Anthony Hodge

The novel Exile Part II – Root and Branch on a desk

Exile: Part II – Root and Branch is now available in Kindle and paperback from Amazon and other outlets. The story is complete! #Booksky #novel #highfantasy #epicfantasy 🪐📚 www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTMDXQ2T

The Will of the Many is a compelling read and exploration of a dystopian society featuring some uncomfortable parallels with our own. It looks like the story will continue in some very interesting directions

Jade City has an incredible sense of place, featuring a vivid city reminiscent of Hong Kong or Taipei yet also distinctly imagined. Plus, the martial arts aspect is really fun

Photo of the books

Two recent reads that I recommend: Jade City by Fonda Lee, and The Will of the Many by James Islington. Two chunky books to get lost in for a while. I've already ordered the sequels #booksky

'Wind and waves had honed the ribbons of stone into blades. He scrambled up after Taerinus onto a gravelly path that wound up the cliff, between fragrant bushes and lichen-spattered rocks, and over a few slippery boulders.'

'A dirt track ran along the clifftop, which stretched north and south in an undulating chain that faded into the mist and soft dawn light. This was Caeria. This was home.' Exile Part II: Root and Branch #fiction #epicfantasy #highfantasy #novel #indiepublishing #booksky 🪐📚

Book cover with a stylised illustration of a tree in a landscape

Coming soon! Exile Part II: Root and Branch #sequel #booksky #novel #fiction #epicfantasy 📚🪐 #indiepublishing

Stylised illustration of a tree in a landscape

Happy New Year!

Thank you for a fantastic, thoughtful review! book-shelfie.com/review/exile... #exile #booksky #epicfantasy #fiction

Book cover with Kindle reader

Attend! Big discounts still going until Friday for Kindle versions of Exile: Part I — From an Antique Land on Amazon UK (amzn.eu/d/iImxLF8) and US (a.co/d/9dcCiap). Grab it while you can! 📚💙 #highfantasy #epicfantasy #novel #fiction #book

But seriously, read this post: www.writerswrite.co.za/you-dont-hav...

Can anyone recommend a nice, chunky graphic novel in English to lose myself in? Doesn't need to be any particular genre, just an interesting story with beautiful illustrations? Ideally, a standalone book or in a small number of volumes. #booksky #reading #suggestion #comicbook

Chapter titled 'Caeria — Spring's Reign — 436' and first sentence 'There were days when Razna wanted nothing more than to scream.'

Final round of editing on Exile Part II is well underway #novel #booksky 🪐📚 #epicfantasy #highfantasy #fiction #writing #editing

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr is a recent novel that draws inspiration from this ancient tale. It's also a wonderful read: www.anthonydoerr.com/books/cloud-...

Apuleius The Golden Ass - Penguin Classics : Apuleius, translation by E. J. Kenny : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive Modern translation and introduction by E. J. Kenny. 310 pages Written towards the end of the second century AD, The Golden Ass tells the story of the many...

Here's a modern English translation: archive.org/details/TheG...

The Golden Ass - Wikipedia

The Golden Ass by Apuleius is one of the great ancient Greco-Roman novels. Apart from being quite funny, it gives lots of little insights into how ordinary people lived in those days, compared to the more epic tales from that era en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gol... #booksky #inspiration #recommendation

Inked drawing of a fantasy map

Mapmaking #exile #part2 #fantasy #epicfantasy #highfantasy #novel #book #fiction

"The event on which the interest of the story depends is exempt from the disadvantages of a mere tale of spectres or enchantment. It was recommended by the novelty of the situations which it develops, and, however impossible as a physical fact, affords a point of view to the imagination for the delineating of human passions more comprehensive and commanding than any which the ordinary relations of existing events can yield."

"The opinions which naturally spring from the character and situation of the hero are by no means to be conceived as existing always in my own conviction; nor is any inference justly to be drawn from the following pages as prejudicing any philosophical doctrine of whatever kind."

