The completed cover for the novel BLACK SNAKE by Sam Farren
The once-humble village of Zaunis has become the centre of all humanity. By writ of the gods, the people have constructed a castle that will serve as a gateway to one of the twin moons watching over them, where they need not fear the ever-encroaching ice.
Savu is amongst the thousands who have made the long journey south, though their exodus was no act of piety, nor was it driven by desire. They are one of the few survivors of Pallas, a country used as a stage by the surrounding kingdoms to wage war against one another. Savu now takes refuge in Keld, the country that finds it so easy to forget how brutally it annihilated their homeland.
Savu cares little for the castle, now complete, or the promise of yet one more home to lose. As all of humanity makes its slow migration to Zaunis, Savu finds theirself pulled in countless directions by witches, Spearmasters, and gods alike. There is something within Savu that humanity needs, something kept secret from even them, but they only have so much left to give to the people and gods who sacrificed nothing for Pallas.
BLACK SNAKE, the prequel to Bitfrost, is available for pre-order now and releases on 13/06/25
BLACK SNAKE is officially out today! It’s been a long time coming, and I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who’s made it possible and everyone who’s already picked up a copy!
If you’ve read Bitfrost, you’ll have to start thinking backwards for BLACK SNAKE. Metis, the supposed frozen wasteland of a moon, is a world of warmth, while the green-blue planet of Arcus is buried deep in ice and snow. The story starts on Arcus, telling the tale of the first exchange of worlds between humanity and the fae.
Sketches of Savu (they/them) and Ryka (she/her).
Taking place in the village of Zaunis, a once-humble settlement the gods decided would be the perfect location for a castle with little more explanation than “Just build it, it’s important,” BLACK SNAKE centres on Savu—a refugee living in the kingdom that destroyed their country, a blacksmith who wants to live a quiet life. Yet the gods keep appearing in their dreams and at their bedroom window, no matter how they try to ignore them.
Savu, having had a perfectly pleasant day until the god Helos (they/them) turned up in mortal form.
Much of Arcus has become uninhabitable at a startling rate as the temperature plummets, leaving only the nation of Keld and a few other countries along the equator habitable. Unlike in Bitfrost, the people have made a considerably better effort at adapting to the cold: magic is used to thaw out the earth and grow crops, and they’ve wisely not hunted their forests to extinction.
Life on Arcus is all about layers on layers on layers. Savu and Ryka have a shared heritage, which comes through in their clothing.
Ryka is one of Arcus’ many witches. Components for potions and the like are still fairly plentiful, which helps maintain agriculture, health, and physical comfort, which in turn keeps supplies flowing. Ryka lives in Laani, a neighbouring town, and her relationship with Spearmaster Grey soon brings her into Savu’s orbit.
You guessed it: more layers. Spearmaster Grey’s (she/her) clothes have a more Keldian twist.
Spearmaster and witch, Grey is a woman of many talents. After watching over Laani for many years, she leads the effort to connect Arcus to Metis by means of a portal in Zaunis’ castle. Unlike many who threw themselves at Zaunis the moment the gods arrived, Grey has made a point of continuing life as usual and dedicating herself to her citizens, not the cryptic whims of the gods.
Raanos (she/her), the god of all water but the sea itself, in a cute little hat.
Raanos appears in a burst of water and immediately makes herself human. She doesn’t just take on a mortal shell but actually becomes a human—she could tell you about her entire life up until that very moment, though it doesn’t exist. As a human, all the knowledge she once held is out of reach, perpetually relegated to her blind spot. In spite of that, she knows there’s something about Savu that catches her interest. She’s rarely not at Spearmaster Grey’s side.
As a god, Helos’ clothes are all for show.
Unlike Raanos, Helos hasn’t become a human—as seen in their golden eyes. They sift between forms as they please, most often appearing as the human pictured above and a wolf. Also unlike Raanos, Helos knows exactly what’s going on, but still won’t tell Savu. Things don’t need to make sense to Savu, after all! They only have to play their part. Helos, god of dreams, cannot be avoided even in the refuge of sleep.
While humanity has been stuck with Helos, the fae have had a much more orderly time with the ice-god.
And then, of course, we have the fae! They were only mentioned in Bitfrost, but they play an active, present role in BLACK SNAKE. Here’s one next to Savu for scale. They’re a feathered, taloned people, who thrive in the cold. They’re also monochrome, skin and feathers always in direct opposition: a white fae will have black feathers, a black fae white feathers, a light grey fae dark grey feathers, and so on.
Other characters you’ll meet include Spearmaster Kyn, Zaunis’ Spearmaster and the woman the gods first revealed themselves to; Kyros, sun-god, who is working alongside Helos but prefers to hide out in a forge than deal with humans too directly; Ain and Kara, the old married couple who have taken Savu in; Otava, who does nothing; and some sort of black snake?
You can pick BLACK SNAKE up here!
(This post was cross-posted from Sam's SubStack which you can follow here for all updates at no cost!
Would misery like to have kids? I think he’d be a very nervous father if he and his boyfriend ever had pups. But it’d also be super adorable!
Misery would definitely want to have a family! He’d panic and ask Chaos and his mate lots of guidance, and name Fuzzy as his and Savu’s pups’ Special Guardian Lempo :3
It's a hammock! It's a hot tub! It's a hammock that is *also* a hot tub! The Waitui and Bula models from Savu, Inc (Ashland, Oregon). The difference between the two offerings is being single or double layered for insulative purposes. Both are rated for two people (or 750 lbs.) Desiring a tub for the tiny house but can't justify the space one would require? Take your tubby time outside instead! Requires only 45 gallons of water when a normal tub consumes 100+ gallons. A separate portable heater pack (propane fired) is available to heat and circulate the water to make a true hot tub.
