The Sins of Steel and Shadow
(Book 1 of The Turned)
The Years of Blood are a distant—but vivid—memory, and in the centuries since, humans and vampyrs have learned to coexist, straining to hold together an uneasy peace. But no peace lasts forever.
And for Bail Neren, there has never been peace. He is a Turned. Not fully vampyr, but no longer human. Hated and reviled by both sides of the divide, his very existence is a constant struggle to survive.
But when Bail is offered the chance of a lifetime, there’s more at stake than just his own survival. Already an accomplished smuggler, he must now turn his hand to becoming a master assassin, leading his fellow Turned on a deadly mission to stop a dangerous coup.
To survive, he will have to learn to work alongside other Turned. To succeed, he will have to learn to trust them. And only in doing both will he have a chance of securing the one thing that matters most to him; his humanity.
Praise for The Sins of Steel and Shadow
Sins of Steel and Shadow is a great start to a promising new fantasy epic: an action-packed, bloody, character-driven fantasy ride in a fascinating, gritty world.
The real sin is leaving this on the shelf.
This is a dark, fast-paced book, with immersive world building, that feels gritty, tense and distrustful.
The murky politics, the social status and species divide, the morally grey characters — it hits all the right notes for fans of grimdark.
5/5
– Amazon review
Absolutely awesome.
Take my word for it, The Sins of Steel and Shadow is going to be the start of something amazing.
5/5
– Goodreads review
FAQs about this book
What genre is this book?
The Sins of Steel and Shadow is a gritty fantasy story. It has adult themes, delivered with dark humour.
Is it part of a series?
Yes, The Sins of Steel and Shadow is book 1 of The Turned series. Book 2 is expected to release in 2026, with Book 3 likely to be the final instalment in the sequence.
What other books is it similar to?
If you enjoyed Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series, Scott Lynch’s books following The Gentlemen Bastards, or any of David Gemmell’s books, then this story is for you!
How long is it?
The book is approximately 150,000 words long – or roughly 540 pages (5×8″ paperback)
Where can I buy it?
You can buy this book from most retailers, including Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Blackwells, BooksAMillion, Kobo, Waterstones – I also sell through independent bookshops, and if they don’t stock this book you can ask them to order one in for you.
Alternatively, you can also buy printed copies directly from me (US & UK customers only I’m afraid) – these orders are printed and distributed by Ingram Spark.
I run a bookstore, can I stock this book?
Yes, you can! The Sins of Steel and Shadow is distributed through IngramSpark, so it should appear on most buying platforms. If you’re having problems please contact hello@stevepannett.com and I’ll do what I can to support!
