A Testimony of Blood: A West African-inspired epic fantasy and sequel to the Aldiss Award-winning THE DANCE OF SHADOWS
Jul 2025 · Hachette UK
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544
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About this ebook
A Testimony of Blood is the epic sequel to the Aldiss Award-winning The Dance of Shadows by Rogba Payne, set in a richly imagined world where warring gods, reluctant heroes and colonial power collide . . .
A bird in a cage may be safe but it will know no peace until it can fly. After all that we have seen, all that we have lost, I believe that the time to dance has come. We've hidden long enough.
For those with the wit to learn, there is no better teacher than death. Nowhere is this truth better known than in the Eredo; where death's signature marks every corner as its leaders and people try to recover from a devastating attack. The lost princess Falina Almarak has been crowned queen of the Kasinabe and charged with the unenviable task of rebuilding a broken nation.
Rumi Voltaine, seen by so many as a hero, struggles to come to terms with the revelations of his ancestral past and the expectations that come with it. With the Shadow Order deprived of its essential healing elixir, Rumi and his companions embark upon an impossible mission: to journey into the deepest parts of the forest known as the bush of ghosts. The forest holds many secrets - including the gateway known as the Door of Testimony which may hold the power to bring the dead back to life. They will have to be careful though; godhunters are on their trail and time is a precious commodity when your adversaries are immortal . . .
A Testimony of Blood is the stunning continuation of the Song of Godhunters, an epic fantasy series by Rogba Payne suffused with West African myth, shadow magic and music. Perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, S.A. Chakraborty and Patrick Rothfuss.
Reader reviews for The Dance of Shadows where Rumi's story began . . .
'I loved everything about this book. The characters, the world building, the action scenes, the pacing, EVERYTHING' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Fantasy at its best' ' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Amazing characters, edge of your seat plot, fantastic and interesting magic and fascinating mythology all packaged together with a skill and finesse that blows my mind for a debut novel!' ' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A bird in a cage may be safe but it will know no peace until it can fly. After all that we have seen, all that we have lost, I believe that the time to dance has come. We've hidden long enough.
For those with the wit to learn, there is no better teacher than death. Nowhere is this truth better known than in the Eredo; where death's signature marks every corner as its leaders and people try to recover from a devastating attack. The lost princess Falina Almarak has been crowned queen of the Kasinabe and charged with the unenviable task of rebuilding a broken nation.
Rumi Voltaine, seen by so many as a hero, struggles to come to terms with the revelations of his ancestral past and the expectations that come with it. With the Shadow Order deprived of its essential healing elixir, Rumi and his companions embark upon an impossible mission: to journey into the deepest parts of the forest known as the bush of ghosts. The forest holds many secrets - including the gateway known as the Door of Testimony which may hold the power to bring the dead back to life. They will have to be careful though; godhunters are on their trail and time is a precious commodity when your adversaries are immortal . . .
A Testimony of Blood is the stunning continuation of the Song of Godhunters, an epic fantasy series by Rogba Payne suffused with West African myth, shadow magic and music. Perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, S.A. Chakraborty and Patrick Rothfuss.
Reader reviews for The Dance of Shadows where Rumi's story began . . .
'I loved everything about this book. The characters, the world building, the action scenes, the pacing, EVERYTHING' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Fantasy at its best' ' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Amazing characters, edge of your seat plot, fantastic and interesting magic and fascinating mythology all packaged together with a skill and finesse that blows my mind for a debut novel!' ' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Testimony of Blood is the epic sequel to the Aldiss Award-winning The Dance of Shadows by Rogba Payne, set in a richly imagined world where warring gods, reluctant heroes and colonial power collide . . .
A bird in a cage may be safe but it will know no peace until it can fly. After all that we...
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About the author
Rogba Payne was born in London and raised across both London and Lagos, Nigeria. He is a descendant of John Augustus Otunba-Payne; the noted lawyer and murdered prince of the Ijebu-Ode royal family. Now himself a lawyer, he is most alive writing speculative fiction that examines issues of power, prejudice and spirituality. He is the author of The Dance of Shadows and A Testimony of Blood, the former of which won the inaugural Aldiss Award for Worldbuilding in 2025.
Rogba Payne was born in London and raised across both London and Lagos, Nigeria. He is a descendant of John Augustus Otunba-Payne; the noted lawyer and murdered prince of the Ijebu-Ode royal family. Now himself a lawyer, he is most alive writing speculative fiction that examines issues of power, ...
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