by Steven Sy

As a second invasion by the Empire threatens the nomads of the Great Steppe, a new generation of leaders must mend the broken alliances of their fathers or face certain destruction. Vacant Steppes is a Mongolia-inspired epic fantasy novel about inheritance, family, and leadership in times of division and war.

“A gripping tale of war, legacy and coming of age against a magnificently original historical-fantasy landscape. After endless sagas of empires and feudal kingdoms, it’s a liberation to see a celebration of nomadic peoples—supposed ‘barbarians’ living freer and fiercer than their counterparts in the ‘civilised’ world.” — Ng Yi-Sheng, author of Lion City

“By inviting us to imagine and inhabit an elsewhere, Vacant Steppes actually brings us closer to home. It is a book about war, but it is also a book about coming of age and the sacrifices that we make for the sake of honoring our legacies but also making a change. In this stunning debut novel, Steven Sy makes a case for the fantasy novel not just as an opportunity to write a breathtaking battle scene (which he does!), but more importantly as a feat of storytelling, a kind of navigation through the shadow and light of character where it is difficult not to simultaneously root for and doubt, love and hate, every single character in this world that Steven has created. What an absolute thrill it was to read this. Bravo!” — Lawrence Lacambra Ypil, author of The Experiment of the Tropics

“A well-imagined debut of broken alliances and familial strife set in a fantastical land of endless steppes.” — Victor Ocampo, author of The Infinite Library and Other Stories

ISBN: 978-1-913891-07-7

Publication date: 7 September 2021
Format: Paperback 216mm x 138mm
Pages: 322

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