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Unavowed: New Tales by Masters of Fantasy
Unavowed is the exciting new anthology from the award-winning publisher of Unfettered, featuring short stories and novellas by many of today's best indie authors.
Twenty-two SF&F writers who have written independent work outside New York City publishing have answered the call from editor Shawn Speakman and joined forces to contribute original tales for Unavowed, the new anthology from Grim Oak Press. These writers have grown their readerships organically with wondrous and magical tales, many of which are in long-running series. It is with great admiration readers have watched them.
Unavowed is over 200,000 words, making it a large anthology nearly on par with Unfettered III. It contains many short stories and even two novellas. We are ready to begin bringing this to readers who want it in 2025.
Here is the amazing table of contents for Unavowed:
The Touch of the Eternal by J. A. Andrews
The Last Ride of Kanashimi by Zack Argyle
Rival of Ghosts by Dyrk Ashton
The Old Lie by Ryan Cahill
My Soul Has Teeth by Sarah Chorn
The Wanderer by A. C. Cobble
Lord of Vengeance by Michael R. Fletcher
The Last Sentinel by Rob J. Hayes
Sinner's Grave by Kevin Hearne
Curse These Metal Hands by Ben Galley
Hild the Humble by Michael R. Miller
A Mother's Love by Andy Peloquin
The Power of Perception by J. Zachary Pike
Fragile Gods by J. D. L. Rosell
The Unavowed Light-Weaver by Shawn Speakman
A Darker Talent by M. L. Spencer
Sails at Dusk by Patrick Swenson
The Storm by Michael J. Sullivan
The Darkdancer by Ramon Terrell
The Parable of the Silk Weaver by R. R. Virdi
How the Dragons Became Extinct by M. L. Wang
The Brotherhood of Shadows by Jeff Wheeler
These amazing writers have joined together to create Unavowed, a testament of how the SF&F industry has evolved over the last twenty years.
Twenty-two SF&F writers who have written independent work outside New York City publishing have answered the call from editor Shawn Speakman and joined forces to contribute original tales for Unavowed, the new anthology from Grim Oak Press. These writers have grown their readerships organically with wondrous and magical tales, many of which are in long-running series. It is with great admiration readers have watched them.
Unavowed is over 200,000 words, making it a large anthology nearly on par with Unfettered III. It contains many short stories and even two novellas. We are ready to begin bringing this to readers who want it in 2025.
Here is the amazing table of contents for Unavowed:
The Touch of the Eternal by J. A. Andrews
The Last Ride of Kanashimi by Zack Argyle
Rival of Ghosts by Dyrk Ashton
The Old Lie by Ryan Cahill
My Soul Has Teeth by Sarah Chorn
The Wanderer by A. C. Cobble
Lord of Vengeance by Michael R. Fletcher
The Last Sentinel by Rob J. Hayes
Sinner's Grave by Kevin Hearne
Curse These Metal Hands by Ben Galley
Hild the Humble by Michael R. Miller
A Mother's Love by Andy Peloquin
The Power of Perception by J. Zachary Pike
Fragile Gods by J. D. L. Rosell
The Unavowed Light-Weaver by Shawn Speakman
A Darker Talent by M. L. Spencer
Sails at Dusk by Patrick Swenson
The Storm by Michael J. Sullivan
The Darkdancer by Ramon Terrell
The Parable of the Silk Weaver by R. R. Virdi
How the Dragons Became Extinct by M. L. Wang
The Brotherhood of Shadows by Jeff Wheeler
These amazing writers have joined together to create Unavowed, a testament of how the SF&F industry has evolved over the last twenty years.
614 pages, Hardcover
Published January 11, 2026
8 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Shawn Speakman
33 books729 followersShawn Speakman grew up in the beautiful wilds of Washington State near a volcano and surrounded by old-growth forests filled with magic. After moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, he befriended New York Times best-selling fantasy author Terry Brooks and became his webmaster, leading to an enchanted life surrounded by words.
He was a manager at one of the largest Barnes & Noble Booksellers in the country for many years and now owns the online bookstore The Signed Page, manages the websites for several authors, and is a freelance writer for Random House.
He also contributed the annotations for The Annotated Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, published in 2012.
Shawn is a cancer survivor, knows angel fire east, and lives in Seattle, Washington.
He was a manager at one of the largest Barnes & Noble Booksellers in the country for many years and now owns the online bookstore The Signed Page, manages the websites for several authors, and is a freelance writer for Random House.
He also contributed the annotations for The Annotated Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, published in 2012.
Shawn is a cancer survivor, knows angel fire east, and lives in Seattle, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 22, 2026
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For more reviews, go to: https://wolfmantula.com/recent-posts/
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MY ⭐️ RATING: 5/5
FORMAT: Kindle Whispersync
This review is specifically for The Old Lie by Ryan Cahill
If you thought The Fall was intense, brace yourself, because The Old Lie is The Fall on steroids and in a shorter form. The way Cahill was able to deliver a story like this within a short amount of time is nearly as impressive as the story itself.
Before you dive in to this story, do yourself a favor and read Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et decorum est.” It’s one of Cahill’s favorite poems, it’s in English aside from the title and the final stanza, it’s also the inspiration for The Old Lie. I decided to read it prior and it’s beautiful, it also lets you understand that Cahill’s story is going to be brutal. Owen’s WWI masterpiece rips apart the romantic myth of war, Cahill takes that same fury and transplants it into the Bound and the Broken world, and the result is easily the darkest, most brutal thing he’s ever written.
