Bradley P. Beaulieu is an American fantasy and science fiction author best known for the six-book Song of the Shattered Sands. He has also written the completed Lays of Anuskaya trilogy, the ongoing Book of the Holt series, the alternate-history science fiction novel Absynthe, and several novellas and story collections.
His three major fantasy worlds are separate.
Affiliate Disclosure
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This article may contain affiliate links. If you click one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
The Lays of Anuskaya follows windships, elemental spirits, political conflict, and a spreading magical blight. Song of the Shattered Sands centers on the desert city of Sharakhai and its twelve immortal kings. The Book of the Holt introduces dragon singers, inquisitors, lost gods, and an empire divided by religion and rebellion.
The safest general starting point is Twelve Kings in Sharakhai. Readers who want a shorter completed trilogy can begin with The Winds of Khalakovo, while those interested in Beaulieu’s newest fantasy series should start with The Dragons of Deepwood Fen.
The Reading Orders That Matter
Beaulieu’s bibliography does not require one complete-author chronology.
Use these separate paths:
Lays of Anuskaya
- The Winds of Khalakovo
- The Straits of Galahesh
- The Flames of Shadam Khoreh
The short story “To the Towers of Tulandan” is a prequel. “Prima” takes place twenty-five years after the trilogy.
Song of the Shattered Sands
- Twelve Kings in Sharakhai
- With Blood Upon the Sand
- A Veil of Spears
- Beneath the Twisted Trees
- When Jackals Storm the Walls
- A Desert Torn Asunder
Of Sand and Malice Made and the Sharakhai novellas can be added around the main sequence, but the six novels contain Çeda’s complete central story.
The Book of the Holt
- The Dragons of Deepwood Fen
- The Tapestry at Briarmount Abbey
- A God of Countless Guises
The novella occurs before the first novel, but it is more effective after readers have met Rylan and learned how dragon singing works.
The Lays of Anuskaya Books in Order
The Lays of Anuskaya is a completed epic fantasy trilogy set among storm-wracked seas, mountainous islands, and competing empires.
Prince Nikandr Khalakovo becomes involved with Nasim, a child whose unusual powers may be connected to the wasting disease spreading across the islands. Their story brings together political succession, elemental spirits, religious conflict, cultural oppression, and damage to the barriers separating different planes of existence.
The Winds of Khalakovo
- The Winds of Khalakovo (2011): Prince Nikandr investigates the destruction of a diplomatic windship and discovers that Nasim, a gifted child linked to the attack, may also hold the answer to the blight consuming the Grand Duchy.
The novel introduces the island duchies of Anuskaya, the windships that connect them, and the conflict between the ruling Landed people and the displaced Aramahn.
Nikandr initially searches for the person responsible for a political assassination. His investigation gradually reveals a deeper danger involving elemental spirits, ancient divisions, and tears forming between worlds.
The Straits of Galahesh
- The Straits of Galahesh (2012): Five years after the first book, Nikandr and Atiana face growing pressure from the Empire of Yrstanla while Nasim searches for the truth about his past and the powers acting through him.
Atiana has become a Matra capable of projecting her spirit beyond her body. Her work places her inside the political struggle over Anuskaya’s future.
The return of figures associated with the Al-Aqim threatens a transformation that could destroy both the Landed rulers and the Aramahn people they displaced.
The Flames of Shadam Khoreh
- The Flames of Shadam Khoreh (2013): Nikandr and Atiana follow clues into the desert wastes of the Gaji while war, widening rifts, and the worsening blight threaten the entire region.
Their search centers on Nasim and the lost artifact called the Atalayina.
Political alliances become as important as magical knowledge because Anuskaya may not survive long enough for the rifts to be repaired.
The novel completes the trilogy’s principal conflict and resolves the search begun in The Winds of Khalakovo.
Why the Lays of Anuskaya Must Be Read in Order
The three novels form one continuous story.
Nasim’s abilities, the wasting disease, the elemental spirits, and the true nature of the rifts are explained gradually. Later books reveal earlier identities and motivations that the opening novel deliberately keeps uncertain.
Publication order is also the practical chronological order:
- The Winds of Khalakovo: Nikandr meets Nasim and investigates the first major summoning.
- The Straits of Galahesh: Five years later, the political and magical crisis returns.
- The Flames of Shadam Khoreh: The search moves into the desert and reaches its conclusion.
