Rees Brennan Sarah: Long Live Evil [2024] paperback

A TALE FOR ANYONE WHO'S EVER FALLEN FOR THE VILLAIN...

When her whole life collapsed, Rae still had books. Dying, she seizes a second chance at living: a magical bargain that lets her enter the world of her favourite fantasy series.

She wakes in a castle on the edge of a hellish chasm, in a kingdom on the brink of war. Home to dangerous monsters, scheming courtiers and her favourite fictional character: the Once and Forever Emperor. He's impossibly alluring, as only fiction can be. And in this fantasy world, she discovers she's not the heroine, but the villainess in the Emperor's tale.

So be it. The wicked are better dressed, with better one-liners, even if they're doomed to bad ends. She assembles the wildly disparate villains of the story under her evil leadership, plotting to change their fate. But as the body count rises and the Emperor's fury increases, it seems Rae and her allies may not survive to see the final page.

This adult epic fantasy debut from Sarah Rees Brennan puts the reader in the villain's shoes, for an adventure that is both 'brilliant' (Holly Black) and 'supremely satisfying' (Leigh Bardugo).

Expect a rogue's gallery of villains including an axe wielding maid, a shining knight with dark moods, a charmingly homicidal bodyguard, and a playboy spymaster with a golden heart and a filthy reputation.

*****

'Audacious, and supremely satisfying, Long Live Evil is the chosen one we've been waiting for. It succeeds as both a brilliant meditation on the pleasures and perils of fiction, and a sweeping, romantic adventure in its own right. Get ready to laugh out loud, cry in public, and cheer on the villains as Brennan smashes through tropes with witty, wild glee in this delicious, subversive treat of a book'
Leigh Bardugo

'The fantasy novel that every fantasy reader has been waiting for'
Jay Kristoff

'Long Live Evil is a glorious, swoon-worthy villain romance. What a delicious read'
Tasha Suri

'The compulsion Brennan casts over her readers is unholy. Not only could I not put Long Live Evil down, I barely remembered to blink. It was so immersive that when I finished I put my face in my pillow and screamed in actual devastation at being kicked out of the story. Utterly magical'
Shelley Parker-Chan

'Sarah Rees Brennan's charms are unmatched. Her books makes you feel as if you're in on the joke and always invited on the most fantastic and romantic adventure'
Rainbow Rowell

'Long Live Evil is the huge-hearted and whip-smart epic fantasy of my dreams. I went in laughing and came out crying, and so will you. I'm obsessed'
Alix E. Harrow

'Brennan's brilliant Long Live Evil harnesses clever banter, delightful turns of phrase, and epic worldbuilding in the service of exploring the nature of stories and the freedom that comes with embracing being named a villain - and maybe actually becoming one. Most of all, it introduces us to Rae, who uses her quick-thinking, loyalty, and ferocity to sidestep (and do the occasional musical number around) doom'
Holly Black

'Utterly brilliant. I can't stop thinking about Long Live Evil, which has rocketed to the top of my list of all time favourite fantasy novels. Pick this up immediately, Brennan will take everything you think you know about fantasy and turn it on its head'
C.S. Pacat

'A wild joyride . . . surprisingly poignant but also made me laugh until people looked at me on the train'
Everina Maxwell

'Brennan is one of the sharpest fantasy authors writing today, and Long Live Evil layers laugh-out-loud comedy and swoony romance over an emotional core of powerful anger and loss. I loved it'
Emily Tesh

'Laugh out loud, heartfelt and searing in the same breath. Simultaneously a send-up and a tribute to the tropes, fandom and power of fantasy, Long Live Evil is a romp that leaves you asking: are we all the villains in someone else's narrative?'
Eliza Chan

'A defiant shout of a book, so entertaining and funny that you almost don't notice its devastating, razor-sharp heart until it's smiling sweetly into your face while it withdraws the knife'
Freya Marske

'Brennen has gifted us with a romp of a book that honours the epic tropes we all secretly (or not so secretly) love. Long Live Evil is perfect for savvy readers who know that the villain is always the best character'
Megan Bannen

'Long Live Evil is truly one of the most inventive fantasy books I've ever read. I can't decide what I liked best: the witty banter, the genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, or the clever wordplay. The good news is that I don't have to pick, and it all worked together seamlessly. If you're looking for a fresh voice in fantasy that twists your favourite tropes into new brand-new favourites, then run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore. Long live evil, indeed'
Nisha J. Tuli