178 mm x 111 mm, 180 pages, £7.99
ISBN 978-1-0683196-8-6 paperback
ISBN 978-1-0683196-9-3 ebook
Publishing 21 June 2025

Faral is an illiterate shepherd’s boy, growing up in a remote district of the Hillakes, feeling thoroughly out of place among the sheep. The only reprieve he’s granted are the ancient stories of powerful queens and wily monsters he grew up with. One day, a troupe of players arrives at the local inn, and an unexpected opportunity presents itself: bringing the stories he loves to life.

Tjor is a junior clerk in one of Seagard’s most prestigious trading companies but has always known that, subjected to his family’s death grip on his future, he can’t have the life he truly wants. Though he desperately wishes to please his parents and his beloved sister, he finally acknowledges to himself that the prospect of making an advantageous marriage terrifies him beyond all else.

When the two young men meet by chance among the hustle and bustle of a city in which their true desires are punishable by death, Faral and Tjor need to make the ultimate decision: is their love worth the price?

The Boy Who Played the Queen is a standalone novella set in the Eight Kingdoms, centuries after the events of the Sloe Moon series, perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Most Ardently.