 The Rising Tide: Book 1
Publication Date: May 13, 2025
An unlikely assassin struggles to escape a legendary bounty hunter in this breakneck fantasy debut that will grab you by the throat—perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, R.F. Kuang, and Christopher Buehlman.
She killed for a cause. Will she die for it too?
Anji works as a castle servant, cleaning laundry for a king she hates. So when a rare opportunity presents itself, she seizes the chance to cut his throat. Then she runs for her life. In her wake, the kingdom is thrown into disarray, while a bounty bigger than anyone could imagine lands on her head.
On her heels are the fabled mercenaries of the Menagerie, whose animal-shaped masks are magical relics rumored to give them superhuman powers. It’s the Hawk who finds Anji first: a surly, aging swordswoman who has her own reasons for keeping Anji alive and out of the hands of her fellow bounty hunters, if only long enough to collect the reward herself.
With the rest of the Menagerie on their trail, so begins an alliance as tenuous as it is temporary—and a race against death that will decide Anji’s fate, and may change the course of a kingdom.
When a young laundress daringly murders a hated king, it detonates a bomb within the kingdom.
Author Evan Leikam introduces a fantasy world in Anji Kills a King, marking the first installment in The Rising Tide series.
On the run, Anji tries to outrun a group of bounty hunters known as the Menagerie, equipped with signature masks providing them with supernatural powers.
With a revolution on the horizon, Anji encounters one of the Menagerie. With her fate hanging in the balance, Anji must forge an unlikely alliance.
Anji Kills a King kicks off a dark fantasy full of adventure.
Evan Leikam grew up among the forests of central Oregon reading fantasy and science fiction from a young age. While touring the United States and Europe with an independent rock band, he began tinkering with his own stories to pass time in vans and music venues. Apart from writing he enjoys cooking, producing music, riding his bike, and From Software games. He is the host of the Book Reviews Kill podcast, and his social media pages have turned thousands on to new books. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon.
