Dear Reader,
Picture, if you will, an island in the middle of the Aegean. Its rugged hills covered in thick, dark pine forests, buzzing with bees which produce the best wild honey you've ever tasted. The slopes of the hills descend into the sea in a ring of golden beaches, and in the centre, rise into lofty, mist-shrouded peaks. An occasional lonely summit is topped with an ancient, crumbling tower, or ruins of a mysterious fortress. A hot spring, once frequented by the Roman Emperors, now half-forgotten, spills straight into the sea. A bridge as old as time spans a narrow strait separating the island from the Greek mainland. A winding, narrow road hugs a mountain slope, cutting through wilderness which seems uninhabited by any living soul, until you stumble upon a stand of the honey vendor or a shepherd, leading his flock to the summer pastures.
This is Euboea - or, as the Venetians who conquered it in the beginning of the 13th century called it, Negriponte. And it is the unusual setting of my latest novel, The Flying Barons of Negriponte. In real-life version of history, the Barons were six Venetian families who carved the prosperous island between themselves and looted its riches, while oppressing the local population; in my book, it's all very much the same - except the Barons are also masters of flight, racing their Aether-powered gondolas among the island's mighty peaks... Because in this universe, medieval alchemy works - and allows miracles.
Should you keep on reading, you will follow the adventures of Ikaria, a half-Greek, half-Venetian alchemist and pilot of flying boats, as she endeavours to enter and win the Grande Regatta of Negriponte – the greatest and most dangerous of the Aether races of the Aegean – all while trying to uncover the mystery of her father’s death in the same race ten years earlier.
It will be a tale of thrills, intrigue, mystery, and an unexpected romance - and you will not regret entering its world!
Growing up in communist Poland on a diet of powdered milk, “Lord of the Rings” and soviet science-fiction, he had his first story published at the ripe age of eight. After years of bouncing around Polish universities, he moved to London in 2007 and started writing in English. Now lives in Edinburgh, hoping for an independent Scotland.
His debut historical fantasy novel, “The Shadow of Black Wings“, has reached Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semi-finals in 2012. “The Year of the Dragon” saga sold over 30,000 copies worldwide.
His new historical fiction saga, “The Song of Ash” has been on top of Amazon’s Bestseller lists in UK for months.
Connect with James:
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Driven by the thirst of vengeance and pursuit of engineering excellence in equal measures, Ikaria vows to win the next Regatta herself - and to find out what really happened to her father. But there's a catch: a new Imperial edict bars her, and anyone not of noble blood, from taking part in Aether races. To her rescue comes Sire Mikhael of Chiarenza - an enigmatic handsome young Greek turncoat in the service of new Latin masters. His motivations unclear, the source of his funds and supplies a secret, Ikaria nonetheless agrees to accept his help: together, they set out to challenge the supremacy of the six Hexarchs, the infamous Flying Barons of Negriponte.
Pick up your copy of The Flying Barons of Negriponte at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJKXXQB1 .
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