Announcing the re-release and continuation of one of the most ambitious fantasy sagas being written today
Artemisia Publications is proud to be re-releasing Marshall Ryan Maresca’s MARADAINE SAGA books, in trade paperback and electronic media. We are incredibly excited to bring together all of this fantasy epic, as well as being its home for future releases.
Maradaine– The spellbinding port city filled with tales of murder and magic, secrets and lies, policemen and vigilantes, misfits and criminals, scholars and sidekicks, conspiracies and deadly danger. Four parallel series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the fantastical city called Maradaine.
Marshall Ryan Maresca debuted in 2015 with The Thorn of Dentonhill, launching the Maradaine Saga with this exciting novel, garnering critical praise—including a starred review from Library Journal—and was nominated for the Compton Crook Award. From there, Maresca began quickly and reliably releasing more acclaimed and beloved novels in the saga, earning him the praise of being “the most ambitious fantasy authors to burst on the scene in the last decade.” (Black Gate Magazine)
The Maradaine Saga is an epic fantasy like no other, consisting of four series set in the fantastical city that each follows a set of heroes, stories that braid and twine together into a larger whole. Four series, with four sets of heroes fighting injustices in their part of the city, each one focusing on different kind of storytelling, from superheroics to police procedurals to heists to political thrillers.
PHASE ONE OF THE MARADINE SAGA
The first series, the Thorn of Maradaine, begins with The Thorn of Dentonhill, in which Veranix Calbert, magic-student-by-day, vigilante-by-night fights his personal war against a drug kingpin. Library Journal said, “Veranix is Batman, if Batman were a teenager and magically talented.” This series melds epic fantasy with super heroics, as Veranix’s adventures continued with The Alchemy of Chaos, where he must balance his academic responsibilities with stopping a lethal prankster and evading three determined assassins. The third novel, The Imposters of Aventil, has him deal with multiple pretenders creating trouble in his name, which puts him on a collision course with the inspectors of the Maradaine Constabulary.
The second series, The Maradaine Constabulary, is a police procedural series focusing on two inspectors, ex-spy Satrine Rainey and untrained mage Minox Welling. Their partnership— built on trust, intelligence and respect— is forged in A Murder of Mages, solving a series of ritualized murders of powerful magic users. Their teamwork continues in An Import of Intrigue, where the death of a foreign dignitary sparks riots and unrest in the city’s alien quarter, and in A Parliament of Bodies, where they must stop a madman who has staged an atrocity of death and horror on the Parliament floor. Publishers Weekly wrote of this series, “Maresca offers something beyond the usual high fantasy fare, with a wealth of unique and well-rounded characters, a vivid setting, and complicatedly intertwined social issues that feel especially timely.”
The third series, The Streets of Maradaine, are crime and heist thrillers, starting with The Holver Alley Crew, which Barnes & Noble Fantasy Blog called, “the perfect caper novel”. The reformed Rynax Brothers, Asti and Verci, lose everything in a fire and have to return to their old lives of crime to stay afloat, forming a crew of loyal friends and neighbors to pull off a desperate heist that turns into plan for revenge. The Rynax Brothers returned in Lady Henterman’s Wardrobe, where their quest for vengeance leads them to pulling a heist on a nobleman’s holiday party, and the dark secrets of the eponymous Lady Henterman, and then in The Fenmere Job, the Rynaxes and their crew find themselves facing off against a drug kingpin and a mage circle, which puts them in the line of fire of The Thorn.
The fourth series, The Maradaine Elite, is a political thriller series starting with The Way of the Shield. Dayne Heldrin and Jerinne Fendall, hoping to become members of an elite warrior order, are made pawns in political games as they try to stop a revolutionary madman, and then in The Shield of the People, the integrity of the election is under siege, and they fight to root out the corruption that has taken hold of Maradaine. SF&F Reviews called it, “a compelling, convincing work of fantasy, and a worthy addition to the rich tapestry that is the works of Maradaine.”
Finally, in The People of the City, Dayne digs deeper into the underworld conspiracies that swirl throughout Maradaine, an investigation that ties threads from each of the series, putting him on a collision course with the Thorn, Inspectors Rainey and Welling, and the Rynax Brothers to conclude the first phase of the epic Maradaine saga.
Phase One of the Maradaine Saga is complete, and readers can now experience the full arc of this thrilling tale, as these characters and more come together to face an enormous threat to the city.