To the Towers of Tulandan
- “To the Towers of Tulandan” (2013): Ashan encounters the young Nasim and realizes that the child’s unusual gifts make him too important to remain under the control of the Maharraht.
The story takes place before The Winds of Khalakovo.
It provides background for Ashan, Nasim, and the struggle over the boy’s abilities, but it assumes that readers understand the cultures and magical ideas introduced in the trilogy.
Recommended placement: After The Winds of Khalakovo or after the full trilogy.
Status: Optional prequel story.
Prima
- “Prima” (2013): Twenty-five years after The Flames of Shadam Khoreh, ballerina Mikaella discovers that Ishkyna, the long-lost third Vostroma sister, has returned with dangerous intentions.
The story provides a later look at the world and revisits characters connected to Atiana’s family.
It contains information about the future of the setting and should not be read before the trilogy.
Recommended placement: After The Flames of Shadam Khoreh.
Status: Optional sequel story.
Recommended Lays of Anuskaya Order
For a first reading:
- The Winds of Khalakovo (2011): Nikandr investigates an assassination and discovers Nasim’s connection to the blight.
- The Straits of Galahesh (2012): The political crisis widens as Nasim searches for his past.
- The Flames of Shadam Khoreh (2013): The rifts, war, and search for the Atalayina reach their conclusion.
- “To the Towers of Tulandan” (2013): Ashan’s earlier meeting with Nasim adds historical context.
- “Prima” (2013): The later fate of the Vostroma family extends the world beyond the trilogy.
Chronological readers can place “To the Towers of Tulandan” first, but publication-based placement preserves the trilogy’s original introductions.
Song of the Shattered Sands Books in Order
Song of the Shattered Sands is a completed six-book epic fantasy series.
The story takes place primarily in Sharakhai, a wealthy desert city ruled for centuries by twelve immortal kings. Their power is protected by the Silver Spears, the Blade Maidens, and the asirim, twisted creatures bound to serve them.
Çedamihn Ahyanesh’ala, usually called Çeda, is a pit fighter from Sharakhai’s poorer districts. Her search for the truth about her mother gradually becomes part of a rebellion against the kings and the desert gods who granted their power.
Twelve Kings in Sharakhai
- Twelve Kings in Sharakhai (2015): Çeda breaks the law by entering the streets on the sacred night of Beht Zha’ir and discovers clues connecting her mother’s death to the twelve immortal rulers of the city.
Çeda is already known secretly as the White Wolf, one of Sharakhai’s most successful pit fighters.
Her investigation draws her toward the Moonless Host, the asirim, and twelve poems that may reveal how the kings can be defeated.
The novel establishes the city, the desert tribes, the fighting pits, the Blade Maidens, and the bargain that gave the kings their power.
With Blood Upon the Sand
- With Blood Upon the Sand (2017): Çeda joins the Blade Maidens and serves the kings from inside their strongest military order while secretly searching for weaknesses in their rule.
Her bond with the asirim allows her to feel the suffering of the creatures forced to obey the kings.
Emre becomes more deeply involved with the Moonless Host, while blood magic and divisions among the rulers expose new opportunities for rebellion.
The story continues directly from the discoveries made in Twelve Kings in Sharakhai.
A Veil of Spears
- A Veil of Spears (2018): Çeda searches for the surviving members of the Moonless Host and attempts to free the asirim as the unity among the kings begins to collapse.
The King of Swords pursues her across the desert while rival rulers maneuver against one another inside Sharakhai.
Çeda’s connection to the Thirteenth Tribe becomes more important, forcing her to balance the survival of her people against her desire to destroy the kings.
Beneath the Twisted Trees
- Beneath the Twisted Trees (2019): Çeda leads the Shieldwives and searches for a way to free Sehid-Alaz from the curse that transformed him into an asir.
Neighboring kingdoms move against Sharakhai after seeing weakness in the city’s rulers.
The desert gods take a more direct interest in Çeda’s actions, turning the rebellion against the kings into part of a much older conflict.
When Jackals Storm the Walls
- When Jackals Storm the Walls (2020): After the rule of the kings is broken, Queen Meryam and the descendants of the old rulers attempt to control Sharakhai while outside armies close around the city.
Çeda searches for Nalamae, believing that the fallen goddess may have been reborn.
