Welcome to The Shattered Moon series.
Many years in the making, the Shattered Moon series finally saw the light of day in February 2023. Subsequent volumes have followed at six-monthly intervals. Book Seven, The Principle of Detachment, is coming on 8th February 2026. And it won't end there…
Click on the title of each book below to read a short sample; go here to find links to all the places I know of where you can buy the books—but don't forget you can also buy direct from me.Click on the title of each book below to read a short sample; go here to find links to all the places I know of where you can buy the books—but don't forget you can also buy direct from me. (These links are not yet ready; for immediate response please email me.)
There are also several stories from the series, including three linked novellas, available to read for free on Substack.
Click on the title of each book below to read a short sample; go here to find links to all the places I know of where you can buy the books—but don't forget you can also buy direct from me.Click on the title of each book below to read a short sample; go here to find links to all the places I know of where you can buy the books—but don't forget you can also buy direct from me. (These links are not yet ready; for immediate response please email me.)
There are also several stories from the series, including three linked novellas, available to read for free on Substack.
Book One: Three Kinds of North
Centuries after a half-forgotten cataclysm, life in the Sung Lands is peaceful. Orphan Jerya finds a new home in the Dawnsingers' Guild—but is the Guild all that it seems? What secrets is it hiding? And what really lies beyond the Eastern mountains?
"An expertly captained voyage of the imagination… The familiar and the strange are expertly woven through this impressive novel." (Norman Hadley)
Centuries after a half-forgotten cataclysm, life in the Sung Lands is peaceful. Orphan Jerya finds a new home in the Dawnsingers' Guild—but is the Guild all that it seems? What secrets is it hiding? And what really lies beyond the Eastern mountains?
"An expertly captained voyage of the imagination… The familiar and the strange are expertly woven through this impressive novel." (Norman Hadley)
Book Two: The Sundering Wall
A new journey of discovery begins.
Having finally broken with the Guild of Dawnsingers, Jerya and Railu are joined by Rodal as they strike out into the mountains. None of them have any idea what lies beyond the borders of the map, or if there are feasible passes through the high peaks.
Tensions mount under the strain of the hazardous journey, and thoughts return to their former lives and friends left behind, but Jerya’s determination drives them on. Each will be tested in different ways as they draw closer to unravelling the ultimate mystery of the Unsung Lands.
A new journey of discovery begins.
Having finally broken with the Guild of Dawnsingers, Jerya and Railu are joined by Rodal as they strike out into the mountains. None of them have any idea what lies beyond the borders of the map, or if there are feasible passes through the high peaks.
Tensions mount under the strain of the hazardous journey, and thoughts return to their former lives and friends left behind, but Jerya’s determination drives them on. Each will be tested in different ways as they draw closer to unravelling the ultimate mystery of the Unsung Lands.
Book Three: Vows and Watersheds
New prospects and new challenges.
Ten years on from Three Kinds of North and The Sundering Wall, Jerya's life feels settled, until a new acquaintance raises fresh prospects, but only if she is prepared to align herself with the owner-class. Then news of a planned expedition across the mountains prompts a fateful decision.
Jerya returns to the Sung Lands intending to deliver a warning, but will the Guild of Dawnsingers and Perriad, her old nemesis, see it in that light?
Jerya finds herself risking everything she has come to hold dear.
New prospects and new challenges.
Ten years on from Three Kinds of North and The Sundering Wall, Jerya's life feels settled, until a new acquaintance raises fresh prospects, but only if she is prepared to align herself with the owner-class. Then news of a planned expedition across the mountains prompts a fateful decision.
Jerya returns to the Sung Lands intending to deliver a warning, but will the Guild of Dawnsingers and Perriad, her old nemesis, see it in that light?
Jerya finds herself risking everything she has come to hold dear.
Book Four: The Skilthorn Congress
Lands and lives in question
When a young fugitive, Mavrys, comes to Skilthorn seeking sanctuary, it’s a complication the newly-ennobled Countess Jerya could well do without. She’s already challenging assumptions and managing radical changes to the great estate, and now Skilthorn is about to play host to an unprecedented meeting between leaders from the Sung Lands and the Five Principalities.
