal underworld. With the tools of a thief and a con artist, Red searches for power and the next thrilling con with his friends. When their worlds collide, Red and Hope join forces to hunt the biomancer that destroyed her home; in the process they uncover a secret that could destroy his. VERDICT YA author Skovron (Struts & Frets) makes his adult fantasy debut with this engaging series starter. His skillfully developed world, filled with swords and magic, is a perfect foil for his dynamic characters.—KC

Library Journal