The Raven Scholar

SHORTLISTED FOR HUGO BEST NOVEL 2026
SHORTLISTED FOR LOCUS BEST FANTASY NOVEL 2026
WINNER AT THE HUGO AWARDS 2026 FOR ASTOUNDING BEST NEW WRITER
The Sunday Times bestseller from an electrifying new voice in epic fantasy - a masterfully woven tale of imperial intrigue, cutthroat competition, and one scholar's quest to uncover the truth. 'IT'S THRILLING, ROMANTIC, OFTEN TRAGIC, AND ALWAYS FUNNY' ALIX E. HARROW
'A MASTERCLASS IN CRAFT AND TENSION' V.L. BOVALINO
'FIENDISHLY CHARMING AND CLEVER' TASHA SURI
Win the throne or destroy an empire. Either way, it begins with murder.
After twenty-four years, the Emperor of Orrun's reign is at an end. In the dizzying heat of mid-summer, seven exceptional warriors, trained at rival monasteries, will compete to replace him.
Then one of them is murdered.
It falls to the brilliant but idiosyncratic scholar Neema Kraa to investigate. But as she hunts for a killer, darker forces are gathering . . .
PRAISE FOR THE RAVEN SCHOLAR
'The Raven Scholar is an intricately plotted historical mystery steeped in gothic charm and intellectual intrigue' -----
'Truly one of the best epic fantasy books I've read in a long time' -----
'I have NEVER rooted a romance more' -----
'This book is simply "Magnificent"' -----
'Mature and sensible, but still idealistic, emotional, passion-driven [characters]' -----

Antonia Hodgson has written four acclaimed historical crime novels. She won the CWA Historical Dagger for The Devil in the Marshalsea, and her work has also been shortlisted for numerous awards including the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year. Antonia's first (unpublished) novel was a gothic fantasy and she always dreamed of writing an epic series, given the chance. The Raven Scholar was released to widespread acclaim in 2025 and became an instant Sunday Times bestseller. She is now busy finishing its sequel.