Jerya’s oldest friend, Railu, also glimpses the prospect of a new beginning; but is Skelber all that he seems? And can Mavrys stay out of trouble?
The future of the Known Lands may be in play, but for some of the people at Skilthorn it’s their own lives which are thrown into question.
Lands and lives in question
When a young fugitive, Mavrys, comes to Skilthorn seeking sanctuary, it’s a complication the newly-ennobled Countess Jerya could well do without. She’s already challenging assumptions and managing radical changes to the great estate, and now Skilthorn is about to play host to an unprecedented meeting between leaders from the Sung Lands and the Five Principalities.
Jerya’s oldest friend, Railu, also glimpses the prospect of a new beginning; but is Skelber all that he seems? And can Mavrys stay out of trouble?
The future of the Known Lands may be in play, but for some of the people at Skilthorn it’s their own lives which are thrown into question.
Book Five: Stones and Secrets
"One day, when you're a bit older, we will go on a journey together."
Now the time has come for Jerya to fulfil her promise to her former pupil Embrel… but why is Railu, her oldest friend, so concerned about the prospect? Why is Railu even more distressed at her stepdaughter Sumyra’s eagerness to join the venture?
The answer awaits in the Sung Lands, and for both Embrel and Sumyra it will profoundly shake their sense of who they are.
Jerya herself is simply looking forward to reunions with old friends, but her long-time adversary Perriad may have other ideas.
"One day, when you're a bit older, we will go on a journey together."
Now the time has come for Jerya to fulfil her promise to her former pupil Embrel… but why is Railu, her oldest friend, so concerned about the prospect? Why is Railu even more distressed at her stepdaughter Sumyra’s eagerness to join the venture?
The answer awaits in the Sung Lands, and for both Embrel and Sumyra it will profoundly shake their sense of who they are.
Jerya herself is simply looking forward to reunions with old friends, but her long-time adversary Perriad may have other ideas.
Book Six: The Silence of Numikès
For the first time in the history of the Known Lands, the house of Apstone presents a novel written by a slave.
Numikès belongs to the 'liberal' house of Arkenshaw; Lady Telfrid is a niece of Numi’s owner. But when Telfrid picks Numikès to carry secret messages, it precipitates a chain of events beyond anything they could have imagined. Forced to navigate the expectations of others, they discover new truths about the world and about themselves, and venture to places they’d never thought they’d see.
For the first time in the history of the Known Lands, the house of Apstone presents a novel written by a slave.
Numikès belongs to the 'liberal' house of Arkenshaw; Lady Telfrid is a niece of Numi’s owner. But when Telfrid picks Numikès to carry secret messages, it precipitates a chain of events beyond anything they could have imagined. Forced to navigate the expectations of others, they discover new truths about the world and about themselves, and venture to places they’d never thought they’d see.
Book Seven: The Principle of Detachment
Attachments and Detachment
Jerya and Evisyn seize the chance of a voyage into the Eastern Ocean. The remote Spire Isles offer tantalising prospects of uncovering the mysteries of the past. Together they face physical challenges, dangerous storms, and complex personal choices.
Meanwhile, Jerya’s daughter Torvyn is one of the first group of young women from the Five Principalities to spend a summer as 'Sojourners' in the College of the Dawnsingers. For Tor and her friends, it’s the future, not the past, that challenges their thinking and influences their actions.
Attachments and Detachment
Jerya and Evisyn seize the chance of a voyage into the Eastern Ocean. The remote Spire Isles offer tantalising prospects of uncovering the mysteries of the past. Together they face physical challenges, dangerous storms, and complex personal choices.
Meanwhile, Jerya’s daughter Torvyn is one of the first group of young women from the Five Principalities to spend a summer as 'Sojourners' in the College of the Dawnsingers. For Tor and her friends, it’s the future, not the past, that challenges their thinking and influences their actions.
