Gollancz acquires debut fantasy trilogy

Gollancz has acquired J T Greathouse’s debut fantasy trilogy, which will begin with The Hand of the Sun King in 2021. 

Editor Brendan Durkin acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Stevie Finegan at Zeno Agency, on behalf of Joshua Bilmes at the JABberwocky Agency.

The synopsis for the first book in the trilogy says: "Wen Alder is soon to take the Imperial examinations, the first step to becoming Hand of the Emperor and to wielding the Empire’s legitimate magic. It has been years since his grandmother showed him her forbidden witchcraft, before she abandoned him to join the resistance. Now his path will take him from lowly student to Empire sorcerer, force him to choose between his country and his family, and have him uncover the truth: that an even greater war is being waged than that with the resistance, one that is magical rather than mundane, one into which he may find himself drawn, whether he wants to be or not."

Durkin said: "I have been on the lookout for a great epic fantasy, and when I started reading J T’s novel I knew I was on to something special. His writing flows like silk, the world he has created practically leaps off the page, and Alder’s conflicted journey kept me hooked from beginning to end. I can’t wait for people to read it." 

Greathouse commented: "I’ve sometimes described The Hand of the Sun King, and the trilogy it begins, as a distillation of my undergraduate education in history and philosophy, remixed with some of my favourite fantasy elements including complex magic systems, coming-of-age stories, morally conflicted protagonists, ancient mysterious gods, and massive world-spanning empires. Seeing my novels in print is a dream come true." 

The Hand of the Sun King will be published in paperback, e-book and audio on 5th August 2021.