Candlemark & Gleam is delighted to announce that we will publish Bogi Takács’s The Word of the Ancients is Law, brilliant post-apocalyptic science fiction set in a world where the climate has shifted drastically, and a diminished population lives among the ruins left by the Ancients, dreading the return of the copper locusts that appear in great swarms to destroy all human-made objects. The people of the seven villages believe that the word of the Ancients is indeed absolute law, and nothing about them can be questioned, but Asehin, a stubborn, determined craftswoman, cannot believe that the copper locusts aren’t a mistake. Punished for blurting out that opinion, she stumbles on a discovery that will link her to the Ancients forever, and offers an unexpected chance to change her world forever.

Takács is a Hungarian, Jewish, agender, trans writer, and winner of both Hugo and Lambda Literary Awards. In The Word of the Ancients is Law, they create a world struggling back from a terrible disaster, yet still filled with hope and possibility and love, and neuroatypical protagonists who will steal your heart. Candlemark & Gleam is excited to bring this extraordinary novel to readers this December.