Her search forces her to consider alliances with former enemies because the struggle among the gods now threatens more than the political future of Sharakhai.
A Desert Torn Asunder
- A Desert Torn Asunder (2021): Meryam attempts to raise the buried elder god Ashael while Çeda and Emre confront a desert crusade led by a traitor to their people.
The tribes, the people of Sharakhai, foreign invaders, and surviving rulers must decide whether they can unite against a threat capable of destroying the desert itself.
The novel resolves the central conflict involving Çeda, the kings, the asirim, the desert tribes, and the gods.
It is the sixth and final main Song of the Shattered Sands novel.
The Shattered Sands Prequel
Of Sand and Malice Made
- Of Sand and Malice Made (2016): Before the main series, Çeda’s life as the undefeated White Wolf is threatened by Rümayesh, an ehrekh who becomes determined to expose and possess her.
The book contains three connected stories that form one prequel narrative.
It takes place before Twelve Kings in Sharakhai, but it was written after readers had already been introduced to Çeda and the city.
Recommended placement: After Twelve Kings in Sharakhai.
Alternative placement: Before book one for a chronological reread.
Reading it first is possible, but Twelve Kings in Sharakhai provides the stronger introduction to Sharakhai’s politics, religion, and history.
Shattered Sands Novellas in Recommended Order
The novellas focus on supporting characters, earlier events, and corners of the desert not central to Çeda’s six-book storyline.
Most are optional. Several can be placed between the novels without interrupting major reveals.
In the Village Where Brightwine Flows
- In the Village Where Brightwine Flows (2017): Apothecary Dardzada is forced to investigate the disappearance of street children after the son of a wealthy family also goes missing.
His cruel half-brother Layth expects him to use his intelligence and medical knowledge to solve the case.
The story develops Dardzada, Sharakhai’s poorer districts, and the city’s willingness to ignore vulnerable people until wealth becomes involved.
Recommended placement: After With Blood Upon the Sand.
The Doors at Dusk and Dawn
- The Doors at Dusk and Dawn (2017): Twin sisters Leorah and Devorah become involved in Annam’s Traverse, a dangerous horse race whose prize includes a ring with hidden importance.
The arrival of the Reaping King turns a sporting contest into a struggle involving royal power and family secrets.
The story expands life beyond Sharakhai and shows how the kings’ influence reaches distant communities.
Recommended placement: After With Blood Upon the Sand.
The Tattered Prince and the Demon Veiled
- The Tattered Prince and the Demon Veiled (2017): Brama, now called the Torn Man, attempts to protect a foreign noblewoman while living beside the ehrekh Rümayesh, the creature that once tortured him.
His efforts to save Jax and her brother force him to use powers he has tried to avoid.
The novella connects to the events and creature introduced in Of Sand and Malice Made.
Recommended placement: After Of Sand and Malice Made and With Blood Upon the Sand.
A Wasteland of My God’s Own Making
- A Wasteland of My God’s Own Making (2019): Pit fighter Djaga Akoyo must confront the violence that drove her from Kundhun when a woman from her past arrives in Sharakhai.
Djaga hopes to leave the pits and build a life with Nadín, but her unresolved history threatens that future.
The story examines guilt, survival, love, and the cost of the identity Djaga created in exile.
Recommended placement: After A Veil of Spears.
The Flight of the Whisper King
- The Flight of the Whisper King (2020): Street thief Mala discovers an injured Kestrel and becomes involved in a plot to assassinate Zeheb, the Whisper King.
Shohreh initially intends to silence Mala after the thief learns too much about the Kestrels.
The two women must instead navigate the city’s hidden passages and competing loyalties while the planned assassination draws closer.
Recommended placement: After Beneath the Twisted Trees.
The Last Days of Old Sharakhai
- The Last Days of Old Sharakhai (2022): The dying King Ihsan attempts to secure peace for his daughter and the city while his grandsons pressure him to restore the old authoritarian order.
Ihsan forms an uneasy alliance with Shohreh, a warrior who once had every reason to hate him.
The novella occurs near the end of A Desert Torn Asunder and explains events involving Ihsan before the final novel’s prologue.
Recommended placement: After A Desert Torn Asunder.
Spoiler warning: Do not read it before book six.
Complete Shattered Sands Reading Order
For a full continuity read:
- Twelve Kings in Sharakhai (2015): Çeda discovers that her mother’s death and her own heritage are tied to the kings.
