About the Book
A world shattered by the wars of gods. A land rebuilt under the watchful eye of the Church of the Divine Inheritance. A throne of bones waiting for a ruler strong enough to seize it. Ducaine de Bordeaux was never meant to inherit power. A bastard son of a disgraced house, he should have been forgotten—a shadow in the halls of Burjean. But war, betrayal, and blood have a way of rearranging destiny. Through cunning and ruthless ambition, Ducaine rises from the ashes of his fallen family, forging alliances in the dark and setting his sights on something far greater than a mere county. Yet the lords of Yuropa do not bow easily. The Church watches with wary eyes. The kings play their endless games.
And in the depths of the ruined world, something stirs—something older than empires, older than men.
To seize power, Ducaine must be willing to risk everything. His honor. His soul. His very humanity.
Because in the end, all that matters is this: Will he conquer the world before the world consumes him? Or is the rise of Ducaine de Bordeaux destined to end in ruin, like the countless rulers before him?
The sun is rising—and it burns red.
About the Author
Allen lives in Athens, GA with his wife, four cats, one dog, and hundreds (maybe thousands?) of books. If you ask him to describe himself and his interests he would have to say: “Well it depends on who I’m meeting. If it’s a nice older person I’ll talk about how I got a degree in audio production, then ended up in corporate recruiting, then fell into a writing career. If it’s someone younger I’ll talk about the importance of reading, how it’ll make you more intelligent and empathetic. If it’s someone with glasses and a star wars t-shirt I’ll talk about Crusader Kings and D&D. If it’s someone my age with a bunch of tattoos and tired eyes I’ll talk about alcoholism and tier rank my favorite stimulants. If it’s someone my age with tattoos and bright eyes I’ll talk about sobriety and how much better my life is now.
When I met my wife we talked about our cats. When I met my tile guy turned surrogate dad in Athens we talked about UGA football and the air raid offense. When I met my friends in high school we talked about World of Warcraft. When I meet people at book signings I ask for book recommendations and give my own. I am naturally very introverted, but when I share interests with someone I can really get to yapping, it’s been a really enjoyable part of this book tour. I’m very charming, you see.”
And isn’t that more fun than a run of the mill “About the Author” page? You can also find that on Allen’s website if you’re itching for more.
Qn 1: Can you tell us more about your book What is it about?
“Imagine Earth 10,000 years from now. What does that look like to you?
In the world of Red Sun Rising, humanity has endured countless apocalypses. What’s left of history are only scraps—fragments of knowledge pieced together in a world that feels both ancient and futuristic. Society has circled back to something resembling medieval times…but with a twist. Picture knights wielding computers, dukes and duchesses enhanced with mechanical arms and eyes.
Book one follows the rise of the de Bordeaux family under the shadow of Ducaine—a tyrant consumed by bloodlust and hunger for power. His downfall is inevitable, but the real question is: what will it cost everyone around him?
Meanwhile, in another timeline, a mysterious narrator speaks from a distant laboratory, recounting this saga. How do these worlds connect? What does it all mean? You’ll have to step into Red Sun Rising to find out.”
Qn 2: Who do you think would be interested in this book, is it directed at any particular market?
Do you like blood stained knights riding gasoline belching motorcycles? Do you like conniving characters with silver tongues telling lies and drinking wine? Do you like to cry? Do you like castles with leering gargoyles and glitched out spark-spitting holograms lighting up dark stone corners? Do you like to laugh? Do you like ossuaries and crypts and skulls and broken femur bones? Do you like God? Do you hate God? Would you create God, if you could? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you’ll like this book.
Science fiction and fantasy is for everyone. This book has something for every kind of person, every gender, every nationality, every type of fan, and more.
Qn 3: Out of all the books in the world, and all the authors, which are your favourite and why?
The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. My god, what an accomplishment. Incredibly ambitious. It should have been a mess. It should have been unreadable. It should have been impossible to understand. But it wasn’t any of those things. Instead, it was perfect. These books made me want to be a writer.
The Scar by China Mieville. I read The Scar when I was thirty-two years old. I had hundreds if not thousands of books floating around in my brain. When it comes to sci-fi fantasy, I thought I had read it all. Boy was I fucking wrong. The creativity in this book and the rest of the Bas Lang trilogy is so inspiring that my deepest dream is to write a book someone snidely calls a “Mieville knock-off.” It surprises you, it shocks you, it disgusts you, it engrosses you in its tentacles and its gears and its sails and leaves you wanting more and more and more. Perdido Street Station began the Bas Lang trilogy, The Scar is the second book. The Scar is better. And I love Perdido Street Station.
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Banger after banger after banger on this list. Muir is not afraid to have fun. I took a lot from that. There’s a scene in my second book that is straight out of her writing. Her atmosphere is enthralling, her characters delightfully snide and evil and lovable, and her sense of mystery is unparalleled. I love this book.
Swansong by Robert McCammon. Parable of the Sewer by Octavia Butler is my favorite post apocalyptic book of all time, but I don’t think that needs more recommendations so let’s talk about Swansong. I am a reader at heart. And I mean that. So when I see a book that is nine-hundred and thirty pages long, I think about my wrists–which have carpal tunnel from a lifetime of typing and holding books up–and I really hope it’s worth it. Swansong is worth it. Evocative, terrifying, and hopeful in equal measure. I can’t ever see myself writing a nine-hundred page book, and I think most stories could easily be told in three to four hundred pages. Swansong needed all nine hundred and thirty and if McCammon had added a thousand more I would’ve iced my wrists and kept reading.
These books span conflicts from universal to one on one. They deal with death and mystery and humanity and everything in between. To me, there is nothing broader than science-fiction, because it contains everything we have ever been and everything we will ever be.
But…if you pressed me… I’d recommend anything by Bella Brandon. Trust me, Booktok.
Qn 4: What guidance would you offer to someone new, or trying to enhance their writing?
Make a map. Make a map. Make a map. I promise this will help you tell your story.
Consistency. Set a writing goal. Stick to it. I’m not the first to say this and I won’t be the last. I did one thousand words a day, five days a week. Do not EVER think “I have to write a book,” think “I have to write x amount of words.” That mentality got me through a book, and honestly most other parts of my life.
Novelize movies. While nothing about writing is that easy, plot and characterization come to people first. And that leaves us with dialog. And we all hate wooden dialog don’t we? Watch movies, write the dialog and the characters actions that go along with it. It will liven up your story and your readers will have a much easier time imagining the scenes. My two picks for this: Gangs of New York and Legally Blonde.
Qn 5: Where can our readers find out more about you, do you have a website, or a way to be contacted?
Yes! You can go to my website www.allenlyleauthor.com and learn a bunch of fun things about me and buy some pretty cool stuff that other people made. You can also find me on instagram @allenlylewrites. Other than that, you’d have to talk to my wife or my publisher. They know the fun places to be online.
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