“He ran like the monster he was. And the smoke follows”.
That is the tagline in the back of the João F. Silva’s Grimdark Epic Fantasy debut “Seeds of War”, the first instalment in a first series The Smokesmiths, self-published in May of 2023 on Amazon and all other major international retailers.
In “Seeds of War”, the story follows three main points of view of people broken by life in an unforgiving world of dangerous creatures and devastating smoke-based magic. Gimlore is a single mother and war veteran turned crime boss. Orberesis is a petty thief pretending to be God to hide a terrible secret. And Rednow is the Blood Collector, the world’s most feared mercenary whose best days might just be behind him. These characters have all defied the odds and survived, but old powers are stirring, and new discoveries will throw their lives into disarray once again.
“Seeds of War” is the first book in a planned multi-book series of at least three instalments, and a prequel novella “Ruins of Smoke” was already published in September, following historical events that will have an impact on the rest of the story.
João F. Silva was born in a small town in Portugal but now lives in the UK with his wife and three feline co-workers/bosses. Besides The Smokesmiths, he has had short stories published at Grimdark Magazine and Haven Speculative Magazine. A writer of epic fantasy, but also science fiction and horror, he was in the jury for 2020 and 2022 iterations of the Best Newcomer Award at the British Fantasy Awards. He is currently working on Book Two of The Smokesmiths, “Thorns of War”, which is set to be published in early 2024.
The Portuguese Portal of Fantasy and Science Fiction 