Today I'm thrilled to announce that Kist Reads, my publishing imprint with Bindery, has officially acquired its first book: THE DEVIL'S RULES by Shona Moyse!

This banger was submitted to my imprint during Bindery's PitchFest (when unagented authors can submit their work to us) in April and of all the wonderful manuscripts I sampled, this is The One that hooked me from beginning to end. I read it on my phone over the course of three days, and I hate reading on my phone! It had a magnetism that wouldn't let me stay away for long.

THE DEVIL'S RULES is a high-stakes, female-led, adult fantasy heist. To give you a sample of what you're in for, here's how Moyse described it in her pitch:

Myria Cadessa is a confidence trickster, thief, and favoured protegee of the lord of Carintheum’s criminal underworld. After the biggest score of her career, she and her crew are on the way up – until their master steals the treasure from their hands and the magic from their bones, and turns them over to the law.

Years later, Myria is free and ready to settle the score. Break her friends out of jail? A pleasure. Steal back everything her erstwhile leader took? And then some. She'll just need to trick the king of all tricksters, with the prefecture on her heels and not a spark of magic to her name. It’s the most audacious crime she’s ever attempted, but she led her crew to ruin once. She’ll make it right at any cost.

Felix Aurelias should have died a hero. Instead, his final battle shatters his powers and ends the privileged life he's always known. His new post in the prefecture might just bore him to death. Then, a routine job takes an unexpected turn, and leaves him working with the very woman he should be arresting – the infamous Myria Cadessa. It’s a taste of the thrill he thought he’d never have again. Only problem is, he needs to claim for Carintheum the very treasure he’s helping her steal… and the empire doesn’t accept split loyalties.

To the victor, the spoils. To the loser, a coffin; and if they're lucky, they'll be dead before they go inside it. But where there’s a wit, there’s a way.

Moyse also included that THE DEVIL'S RULES would be "appealing to readers who enjoyed M.J. Kuhn's Among Thieves or M.A. Carrick's The Mask of Mirrors. And more generally she compared it to "a female-led Lies of Locke Lamora, or Six of Crows for an adult audience".

There's still plenty to do over the next year plus before this sees publication and I'll be including this community as much as I can, including providing chapter samples, advanced reader copies, participation in publishing decisions and interviews with Moyse. You will see everything before everyone else, which makes you better than them obviously :D

I want to thank every single one of you for being here as this quite literally would not be possible without you. A significant chunk of the subscription revenue is being poured into the imprint, ensuring we can make fair acquisition offers and provide all the resources necessary to go from the manuscript to the bookstore shelf.

We're not going to be one-and-done either; I'm continuing to pour through manuscript submissions to find the next gem. Again, thank you for being here and making all of this possible, I can't wait to share more with you in the coming days!

ANJI KILLS A KING by EVAN LEIKAM

The Fantasy Sickos Book Club - June Pick

Genre(s): Grimdark Fantasy Adventure

Release: 5/13/25

Format/Length: Paperback (Advanced Reader Copy) + Audiobook/352 Pages, 10 Hours 36 Minutes

Is it a series or standalone?

Series, book 1 in “The Rising Tide”

What's the setting?

A fantasy world set in a kingdom called Yem ruled by King Rolandrian, including an adventure through various cities and areas of wilderness.

What's the plot?

It’s right in the title. Anji is a palace servant who kills a king and dips. She’s chased by a group of mercenaries (The Menagerie). She encounters the Hawk, and it’s their tenuous relationship that carries the bulk of the book.

Is it character-driven or plot-driven?

A mix that leans character-driven.

What's the pace?

Mostly fast-paced to various degrees. Things kick off quick and mostly keep momentum throughout.

POSITIVES

Pleasing writing style that sets the scene quickly and gets to the good stuff. Prose is nicely balanced and impressive.
Pacing is go, go, go.
Complicated, morally gray characters that may not be traditionally likable, but are interesting.
Great interplay between Anji and Hawk, with their authentic dialogue carrying the periods between the action.
Establishes the world quickly, avoids big info dumps, and keeps the focus tight on the main characters while doling out manageable pieces of the worldbuilding over the duration.
Solid cast of interesting villains who have cool masks, which is cool.
Not a lot of names to remember and the names are easy to remember.
Action scenes are well-executed.
Meaningful commentary on addiction.
Plenty of room to grow the world in later installations.
Effectively sets up enough interest in the next book in the series.

NEGATIVES
Could have set up to the world at large more. The choice to leave it sparse in the beginning was effective, but I wanted more by the end.
Pacing could’ve slowed a touch in certain spots to accommodate for the previous point.
Decent twists/evolutions but too often plot threads culminated in predictable outcomes.
Anji’s decision-making is sometimes flawed without clear explanations to justify it, despite being in her head via the third-person limited POV.

