Ayinde's epic fantasy series snapped up by Orbit

Orbit has signed an epic fantasy trilogy from M H Ayinde, winner of the 2021 Future Worlds Prize.  

Senior commissioning editor Emily Byron acquired world rights in all languages from Jennie Goloboy at Donald Maass Literary Agency. The first book, A Song of Legends Lost, is scheduled for spring 2025.

Set in world inspired by multiple pre-colonial cultures, Orbit has dubbed it “a gripping tale of revenge and rebellion”. The synopsis reads: “In the Nine Lands, only those of noble blood can summon the spirits of their ancestors to fight in battle. But when a commoner from the slums accidentally invokes a powerful spirit, she finds it could hold the key to ending a centuries-long war. But not everything that can be invoked is an ancestor.  And some of the spirits that can be drawn from the ancestral realm are more dangerous than anyone can imagine.” 

Byron said: “Modupe’s writing blew me away from the first page – the quality of her prose, the depth of her characters, the vividness of her worldbuilding, the inventiveness of her magic system – it all adds up to something that feels at once familiar and yet incredibly original. It’s epic fantasy on a grand scale – gripping, propulsive, powerful and impossible to put down. I cannot wait for readers to be swept away by this brilliant book.”

Ayinde said: “I’m thrilled to be working with Orbit for my debut fantasy trilogy. I can’t wait to introduce readers to this vast world of ancestor magic and stolen histories, a world that has been 20 years in the making.”

In 2021, Ayinde won the Future Worlds Prize, which was founded by author Ben Aaronovitch the previous year and originally named the Gollancz and Rivers of London BAME SFF Award. It aims to discover new voices from ethnic minorities writing in the science fiction and fantasy space and is financially supported by Aaronovitch and “Bridgerton” actor Adjoa Andoh.