The Old Lie is told through a single pov of Vander Horst, son of a baker from Maristop and is set 2 years after The Fall, on the plains north of Torebon in a world already on fire. When a massive Lorian army advances, Vander is forced to pick up a spear and march into a battle he never asked for, a battle that history will remember.
”I know you're scared, son. I am too.
We all are. Fear is the thing that stands between us and everything we want in life. It exists for the sole purpose of being overcome. Don't let it take you."
The marching scenes, the buildup, the battle itself, everything feels terrifyingly real. You feel Vander’s pounding heartbeat, the mix of fear and fragile pride, the chaos when it all erupts. The combat is visceral in a way that reminded me strongly of the Battle at Rook’s Rest in House of the Dragon Season 2, it’s raw, messy, and absolutely unrelenting.
Cahill has said this is probably the darkest story he’s written so far, and he’s not exaggerating. Like Owen, he refuses to glorify sacrifice. There are no pretty heroics here, just the grueling, senseless cost of war and the way nations sell young people the lie that dying for country is beautiful.
What I love about Cahill’s writing is how it keeps getting better with every story he releases, whether it’s a novel, novella or short story. He’s always trying new things, pushing into darker, more experimental territory, yet the prose remains effortlessly readable and elegant, full of lines you want to highlight and save forever.
And then the way he finishes the story off is even more heartbreaking and honestly a bit fist-pumpingly exciting for what is to come in the future.
Follow me on X: Twitter.com/wolfmantula
For more reviews, go to: https://wolfmantula.com/recent-posts/
————————————————————————————————
MY ⭐️ RATING: 5/5
FORMAT: Kindle Whispersync
This review is specifically for The Old Lie by Ryan Cahill
If you thought The Fall was intense, brace yourself, because The Old Lie is The Fall on steroids and in a shorter form. The way Cahill was able to deliver a story like this within a short amount of time is nearly as impressive as the story itself.
Before you dive in to this story, do yourself a favor and read Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et decorum est.” It’s one of Cahill’s favorite poems, it’s in English aside from the title and the final stanza, it’s also the inspiration for The Old Lie. I decided to read it prior and it’s beautiful, it also lets you understand that Cahill’s story is going to be brutal. Owen’s WWI masterpiece rips apart the romantic myth of war, Cahill takes that same fury and transplants it into the Bound and the Broken world, and the result is easily the darkest, most brutal thing he’s ever written.
The Old Lie is told through a single pov of Vander Horst, son of a baker from Maristop and is set 2 years after The Fall, on the plains north of Torebon in a world already on fire. When a massive Lorian army advances, Vander is forced to pick up a spear and march into a battle he never asked for, a battle that history will remember.
”I know you're scared, son. I am too.
We all are. Fear is the thing that stands between us and everything we want in life. It exists for the sole purpose of being overcome. Don't let it take you."
The marching scenes, the buildup, the battle itself, everything feels terrifyingly real. You feel Vander’s pounding heartbeat, the mix of fear and fragile pride, the chaos when it all erupts. The combat is visceral in a way that reminded me strongly of the Battle at Rook’s Rest in House of the Dragon Season 2, it’s raw, messy, and absolutely unrelenting.
Cahill has said this is probably the darkest story he’s written so far, and he’s not exaggerating. Like Owen, he refuses to glorify sacrifice. There are no pretty heroics here, just the grueling, senseless cost of war and the way nations sell young people the lie that dying for country is beautiful.
What I love about Cahill’s writing is how it keeps getting better with every story he releases, whether it’s a novel, novella or short story. He’s always trying new things, pushing into darker, more experimental territory, yet the prose remains effortlessly readable and elegant, full of lines you want to highlight and save forever.
And then the way he finishes the story off is even more heartbreaking and honestly a bit fist-pumpingly exciting for what is to come in the future.
Currently reading
January 23, 2026Edit 1: Michael Fletcher is one of my favorite authors to read. I’ve read his Manifest Delusions trilogy, Ghosts of Tomorrow, Millennial Manifesto, and the novella him and Anna Smith Spark wrote. I’ve enjoyed them all. Being a fan of Grim Oak and the Fletchman himself, I knew this anthology was a must need. Lo and behold, the man can write short fiction very well. MF writes characters who are witty and hilarious. The ideas he comes up with are brilliant and mad. It’s always a pleasure to read his works. This was a great take on a Valhalla like afterlife. Start to finish flowed great, no boring slogs or info dumps. Quick and to the point. The ending made me chuckle. 10 out of 10.
I’m a big fan of the short story craft, and when an author pulls it off, I admire the skill.
I’ve read my first from this anthology and unfortunately it was a horrible start. Mr Swenson’s story is both pointless and filled with terrible writing. I was under the impression this was a fantasy and sci fi collection but this story had nothing fantastical or interesting about it. At only 9 pages it was a literal pain to get thru. I will venture forth and update as I read. Fortunately there’s a few authors I’ve read who I know have actual writing skill. Here’s to hoping the next entry holds at least a thread of merit.
I’m a big fan of the short story craft, and when an author pulls it off, I admire the skill.
I’ve read my first from this anthology and unfortunately it was a horrible start. Mr Swenson’s story is both pointless and filled with terrible writing. I was under the impression this was a fantasy and sci fi collection but this story had nothing fantastical or interesting about it. At only 9 pages it was a literal pain to get thru. I will venture forth and update as I read. Fortunately there’s a few authors I’ve read who I know have actual writing skill. Here’s to hoping the next entry holds at least a thread of merit.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews