The Strange Frontier series by Jennings Zabrinsky is getting a sequel! Theater of Blades is coming this November and I’m very excited for the action-packed novel. The artist, John Love, shows Sellane and her allies in an intense negotiation. One that will surely result in a fight. He’s done a great job of creating the intrigue and dynamics found within the pages.
The author has ARCs available for those interested in an early copy, and is willing to provide a copy of the first book as well if you haven’t read it already.
Theater of Blades
Cover Art/Designer: John Love
Length: 199k words
Release date: November 2025
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Blurb
Sellane has assembled an army of exiles, conquered her rival warlords, and carved a small protectorate from the wild frontier. For a woman born to inherit an empire, it is not enough.
A bloody misunderstanding threatens to flare into an unwinnable war with the neighbouring Kingdom of Aelland, but when their ambassador summons her to the negotiating table, Sellane spies a slim opportunity to turn this powerful new enemy into exactly the sort of friend she needs, one who will help wrest her stolen throne back from her traitorous brother.
To forge this alliance, she will have to readopt the title of crown princess and venture into the heart of an alien civilization, into a tangled web of poisonous intrigue. She’ll have to bargain with criminals, conspire with monsters, deceive princes, and most importantly of all, watch her back.
The stage is set for the tale of her restoration, but the role she must play is perilous, and all the other players are hiding very sharp knives.
Trigger Warnings
Strong: Violence, Gore, Permanent Injury, Guns, Foul Language, Racism (Fantasy Races)
Medium: Sexism, Child Death, Animal Death, Amputation, Alcohol, Slavery, Imprisonment
Weak: Prostitution, Drugs
About the author
A life long fan of all things weird, fantastical, and graphically violent, Jennings Zabrinsky started writing to fend off pandemic induced cabin fever and never stopped typing. He lives in the UK and does computer things for a living.
