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Anna Smith-Spark is an English fantasy fiction author best known for the ‘Empires of Dust’ series. Her achievements include a BA in Classics, a History MA, and an English Literature Ph.D.
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Order of Empires of Dust Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Court of Broken Knives | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Tower of Living and Dying | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The House of Sacrifice | 2019 | Description / Buy |
Order of Anna Smith Spark Standalone Novels
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lost Gods | 2021 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | A Woman of the Sword | 2023 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | A Sword of Bronze and Ashes | 2023 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | In the Shadow of Their Dying (Short Story) | 2024 | Description / Buy |
Anna Smith Spark Anthologies
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grimdark Magazine Issue #12 | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Art of War | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Knaves | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Unfettered III: New Tales By Masters of Fantasy | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | The Best of Three Crows: Year One: Anthology of Weird Science Fiction and Fantasy | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | The King Must Fall | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | Grimdark Magazine Issue #40 | 2024 | Description / Buy |
Many people call her the ‘Queen of Grimdark,’ a moniker she blames on Michael R. Fletcher. From her perspective, the genre is closer to mythology than people realize because popular titles like ‘Beowulf’ and ‘The Iliad tell amoral stories littered with flawed protagonists.
Anna was always drawn to darker stories. Admittedly, she was also obsessed with ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ However, Tolkien’s work has a fear and sadness that scratched the author’s itch.
The villains are a significant part of Grimdark’s appeal. Even as a child, she couldn’t help but root for Mordred, Caligula, Darth Vader, and their ilk. The bad guys were always the coolest and sexiest characters in every book.
Anna is convinced that contemporary readers share her tastes because of the largely positive response to her literary efforts. The author uses terms like ‘Dark’ and ‘Cynical’ to describe her debut novel (The Court of Broken Knives).
The book asks difficult questions, such as why people fight and kill and why they would risk their lives in war. Anna doesn’t know where she got the inspiration for the story. She remembers failing to write for a long time and then feeling depressed because she couldn’t write.
But then a time came when she found the strength of will to sit down and put words to paper. The book poured out of her. Characters she had held in her imagination for years took shape in the manuscript, guiding her on a journey whose destination eluded her.
Before she knew it, the book was done, and it was merely the first in a series. Interestingly, Anna Smith-Spark’s father loves fantasy. He’s the sort of nerd who spent hours creating fantasy language systems in his teenage years. He introduced her to the likes of Tolkien and ‘The Chronicles of Narnia.’
It was only natural for Anna to pick up where he left off. The author knew early on that publishing was her calling. She remembers working as a gofer at a literature festival in Devon every summer and feeling incredibly fortunate to carry authors’ bags.
Several years later, she returned to that festival as an author. Anna doesn’t take her achievements for granted. She believes her career is an immense privilege, which is why she works hard.
The author prevents her creative juices from drying out while she writes by reading military history. The genre keeps the ideas flowing. The only downside is that she cannot read fantasy novels during that stage. If she does, Anna will find herself imitating the styles of the writers in question. Therefore, she will wait until she takes a break from her manuscript to binge-read fantasy.
Anna Smith-Spark Awards
Anna has received British Fantasy and David Gemmel Award nominations.
Best Anna Smith-Spark Awards
R. Scott Bakker, Mary Renault, Steve Erikson, Ursula Le Guin, and Mary Stewart are the author’s favorite writers. Anna Smith-Spark’s best books include:
The Court Of Broken Knives: Sorlost is an eternal and unconquered city in the world’s richest Empire. The people cannot see the truth. They are too busy indulging in decadence to perceive their weakness. Invasion looms.
Orhan Emmereth cannot look away. The Empire’s demise haunts his dreams. Now, his soldiers have embarked on a mission to cross the desert, enter the palace, and kill the Emperor.
Among their ranks is Marith, a strange boy hoping to escape his past. Marith approaches the Golden City, unaware of the beautiful but bloody destiny that awaits him.
The Tower Of Living And Dying: Marith Altrersyr is on the warpath. With his army in tow, the dragonlord and father-killer won’t stop until he reclaims his ancestors’ seat.
But Thalia won’t let him. She’s still the Empire’s holiest woman, and the high priestess will stop him in his tracks, but only if she can navigate the complex decision awaiting her.
Meanwhile, Landra has a score to settle. She was once Marith’s betrothed. Now, her family is dead, and Landra’s mission to kill Marith is all she has left. As she cuts through the wasteland, Landra learns she’s not the only one who wishes Marith ill.
When Does The Next Anna Smith Spark book come out?
Anna Smith Spark doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is A Sword of Bronze and Ashes and was released on September, 12th 2023.