Per the author’s recommendation, Artemisia suggests a chronological reading order for Phase One. While readers can approach the Maradaine Saga in any way that best suits their enjoyment, we believe this reading order represents the best experience for the Maradaine Saga, Phase One.
The Thorn of Dentonhill: The Thorn of Maradaine: Book One
A Murder of Mages: The Maradaine Constabulary: Book One
The Holver Alley Crew: The Streets of Maradaine: Book One
The Way of the Shield: The Maradaine Elite: Book One
The Alchemy of Chaos: The Thorn of Maradaine: Book Two
An Import of Intrigue: The Maradaine Constabulary: Book Two
Lady Henterman’s Wardrobe: The Streets of Maradaine: Book Two
The Shield of the People: The Maradaine Elite: Book Two
The Imposters of Aventil: The Thorn of Maradaine: Book Three
A Parliament of Bodies: The Maradaine Constabulary: Book Three
The Fenmere Job: The Streets of Maradaine: Book Three
The People of the City: The Maradaine Elite: Book Three
PRAISE FOR THE MARADAINE SAGA
“Marshall Ryan Maresca is one of the most ambitious fantasy authors to burst on the scene in the last decade.“ – Black Gate Magazine
“In one fast-paced, funny, highly readable novel after another, Maresca continues to build out every nook and alleyway of Maradaine, which is fast becoming one of the most richly detailed settings in fantasy.” –Barnes & Noble Sci-fi and Fantasy Blog
“It’s a story about morality, about sacrifice, about what people want from life. It’s a fun story-there’s quips, swordfights, chases through the streets. It’s a compelling, convincing work of fantasy, and a worthy addition to the rich tapestry that is the works of Maradaine.” -Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviews
“I love the complexity of Marshall Ryan Maresca’s worldbuilding as the vast conspiracy underlying all the inner workings of Maradaine is emerging through the intertwining pieces coming together. It’s nothing short of brilliant!” -Fresh Fiction
“Maresca’s debut is smart, fast, and engaging fantasy crime in the mold of Brent Weeks and Harry Harrison. Just perfect.” —Kat Richardson, national bestselling author of Revenant
“Veranix is Batman, if Batman were a teenager and magically talented…. Action, adventure, and magic in a school setting will appeal to those who love Harry Potter and Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind.” ―Library Journal (starred)
“Marshall Ryan Maresca is some kind of mad genius…. Not since Terry Pratchett’s Ankh Morpork have we enjoyed exploring every angle of an invented locale quite this much.” —B&N Sci-fi & Fantasy Blog
“A well-conceived and well-written melange of popular fantasy sub-genres: there’s a university with a magic department, there is some vigilante derring-do and thievery…. If you’re looking for an action-and-adventure-filled new fantasy series, then The Thorn of Dentonhill will suit very well.” —Civilian Reader
“The Thorn of Dentonhill is a light-hearted, fun read, and Maresca has introduced a hero with plenty of room to grow, a couple of villains who will provide plenty of conflict in upcoming books. And, most importantly, he’s created a character that I care enough about to continue reading.” —Relentless Reading
“Take the caped avenger of Batman, the teenage-superhero angst of Spiderman, the street-gang bravado of West Side Story, and toss in the magic of Harry Potter, and what have you got? Marshall Ryan Maresca’s The Thorn of Dentonhill.” —Kings River Life Magazine
“Maresca brings the whole package, complete and well-constructed. If you’re looking for something fun and adventurous for your next fantasy read, look no further than The Thorn of Dentonhill, an incredible start to a new series, from an author who is clearly on his way to great things.” —Bibliosanctum
“The Thorn of Dentonhill was a fast-paced read with action from start to finish. I loved every minute of it.” —Short and Sweet Reviews
“Definitely a fun read, and one classic fantasy fans will likely enjoy.” —Bibliotropic
“So much of it is terribly exciting and fun…. What I really liked about the ending was how it set up relationships and possibilities for the next book (which I definitely plan on reading).” —Tenacious Reader
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marshall Ryan Maresca is a fantasy and science-fiction writer, author of the Maradaine Saga: Four braided series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine, which includes The Thorn of Dentonhill, A Murder of Mages, The Holver Alley Crew and The Way of the Shield, as well as the dieselpunk fantasy, The Velocity of Revolution. He is also the co-host of the three-time Hugo finalist podcast Worldbuilding for Masochists, and has been a playwright, an actor, a delivery driver and an amateur chef. He lives in Austin, Texas with his family.