MILTON, ONTARIO, November 29, 2022 – In 2020, Scotland author David Rae’s first novel, Crowman, about a dark spirit that keeps the Sun in a box and only lets it out one day each year, was released to rave reviews. The Sun Thief trilogy continued with Crowtower in 2021. Now, in March 2023, the final book, Crowbait, will be released, and today the cover art for the upcoming book was revealed.
Like the previous books, the cover is a charcoal drawing by publisher Brain Lag owner Catherine Fitzsimmons. Crowbait features a cloaked man holding light in his hands, with a crow rising from his shadow.
The story so far
In Crowman, readers were introduced to a world kept in darkness by the great spirit Vatu, along with Utas, father of a girl who shines like the moon, along with Utas’ struggle trying to keep her safe and hidden. The second book, Crowtower, showed Utas’ origins as the newly reborn high priest of Vatu and how a shocking secret of his birth gained him his freedom from the dark spirit.
Crowbait follows up the tragic ending of the second book to show more of the lives of the priests of Vatu and the struggles they face maintaining the dark lands, while also reflecting chilling parallels to our own world. Bandits and royal guards alike threaten the safety and freedom of Utas and his daughter Alaba while famine leads to war among the populace.
First look at Crowbait
Crowbait will be released next March in trade paperback (304 pages, ISBN 978-1-928011-92-7, $22.99 CAD) and ebook (ISBN 978-1-928011-93-4, $4.99) formats. Preorders are making their way into bookstores everywhere and are already available through the publisher’s web store. The first few chapters of the book are also available to read on the Brain Lag web site.
A critically acclaimed series
Reedsy gave both Crowman and Crowtower five-star reviews, calling Crowman, “A masterpiece of epic fantasy, conceptual and allegorical fiction in which I would willingly immerse myself book after book after book,” and saying of Crowtower, “Labyrinthine, magical, and engrossing, David Rae has once again filled each page with mesmerizing imagery, elegant beauty and chilling corruptions. If you long to lose yourself in a truly spell-binding read, look no further.”
Readers’ Favorite also gave Crowman a five-star review, calling it, “A conceptual and intriguing fantasy novel with plenty of clever secrets to uncover… highly recommended for fans of intelligent and conceptual fantasy fiction.”
Several authors and other media outlets agreed:
- “Rae’s debut novel is a triumph. I can’t wait to read more of his books.” – Iseult Murphy, author of Return to Hades and Other Adventures
- “David Rae’s Crowman is a wonderfully curious tale with allegorical and mythological elements.” – Terrie Leigh Relf, author of Sisterhood of the Blood Moon
- “Crowman is an ambitious introduction to a new dark fantasy series that at its best reads like a gothic revival of the mythic roots it draws from.” – Strange Horizons Magazine
- “Crowman is an ethereal dark fantasy with a striking cast of flawed characters, immaculate world-building, and a swirling miasma of a plot that left me guessing until the very last word.” – Rue Sparks, author of Daylight Chasers
- “I really liked the author’s writing style, it was easy to read, and I found myself unable to put the book down.” – OnlineBookClub.org
- “Crowman is written in the best tradition of some of the world’s most renowned fantasy writers; it has a classic, effortless feel to it in my opinion, that made it a joy to read!” – Red Headed Book Lover
- “David Rae once again mesmerises and enthrals with his second instalment in The Sun Thief trilogy.” – Elizabeth Eckstein, author of Quicksilver & Brimstone
- “Rae’s writing is spot on. His beautiful descriptions combined with succinct prose means he juggles complex ideas, symbolism and action without losing the reader.” – Iseult Murphy, author of 7 Days in Hell
The Author
David Rae worked in a candy factory (not as an Oompa-Loompa), as a scaffolder and ditch digger. He has worked as a draftsman and as an ecologist, as a statistician and as a policy maker. He is married and has four lovely children and now lovely grandchildren. And he continues to read and to write and marvel at the world he lives in.
Crowbait is Milton, Ontario-based science fiction and fantasy publisher Brain Lag’s forty-fourth title. Rae was the first international author to join Brain Lag’s lineup, which now includes twenty-one other signed authors largely from Canada and the U.S.A. The book is the publisher’s third scheduled release in 2023 of eleven.
Media inquiries and requests to contact the author may be directed to publishing@brain-lag.com.
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