AUDIOBOOK NOTE

I "immersion read" this (physical+audio) and I can't recommend the audiobook enough! Moira Quirk is brilliant once again, turning in an excellent performance that strengthened the overall experience. I don't usually go audio-only for fantasy books as my brain will actively leak worldbuilding and characters, but for this I probably could have due to the straightforward nature and the greatness of Quirk.

FINAL THOUGHTS & RATING…
Anji Kills a King is an impressive debut novel, and I agree with those in the book club that while not there yet, Leikam has the potential to deliver a future five-star book. This grabs you by the scruff of the neck and takes you on a whirlwind ride. Overall, I had a blast with it despite some minor flaws. 3.75 stars, would recommend!

Sickos! It's the 1st of May, which means the History Sickos and Fantasy Sickos Book Clubs are transitioning to two new (hopefully) banger books for subscribers to discuss in our Discord.

In April, the History Sickos read The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA, and the Origin's of America's Invasion of Iraq by Steve Coll. This month, we're taking on Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World by Roger Crowley.

A few notes on Crowley's book:

It's part of Audible's Premium Plus catalog, so if you're an earballer with that membership, you can get it immediately and at no extra cost. It's viable as a standalone, but it also sits in the middle of the "Mediterranean Epic Trilogy". The first book is 1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West, which was added to the "Roman History" section of The History Book Master List today. Book three is City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas.

I read the first two chapters of Empires of the Sea this morning, and there's just something about Crowley's writing that clicks for me. I loved 1453 and I'm hoping the Sickos have the same experience with Crowley's work.

The Fantasy Sickos will be transitioning from The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones to The Devils by Joe Abercrombie.

Some notes for The Devils:

It releases on May 13th in the US but earlier in other places so I'll be adding the discussion forums for that in the next 24 hours. The discussion will remain open past the end of the month for those that can't access and read a copy in that condensed timeframe. I read an advanced copy of this late last year and wrote a review for it on here. It is part of a new trilogy set in a new world (an alternate Europe), and the books will be connected in the way that his First Law standalones were in that sequels will take place in different parts of the world with mostly new characters and some already introduced characters.

By subscribing you not only get access to the book clubs and other benefits, but you also support the efforts of my publishing imprint, Kist Reads. A significant bulk of the subscription revenue goes towards funding the resources required to acquire a book and provide it with all of the support it needs for a successful launch. I currently have an offer out to an author for her manuscript that was submitted to my imprint during Bindery's Pitchfest and I'm hoping to have news to share on that front soon! Either way, just by following you're supporting that effort so I appreciate you being part of our community!

THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER by STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES

Genre(s): Historical Fiction/Horror/Fantasy

Release: 3/15/25

Format/Pages: Hardcover/424

Is it a series or standalone?

Standalone that exists in a new setting.

What's the setting?

Most of the story takes place in the American West, specifically the Blackfeet reservation in Montana, in 1912. For brief periods, there's a storyline in 2012 following the descendant of the pastor (a main character in the 1912 plotline).

What's the plot?

A Blackfoot man, "Good Stab", is transformed into a vampire and is seeking revenge against those responsible for destroying his people. These events are documented by a pastor, whose journals are recovered and transcribed a century later.

Is it character-driven or plot-driven?

A mix that leans character-driven. The plot revolves around the vampire's pursuit of vengeance and the history of the Blackfeet, but there's deep exploration into the characters' motivations, especially with Good Stab.

What's the pace?

Mostly maintains a solid, medium pace.

POSITIVES

• Deftly blurs the line between good and evil

• Good Stab is a deeply compelling character that carries the novel

• Memorable moments (one involving a cross is pure cinema) and effective cliffhangers that kept the pages turning

• Atmospheric and feels genuine to the period and setting, especially with the prose

• The real "horror" comes from the historical elements and themes (as history is often horror), like the Marias Massacre, which are expertly included into the story.

• The supernatural elements are well thought-out and incorporated

NEGATIVES

• The pastor's POV prose, while adding to the historical feel, is too archaic and confusing, creating the opposite of the intended effect and stifling immersion.

• The pastor and his descendant's POVs are subpar compared to the excellent Good Stab

• The "vampire" element is great for marketing, bad for suspense when used in the marketing. The early portions of the book would have been more compelling if this aspect was unknown to the reader.

• Pacing struggles to keep momentum the second act.

FINAL THOUGHTS & RATING...

I'm not usually a fan of horror or vampire books but as I've found out twice now (with this and Between Two Fires), if you include real history in the story, I can get with it. SGJ is obviously a super talented writer with something of value to say, and BHH is a wonderfully crafted story that is only held down by very minor issues. If this book was 100% Good Stab's POV, the rating would be higher. Unfortunately that wasn't the case and the other two POVs bogged down the story with their prose and the issues they caused to the pacing. 4 STARS!