Andrew Gates Announces at Least Three Upcoming Releases

At least three new novels are set to be released in the next few months, possibly by the end of this month even. Although exact dates are not yet known, three books by Andrew Gates are in final stages of readiness and may be available in the next few weeks or months – certainly before the start of summer.

Among these upcoming releases are the following books:

Cassan Astor and the Desert Empress

Finally, the title is revealed! The first of this (planned) four-part fantasy series, Cassan Astor and the Desert Empress follows two parallel storylines dealing with the fallout of an emperor who dies suddenly. Originally intended as a traditionally-published project, the process of getting it picked up by an agent became too long and difficult with no end in sight. Therefore, the plan is now to publish this as a self-published series instead.

See the new cover art below:

Cover art was made by Justin Davis. Fans of Andrew Gates’s previous books may recognize his work from the cover art to the Pirates of Vexa Prime series (Seas of the Red Star, The Daltus Conspiracy, and Return to Red One) as well as Battle Planet: The Champion of Earth.

Yes – the geometric impossibility of this image is noted. The balcony overlooks the ocean in one pane and the sky in the other. But when viewed in a wrap-around style around the book, this geometric quandary will not be so obvious.

The cover shows the titular Desert Empress as she watches her own country’s military return from a decade-long war across the sea. The tone evokes a sense of foreboding and disruption. The world beyond the balcony is big and vast, while the figure inside is just one small part in it who can do nothing but watch.

Cassan Astor and the Desert Empress will likely be the first of these books to be released, though that fact in itself is not set in stone.

Cassan Astor and the Sea of Krakens

See more cover art from Justin Davis below:

The sequel to Desert Empress sees our titular Cassan Astor (the boy featured on the boat) enter the dreaded Sea of Krakens, where monsters, both above and below the sea, are masters of the dominion. Few who visit these deadly waters survive. But to turn back also means death. Pursued by hunters on one side and awaiting monsters on the other, Cassan has no choice but to reach the other side or die trying.

Though not shown on the cover, the Desert Empress from the first book still plays an enormous role in the follow-up and throughout the series as a whole. Once again, the story splits its time between Cassan Astor and his adventure in the deadly Sea of Krakens and the empress in her palace, still dealing with the fallout of the emperor’s death in the first book.

Cassan Astor and the Sea of Krakens is my favorite “Andrew Gates book” yet, knocking out my previous favorite, Battle Planet. In my opinion, the pacing is perfect. The stakes are real. The characters are compelling. I am most excited for people to read this one. It also has one of the best covers ever.

Justin Davis really knocks the cover out of the park here. The image evokes a sense of inescapable danger. Once again, the scope is also on display as the krakens take up every visible bit of the ocean ahead of the desperate boy, who looks tiny and powerless by comparison.

Pax Egyptus: Tales of Gods, Kingdoms, and Starships

I’ve been writing on and off about this one pretty consistently now for awhile, but it finally looks like it is going to happen. Collecting three previously-published short stories and four never-before-published stories, the interconnected tales of Pax Egyptus are set in a futuristic space-faring universe where ancient cultures and civilizations have returned to prominence. Primarily, ancient Egyptians and ancient Greeks lead the stories, but others include characters/societies inspired by ancient Scandinavian, Scythian, and Samoan cultures.

See the cover art below:

The artwork here is not from Justin Davis, but rather from two artists including Olivia Pro Design, who also designed the text-based cover to Apex Predator. The art evokes almost a classic pulpy tone – like the art one would see from earlier decades of science-fiction. In the colorful, vibrant art, the pharaoh receives tribute from a Greek, demonstrating his immense influence across cultures. A prominent sea of pyramid-shaped spaceships shows in the background, demonstrating the unmatchable power at the pharaoh’s back.

Pax Egyptus will be considerably shorter than a typical novel – certainly shorter than the aforementioned Cassan Astor novels. With seven original short stories, it is likely to come out around the length of the other short-but-sweet short story collection, Kangblabla! That collection featured five stories, but two of which were rather long in themselves.

Fans of both sci-fi and ancient history will enjoy Pax Egyptus as this unique blending of genres is sure to leave a fascinating impression. With three of the featured stories having already been published, the quality of the content has already been vetted and well-received.

Short stories included in this collection are:

Egyptus (a tale of an ancient Greek emissary meeting a pharaoh, but things go awry)

Eclipse (a tale of a Viking woman protecting a hospital from a swarm of shadowy monsters that thrive in darkness)

Fracture (a love story with a dark twist set on the Egyptus world of Kemet)

Scythia (a star-spanning adventure and direct follow-up to Egyptus in which our characters from the first story must find refuge or risk capture)

Samoa (a tale of a Samoan who discovers and befriends extraterrestrial visitors)

Uprising (a direct follow-up to Fracture, in which an Egyptian is forcibly drafted into the army)

Destiny (a tale of the pharaoh waging war against the planet Athens)

All of these stories are already written and edited except for Destiny, which is actively being written now. Already half-written, Destiny should be finished soon in the next few days. It is coming along very well!

When will these new books come out? We will have to wait for those answers. I will be sure to provide new information as I have it. Right now, the next steps are to get each of these three books formatted, edited, beta-read, then re-edited. THEN, I might have a better sense of when these books will be released.

Stay tuned for more news soon.

There is certainly a lot to look forward to! There is likely no shortage of details that will be coming out in the next few weeks. Check here for all the latest.