Sydney always wanted more from life than working on his father’s ranch. He grew up idolizing his mother, a former bandit turned sheriff, even though he didn’t inherit any of her fighting skills. But when an old family friend needs a spy inside the Petrichor Martial Academy, Sydney finds himself in over his head unraveling a conspiracy to eradicate Nasan’s magical races.
Lanei, an aspiring knight, is running from a life she never wanted. She’s witnessed firsthand how dangerous magic and unchecked power can be, and will stop at nothing to reshape the future. With her acceptance to Petrichor, Lanei is ready to carve out her own destiny.
While Sydney struggles to survive his classes, Lanei’s past threatens to come to light. When a student is murdered, all signs point to Lanei. Now, both must decide who they can trust before it’s too late.
Into the Black is the first in a trilogy of YA Fantasy novels by Brian Work. It is now available in ebook and paperback.
Character artwork by Marissa Trudel.
Music drives me while I write. My writing playlist for Into the Black has close to 900 songs, but I've curated that down to a 22 song ultimate playlist for the book.
I've tried to set it up in a way that it follows the story like a soundtrack, starting with the opening credits (Butch Walker's "Into the Black", which was my inspiration for the title) and the character introduction songs ("Southern Comfort Zone" for Sydney and "America's Sweetheart" for Lanei) all the way through to the closing credits (P!nk's "All I Know So Far.")
I hope you'll enjoy listening to this playlist as you explore the world of Into the Black!