- Of Sand and Malice Made (2016): An earlier confrontation with Rümayesh expands Çeda’s life as the White Wolf.
- With Blood Upon the Sand (2017): Çeda infiltrates the Blade Maidens while the Moonless Host prepares new resistance.
- In the Village Where Brightwine Flows (2017): Dardzada investigates missing children in Sharakhai.
- The Doors at Dusk and Dawn (2017): A desert horse race becomes a contest over a dangerous relic.
- The Tattered Prince and the Demon Veiled (2017): Brama attempts to protect a hunted noblewoman from assassins and Rümayesh’s influence.
- A Veil of Spears (2018): Çeda searches for the Thirteenth Tribe and a way to free the asirim.
- A Wasteland of My God’s Own Making (2019): Djaga confronts the history she fled before becoming a famous pit fighter.
- Beneath the Twisted Trees (2019): Çeda attempts to break the curse binding Sehid-Alaz.
- The Flight of the Whisper King (2020): Mala and Shohreh become caught in a royal assassination plot.
- When Jackals Storm the Walls (2020): The fallen kings, Queen Meryam, and invading kingdoms compete for Sharakhai.
- A Desert Torn Asunder (2021): Çeda’s war against the gods and the old order reaches its conclusion.
- The Last Days of Old Sharakhai (2022): Ihsan’s final political struggle reveals what happened near the end of book six.
Readers who want only the central storyline can skip every inserted novella and read the six numbered novels.
Is Song of the Shattered Sands Complete?
Yes.
The six main novels form a completed sequence ending with A Desert Torn Asunder.
The novellas add history and supporting-character stories, but they do not continue Çeda’s central plot beyond the ending.
The Last Days of Old Sharakhai is a late-set companion rather than book seven.
The Book of the Holt Books in Order
The Book of the Holt is Beaulieu’s current epic fantasy series.
Its world contains two suns, different forms of dragon power, imperial inquisitors, rebellious factions, lost gods, and a massive forest called the Holt.
The main characters are Lorelei Aurelius, an inquisitor from the mountain city of Ancris, and Rylan Holbrooke, a thief who poses as a dragon singer.
The Dragons of Deepwood Fen
- The Dragons of Deepwood Fen (2023): Lorelei uncovers a secret connection between the Church and the Red Knives, then frees the imprisoned Rylan because he may be the only person capable of helping her expose the conspiracy.
The pair flee Ancris on dragonback and enter the Holt.
Their investigation reveals a plan to awaken a demigod at one of the empire’s holiest sites, forcing them to return to a city where both are considered traitors.
The novel establishes dragon singing, the Church, the imperial order, the Red Knives, and the lost powers hidden beneath accepted history.
The Tapestry at Briarmount Abbey
- The Tapestry at Briarmount Abbey (2024): Rylan travels to Briarmount Abbey and becomes involved in the theft of the Sylvan Tapestry, an ancient relic apparently taken through magic.
His search leads into the Winding, where undead children haunt the land around the Dancing Willow.
The mystery reveals a connection between the stolen tapestry and the tragedy that created the willow.
The novella takes place before The Dragons of Deepwood Fen.
Recommended placement: After the first novel.
Meeting Rylan through the main book gives greater context to his skills, his relationship with Vedron, and the risks of dragon singing.
A God of Countless Guises
- A God of Countless Guises (2026): Lorelei and Rylan face the aftermath of the destruction at Ancris while Faedryn, the imprisoned trickster god, moves closer to freedom.
The artifact Rylan stole is now sought by the imperial dragon legions, the Red Knives, and other factions.
Their attempt to prevent Faedryn’s escape reveals that the ancient contest through which gods gained power may already have begun again.
The novel is book two of the main Book of the Holt sequence and continues directly from The Dragons of Deepwood Fen.
Recommended Book of the Holt Order
For a first reading:
- The Dragons of Deepwood Fen (2023): Lorelei and Rylan uncover the conspiracy surrounding Ancris and the Holt.
- The Tapestry at Briarmount Abbey (2024): Rylan’s earlier investigation adds background without interrupting the main novel’s introduction.
- A God of Countless Guises (2026): The struggle over Faedryn and the gods’ contest expands.
For strict chronology:
- The Tapestry at Briarmount Abbey
- The Dragons of Deepwood Fen
- A God of Countless Guises
Publication-based placement is safer for new readers.
