Coming May 29th, 2025: The Pawns of Havoc
“No Mercy, No Questions Asked”
Fans of Michael J. Sullivan, Nicholas Eames, and James Logan, listen up… a new treat is coming your way! That’s right, after delivering an absolute banger of a debut in The Envoys of War, Dave Lawson now expands the The Envoys of Chaos series with a brand-new prequel novella: The Pawns of Havoc.
Absolutely no worries if you haven’t read book 1 yet (but honestly, hurry up and go do so, you’re missing out), because this novella can totally be treated as a satisfying standalone. And from what I can tell, this rollicking adventure will be the perfect way to get a little tantalising bite-sized taste of Lawson’s charmingly chaotic fantasy fun.
Don’t trust my word for it? Just let this wicked blurb speak for itself:
No Mercy, No Questions Asked.
Cork has quickly made a name for himself among the Kosellan mercenaries, but now his boss has come to him with an unusual job.
Cork’s erstwhile countrymen, the Winn, have hired him to travel into the barren Frozen Lands and destroy a convoy, leaving only one survivor. Cork isn’t sure he can trust the Winn. He feels like a pawn in their political game. However, his mother is sick and the Winn have promised to heal her if Cork does the job. And killing is what Cork does best.
To make matters worse. Cork’s crew has been decided for him: Arabella, an inexperienced and infuriating archer, and Nessa, a gloomy criminal with murder on her mind. Cork will have to figure out how to complete the job, avoid Winn treachery, and manage conflicts with Arabella and Nessa along the way.
It’s going to be chaos.
Now, tell me that doesn’t make you want to drop everything to read The Pawns of Havoc immediately when it releases. It sounds so so so fun!
And naturally, a novella with such a strong premise deserves one hell of an epic cover as well, so let’s just stop stalling and reveal the masterpiece already. Be prepared for your eyes to be blessed in 3, 2, 1….
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The Pawns of Havoc: An Envoys of Chaos Novella
I mean, the epicness and action just drip off it, I love it! All the credit for this fire cover belongs to the incredible Miblart, who absolutely nailed the darkly alluring vibe of this epic story.
Now, I know you’ll want to dive straight into this adventure when it drops on May 29th, so go right ahead and PRE-ORDER The Pawns of Havoc right now.
Or for the impatient souls (me, it’s me), go right ahead and sign up for an ARC so we can all create some early buzz around for this fun novella ahead of release. Again, you can totally read this prequel novella as a standalone, so don’t hesitate and just join the chaos. Cheers!
About the author:
Dave Lawson is an Oklahoma-based fantasy novelist. He received an MFA in Fiction Writing from The New School in 2009 and published some contemporary literary fiction, before spending several years doing absolutely nothing with his degree.
His first fantasy novel, The Envoys of War, was published in October of 2024. He enjoys writing about conniving rakes and creative liars who do whatever they must to get what they desire. However, Dave’s not like his characters. Pinky swear.
When he’s not writing, he teaches high school English and Drama. He lives with his wife, Caitlin, and their dog, Rowena, who is a ball of energy. In a past life, Dave was surely a pirate.
For updates, follow Dave on any of his socials via this linktree.