The original preface to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. 207 years later, and these arguments for the power and purpose of speculative fiction to explore deep human truths without needing to conform to literal realism still hold true. #booksky 🪐📚 #literature #classic

His footsteps echoed flatly against the walls as he went down a long alleyway between two temples...

"The wind keened through hollowed halls, vacant courtyards, gaping windows. Their footsteps rang too loudly against the stone." ~ Exile: Part I — From an Antique Land #booksky 🪐📚 #epicfantasy #highfantasy #novel #fiction

it is more important to read books you actually enjoy reading than books that are Literature

The slopes were dotted with holm oaks, laurel trees, scrub bushes, and yellowed grass beneath. Streams wound through the thicketed gullies between the hills. Small shoots of green grass and clover peeped out of the ground here and there, thanks to the first rains. But apart from some thin streaks of cloud in the sky and a crispness in the fragrant morning air, there was little else to suggest autumn.

'After months in the stinking, crowded city, it was a joy to breathe fresh air. And to hunt.' ~ Exile: Part I — From an Antique Land #booksky 🪐📚 #epicfantasy #highfantasy #novel #fiction

Ah, yes! Definitely on my to-watch list. Though, I did see Mel Brooks’ adaptation many years ago…

Paperback edition of Dracula by Bram Stoker

Finally sinking my teeth into this classic, after many years of meaning to get around to it. So far so good! #booksky #dracula #horror #fiction #reading

In the land of Caeria, Terzjin is a bodyguard with a talent for staying out of sight, and haunted by memories he would rather forget. Valcero is an orphaned slave, now banished from the only family and home he has ever known. Meanwhile, trouble looms across the sea as Heirik, a young nobleman with a thirst for power meets Razna, a shepherd’s daughter with limitless ambition. When an invasion upends their lives, Terzjin and Valcero must escape with their people to the ends of the known world. They will have to venture into places forbidden and forgotten, uncover ancient secrets, survive grave peril, and find a way home.

A sample of the back cover and blurb for Exile: Part I — From an Antique Land. Coming soon! 📚💙 #highfantasy #epicfantasy #novel #fiction #book

Lucian's True History by of Samosata Lucian Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by volunteers.

And it's conviently in the public domain... www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45858

YouTube video by AustinMcConnell The Absurd 2nd Century Space Opera You'll Never Read

Lucian of Samostrata's A True Story. A very old tale I enjoyed reading a while back. This video gives a nice overview of what makes it special: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBpD... #booksky #novel #ancient #fiction

Front cover of author proof copy of Exile: Part I — From an Antique Land, by Anthony Hodge. The cover features a stylised image of an ancient sailing ship on the waves.

Back cover and spine of author proof copy of Exile: Part I — From an Antique Land, by Anthony Hodge. The back cover features a stylised image of four fish, as well as a stylised wave pattern

After starting this writing journey five years ago, it feels pretty incredible to hold some tangible record of it in my hands. Some tweaks to make and it will be good to go! #exile #novel #fiction #booksky #highfantasy #epicfantasy

Doors, pillars, and sculpted façades covered the lower levels of the rock, but further up, the stone was pitted and cracked — carved not by people but by the elements. The rock had many ribbons of red, orange, and pink, layers that whorled and undulated around the mass.

'Here and there, he spied rows of rectangular holes. Windows? And at the top, a palace crowned the Great Rock. How did they build up there? It had to be magic.' Exile: Part I — From an Antique Land #exile #novel #booksky #fiction #epicfantasy #highfantasy #fantasy

They stumbled out of the thicket and into the ravine, without stopping. The muddy ground turned dusty. The sunshine faded to gloom. Their breath and running footsteps bounced between the rock walls.

‘As far as they know, this is a road to the underworld. Only the dead — or the mad — would come this way. The soldiers will not follow. They never do.’ — Exile Part I: From an Antique Land

#booksky #exile #fantasy #epicfantasy #novel #fiction

Book cover for novel titled Exile, subtitled Part 1 — From an Antique Land. The author is Anthony Hodge. Includes a stylised illustration of an ancient sailing ship on the sea

We have a cover!
#booksky #fiction #novel #epicfantasy #fantasy