Is the Book of the Holt Complete?
Two main novels and one prequel novella have been published.
A God of Countless Guises continues the central conflict rather than closing the wider setting. No later title with a confirmed publication date had been announced by August 6, 2026.
The series should be treated as ongoing.
Absynthe
- Absynthe (2021), published as Brendan P. Bellecourt: Shell-shocked veteran Liam Mulcahey begins recovering memories of a wartime experiment that gave his military unit telepathic abilities.
The novel takes place in an alternate version of the 1920s.
After an attack in a Chicago speakeasy, Liam meets Grace, an heiress capable of creating illusions. Their investigation points toward President Leland De Pere, Liam’s former commander, and a larger program built from the same experiments used during the Great War.
Absynthe is a standalone science fiction novel.
It was published under the name Brendan P. Bellecourt, but Bradley P. Beaulieu later openly identified it as his work and lists it within his bibliography.
Continuity: Separate from every fantasy series.
The Burning Light
- The Burning Light (2016), with Rob Ziegler: Government operative Colonel Chu hunts a phenomenon called the Light through the flooded remains of New York City while Zola, one of its most important users, becomes central to its survival.
The Light behaves like an addictive experience but may also represent a new form of consciousness.
Chu sees it as a threat that has destroyed lives and disconnected people from society’s mental networks. Zola experiences it as something more complicated and transformative.
The novella is a standalone collaboration.
Continuity: Separate science fiction world.
Strata
- Strata (2011), with Stephen Gaskell: Workers on a solar mining platform face exploitation, dangerous racing, and a struggle over freedom in an environment where corporate authority operates beyond ordinary law.
The story combines science fiction, rebellion, sacrifice, and high-risk travel close to the sun.
It is a standalone novella and does not connect to The Burning Light or Absynthe.
Short Story Collections
Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten and Other Stories
- Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten and Other Stories (2013): This collection gathers seventeen fantasy and science fiction stories, including two works connected to the Lays of Anuskaya.
The included Anuskaya stories are “To the Towers of Tulandan” and “Prima.”
Other stories explore alternate worlds, memory, war, magic, travel, and the cost of extraordinary decisions.
Readers who already own the two Anuskaya stories separately may encounter duplicated material in this collection.
In the Stars I’ll Find You and Other Tales of Futures Fantastic
- In the Stars I’ll Find You and Other Tales of Futures Fantastic (2016): This collection gathers science fiction stories involving artificial environments, future societies, exploration, memory, technology, and altered humanity.
The stories are independent rather than chapters of one shared narrative.
It can be read at any point and does not belong to Beaulieu’s fantasy continuities.
Bradley P. Beaulieu Novels in Publication Order
The following list includes the principal full-length novels and series books. Novellas and collections are separated so they are not mistaken for numbered novels.
- The Winds of Khalakovo (2011): Nikandr investigates a windship attack and discovers Nasim’s connection to a spreading magical blight.
- The Straits of Galahesh (2012): Five years later, political expansion and returning magical powers threaten Anuskaya.
- The Flames of Shadam Khoreh (2013): Nikandr and Atiana pursue Nasim and the Atalayina into the desert as war closes around them.
- Twelve Kings in Sharakhai (2015): Çeda begins uncovering the secret weaknesses of Sharakhai’s immortal rulers.
- Of Sand and Malice Made (2016): An earlier Çeda faces the ehrekh Rümayesh while protecting her identity as the White Wolf.
- With Blood Upon the Sand (2017): Çeda infiltrates the Blade Maidens and learns more about the suffering of the asirim.
- A Veil of Spears (2018): Çeda attempts to reunite the Thirteenth Tribe and break the kings’ control.
- Beneath the Twisted Trees (2019): The struggle expands as foreign kingdoms and desert gods move against Sharakhai.
- When Jackals Storm the Walls (2020): Queen Meryam, the fallen kings, and invading armies compete for the city.
- A Desert Torn Asunder (2021): Çeda and her allies confront the elder god Ashael in the conclusion of the series.
- Absynthe (2021), as Brendan P. Bellecourt: A veteran with suppressed telepathic abilities uncovers a conspiracy in an alternate 1920s America.
- The Dragons of Deepwood Fen (2023): Lorelei and Rylan uncover a conspiracy involving the Church, the Red Knives, dragons, and a lost demigod.
