Surprise Release in Paperback: Daughters of the Rising Sun

An unexpected Eastsong print novella from the Vaporous Realms

Ancient siege warfare. A fantasy backdrop blending our Old and New Worlds. A humble, relatable female heroine and her critterly companion. Supernatural and mythic folk rubbing shoulders with exceptional commoners.

If that sounds like your sort of book and you’ve only dabbled in Vaporous Realms fiction to date, Daughters of the Rising Sun may be the quick read you’re looking for.

Cover art ©2024 by Ekaterina Glazkova.

Here’s the story, folks:

I’m halfway finished with the Vaporous Realms at War tabletop beta rulebook and starter venture (scenario). A card game adaptation is firmly in the works.

I’ll be working all summer on the novella to replace Dustsong, including Len’s expanded story as well as the “prequel” Sceg material, all with complementary tabletop resources.

But a few weeks ago, I thought, “Surely, I ought to bring something new to my biggest event of the year.” So Zshurii’s standalone story from the Eastsong cycle, previously published only as an online serial and PDF book, underwent rapid spiffing to became a print novella.

Except, only the author proofs arrived in time for the event, and my other May event got postponed several months. So it goes; the timing was a roll of the proverbial dice. Yet, I’m now in possession of dozens of fine-looking copies of a hard-wrought fantasy fiction novella in need of a home. I hope those of y’all who didn’t get to buy my Dustsong book, and aren’t keen on a paid subscription to the website, will help lighten my load.

The 100ish-page novella is available signed, with a character sticker from the Dustsong stories, from the official Vaporous Realms shop. If you’d prefer to buy from the big retailer, you’ll find it there, too. (The latter is decidedly better if you’re outside the U. S.)

Thank you for your time and support and for taking a gander! The back cover blurb is below these just-for-fun photos of the decades-old Rider of Rohan™ mini I finally painted today. Inspired by Zshurii and Cactus from the book, it’s meant to resemble a royalist rebel horse-archer.

Models from the Middle-earth™ Strategy Battle Game by Games Workshop®.

---

Daughters of the Rising Sun: A Tale of the Vaporous Realms

A weaver’s daughter turned soldier and her trusty horse are swept up in the climactic siege tearing their frontier kingdom apart. For young Zshurii, upholding her family’s honor is more crucial than victory in the climactic siege. And keeping her sisters in arms alive means more than the survival of her beloved realm.

On the floodplain and bulwarks outside the towering city of Danuh, the rebel host of the Prophet-King clashes with the judges’ army. Legendary heroes and earthly nightmares abound. But just as real are the peril, pain, faith, and fears of the common folk in the saddle and on the rampart.

At the crux of a bitter epoch, Zshurii is put to the test like never before. She clings to duty and courage, but friendship and hope may be the keys to preserving her soul on the blood-sodden field of battle.

Daughters of the Rising Sun is a standalone tale of ancient fantasy warfare from the Eastsong cycle of the Vaporous Realms story-world.