New Book
King of the Rising is the searing conclusion to an unflinching and powerful Caribbean-inspired fantasy series about colonialism, resilience and defiance.
A revolution has swept through the islands of Hans Lollik and former slave Loren Jannik has been chosen to lead the survivors in a bid to free the islands forever.
But the rebels are running out of food, weapons and options. And as the Fjern inch closer to reclaiming Hans Lollik with every battle, Loren is faced with a choice that could shift the course of the revolution in their favor — or doom it to failure.
Reviews
“Callender’s heart-wrenching work is a story that refuses easy answers, trope saviors, or all-is-well endings. Lofty as it seems, if you imagine Hamlet and Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Soldiers fused in a narrative that finds its soul from the pain of our cruelest histories, you’ll have captured a piece of the powerful fantasy Callender has wrought in Queen of the Conquered.”– Evan Winter, author of The Rage of Dragons on Queen of the Conquered
“Graphic action and violence; flawed protagonists; and a stark, storm-filled setting all combine into a riveting read. The second half of this duology is a powerful look at colonialism, oppression, and rebellion, and all that it can cost the individuals involved.”– Library Journal
“From the very first paragraph, Callender’s adult debut stuns. A complex and furious examination of colonialism, Queen of the Conquered is a storm of a novel as epic as Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo. I’ve been looking for this book half my life.”– Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Beasts Made Wild on Queen of the Conquered