- A God of Countless Guises (2026): The ancient contest of the gods begins stirring again as factions hunt the artifact carried by Rylan.
Complete Bradley P. Beaulieu Reading Plan
A clean complete-author route can be divided into four independent stages.
Begin With the Completed Lays of Anuskaya
- The Winds of Khalakovo (2011): The attack on a windship connects Nikandr to Nasim and the blight.
- The Straits of Galahesh (2012): The crisis returns five years later with wider political consequences.
- The Flames of Shadam Khoreh (2013): The rifts and magical conflict reach their conclusion.
- “To the Towers of Tulandan” (2013): Ashan’s earlier encounter with Nasim adds background.
- “Prima” (2013): A later Vostroma story shows the world twenty-five years afterward.
Continue Through Sharakhai
- Twelve Kings in Sharakhai (2015): Çeda begins her campaign against the immortal rulers.
- Of Sand and Malice Made (2016): Her earlier battle with Rümayesh expands her personal history.
- With Blood Upon the Sand (2017): Çeda infiltrates the Blade Maidens.
- In the Village Where Brightwine Flows (2017): Dardzada investigates missing children.
- The Doors at Dusk and Dawn (2017): Twin sisters compete over a dangerous race and relic.
- The Tattered Prince and the Demon Veiled (2017): Brama protects a hunted noblewoman.
- A Veil of Spears (2018): Çeda searches for the Thirteenth Tribe.
- A Wasteland of My God’s Own Making (2019): Djaga confronts her past.
- Beneath the Twisted Trees (2019): Çeda attempts to free Sehid-Alaz.
- The Flight of the Whisper King (2020): Mala and Shohreh become involved in an assassination plot.
- When Jackals Storm the Walls (2020): Sharakhai faces invasion and divine manipulation.
- A Desert Torn Asunder (2021): The six-book story reaches its conclusion.
- The Last Days of Old Sharakhai (2022): Ihsan’s final struggle fills a late gap in the ending.
Move to the Book of the Holt
- The Dragons of Deepwood Fen (2023): Lorelei and Rylan expose the first conspiracy.
- The Tapestry at Briarmount Abbey (2024): Rylan’s earlier investigation supplies optional background.
- A God of Countless Guises (2026): The threat of Faedryn and the elder gods expands.
Read the Separate Science Fiction
- Strata (2011), with Stephen Gaskell: Workers on a solar platform fight exploitation and risk everything in high-speed races.
- The Burning Light (2016), with Rob Ziegler: Two women confront a consciousness-altering phenomenon in flooded New York.
- Absynthe (2021), as Brendan P. Bellecourt: A veteran’s suppressed telepathy becomes the key to an alternate-history conspiracy.
These three science fiction works do not share a universe.
Omnibus and Collected Editions
Collected editions may duplicate books already owned individually.
The Lays of Anuskaya Omnibus
- The Lays of Anuskaya Omnibus: This edition contains The Winds of Khalakovo, The Straits of Galahesh, and The Flames of Shadam Khoreh.
It replaces the three individual novels and does not add a fourth installment.
Of Sand and Malice Made Editions
Of Sand and Malice Made combines three connected Çeda stories into one prequel volume.
Some earlier or shorter editions may present parts of the narrative separately. Readers should compare contents before purchasing overlapping versions.
Story Collections
Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten and Other Stories includes “To the Towers of Tulandan” and “Prima.”
Buying the collection and the individual ebooks will duplicate those stories.
Series Completion Status
The Lays of Anuskaya
Complete: Three novels.
The trilogy ends with The Flames of Shadam Khoreh.
Song of the Shattered Sands
Complete: Six main novels.
The central series ends with A Desert Torn Asunder.
Shattered Sands Novellas
Published: Several prequel, inserted, and late-set stories.
They are optional additions rather than a seventh main novel.
The Book of the Holt
Ongoing: Two main novels and one prequel novella are published.
The latest main installment is A God of Countless Guises.
Absynthe
Complete standalone: One novel.
Collaborative Science Fiction
Separate standalones: Strata and The Burning Light.
Latest Bradley P. Beaulieu Book
As of August 6, 2026, Bradley P. Beaulieu’s latest published book is A God of Countless Guises.
The novel was published in January 2026 and is the second main Book of the Holt novel.
It continues Lorelei and Rylan’s story after The Dragons of Deepwood Fen. The prequel novella The Tapestry at Briarmount Abbey remains optional but useful background for Rylan.
No third Book of the Holt title with a confirmed publication date had been announced by the update date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Bradley P. Beaulieu book should I read first?
Begin with Twelve Kings in Sharakhai for his best-known series.
Choose The Winds of Khalakovo for a completed trilogy or The Dragons of Deepwood Fen for his current series.
Is Song of the Shattered Sands complete?
Yes.
The main series contains six novels and ends with A Desert Torn Asunder.
What is the main Shattered Sands order?
Read:
- Twelve Kings in Sharakhai: Çeda discovers the secrets behind the immortal rulers.
- With Blood Upon the Sand: She infiltrates the Blade Maidens.
- A Veil of Spears: She attempts to free the asirim and reunite her people.
- Beneath the Twisted Trees: The war expands beyond the kings.
- When Jackals Storm the Walls: Sharakhai faces invasion and divine manipulation.
- A Desert Torn Asunder: The conflict with the gods reaches its conclusion.
Should Of Sand and Malice Made be read first?
It takes place before Twelve Kings in Sharakhai, but new readers should usually begin with the main novel.
Read the prequel second, once Çeda and Sharakhai are familiar.
Are the Shattered Sands novellas required?
No.
They expand supporting characters and historical events, but the six novels contain the complete central story.
When should I read The Last Days of Old Sharakhai?
Read it after A Desert Torn Asunder.
It takes place near the end of book six and contains major spoilers for the finale.
Is The Lays of Anuskaya complete?
Yes.
The trilogy ends with The Flames of Shadam Khoreh.
Should To the Towers of Tulandan be read first?
It is chronologically earlier, but it works better after The Winds of Khalakovo.
The main novel provides a clearer introduction to Nasim, Ashan, and the setting.
When does Prima take place?
“Prima” occurs twenty-five years after The Flames of Shadam Khoreh.
Read it after completing the trilogy.
Is The Book of the Holt connected to Sharakhai?
No.
It has a separate world, history, magical system, religion, and cast.
What order should the Book of the Holt be read in?
For a first reading:
- The Dragons of Deepwood Fen: Lorelei and Rylan uncover the conspiracy at Ancris.
- The Tapestry at Briarmount Abbey: Rylan’s earlier adventure provides optional background.
- A God of Countless Guises: The struggle involving Faedryn and the elder gods expands.
Is The Tapestry at Briarmount Abbey book two?
No.
It is a prequel novella centered on Rylan.
A God of Countless Guises is the second main novel.
Is A God of Countless Guises published?
Yes.
It was published in January 2026.
Is the Book of the Holt complete?
No.
Two main novels have been published, and the wider conflict remains ongoing.
Why was Absynthe published under Brendan P. Bellecourt?
Beaulieu used the Brendan P. Bellecourt name for the novel’s original publication.
It is now openly associated with Bradley P. Beaulieu’s bibliography.
Is Absynthe connected to his fantasy books?
No.
It is a standalone alternate-history science fiction novel.
Are Strata and The Burning Light connected?
No.
They are separate science fiction collaborations with different coauthors, settings, and conflicts.
What are Beaulieu’s story collections?
His principal collections are Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten and Other Stories and In the Stars I’ll Find You and Other Tales of Futures Fantastic.
They contain independent short fiction, with some overlap involving Lays of Anuskaya stories.
What is Bradley P. Beaulieu’s newest book?
A God of Countless Guises is his newest published book as of August 6, 2026.
It is the second Book of the Holt novel.
Conclusion
Begin Song of the Shattered Sands with Twelve Kings in Sharakhai and follow the six main novels through A Desert Torn Asunder. Add Of Sand and Malice Made after the first novel, then use the novellas as optional character stories between the larger installments.
For a shorter completed series, read the Lays of Anuskaya trilogy from The Winds of Khalakovo to The Flames of Shadam Khoreh. Save “Prima” until afterward because it reveals the later state of the world.
The Book of the Holt begins with The Dragons of Deepwood Fen. Read The Tapestry at Briarmount Abbey as an optional Rylan prequel, then continue with A God of Countless Guises. Keep Absynthe, Strata, and The Burning Light separate because none shares continuity with Beaulieu’s fantasy series.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.