Hessa is an Eangi: a warrior priestess of the Goddess of War, with the power to turn an enemy's bones to dust with a scream. Banished for disobeying her goddess's command to murder a traveller, she prays for forgiveness alone on a mountainside.

While she is gone, raiders raze her village and obliterate the Eangi priesthood. Grieving and alone, Hessa - the last Eangi - must find the traveller and atone for her weakness and secure her place with her loved ones in the High Halls. As clans from the north and legionaries from the south tear through her homeland, slaughtering everyone in their path Hessa strives to win back her goddess' favour.

Beset by zealot soldiers, deceitful gods, and newly-awakened demons at every turn, Hessa burns her path towards redemption and revenge. But her journey reveals a harrowing truth: the gods are dying and the High Halls of the afterlife are fading. Soon Hessa's trust in her goddess weakens with every unheeded prayer.

Thrust into a battle between the gods of the Old World and the New, Hessa realizes there is far more on the line than securing a life beyond her own death. Bigger, older powers slumber beneath the surface of her world. And they're about to wake up.

Available in print, ebook and audiobook formats, wherever books are sold.

REVIEWS & PRESS

"Hall of Smoke is the kind of fantasy I love, filled with both high stakes and tender, nuanced human emotion. Add to that lyrical writing and intriguing world building, and you have a truly special debut. Not to be missed."
Jessica Cluess, author of the Kingdom on Fire series and House of Dragons

"Long gives us a flawed hero, a woman battling grief, rage and – perhaps most poignant of all – doubt. It is thrilling to stand beside Hessa as she stares into the abyss and begins to reassemble herself there. Long's writing is elegantly understated, filling out Hessa's complex world without ever stranding us – we are with her through every stumble and triumph. Hall of Smoke is ultimately a book about what it means to have your deepest illusions shattered and still scrape together the courage to begin again. A vivid and compelling debut."
Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong

"Hall of Smoke is a breath of fresh air. The world is unique, the fights are top-notch, and the cast is unforgettable. A dazzling, fast-paced story with clashing civilizations, squabbling gods, and an indomitable heroine caught in the center of it all, Hessa's is a tale that will grab you from the very first line and won't let you go. I can't wait to see what Long comes up with next."
Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart

"Hessa is a brilliantly written heroine, and I could easily have spent another 400 pages with her. The book's world-building is intricate and refreshingly original, and it all ramps up to a finale that is the dictionary definition of epic."
Allison Epstein, author of A Tip for the Hangman

‘Long refuses to play it safe and, in the process, brings something new to the epic fantasy genre’ - Beauty in Ruins

‘Fantasy fans won’t want to skip H.M. Long’s epic Viking-inspired debut, which is packed with action and stars an unforgettable protagonist’ - Bookbub Best of 2021

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Character Art by @runarhall (IG)

Hessa

Ogam

Eang

Available wherever books are sold, including...

Temple of No God

A companion novel to Hall of Smoke, and the second book in the planned Four Pillars quartet.

After a brutal war between the gods, Hessa—High Priestess of the Eangen—has brokered a fragile peace. Through great sacrifice, she has forged an alliance between warring tribes and introduced her people to the true god.

But a new threat is growing across the southern border.

In the remnants of the once-great Arpa Empire, three factions are vying for the imperial throne, and the vast well of raw magical power only accessible to the Arpa Emperor. Already beating back former Arpa legionaries at her borders, Hessa knows she cannot let this chance slip by. She must intervene, for the safety of her people.

With the peace she has sacrificed so much for at stake, Hessa must venture into the heart of enemy territory, where warring Arpa factions are not the only danger she must face. A sinister new cult is on the rise, one with the power to absorb the life of everything it touches. With enemies on every side and her fragile alliance beginning to waver, Hessa must decide who to trust—no matter what it may cost her…

PRAISE:

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Forbidden Planet (UK)

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Thray

Art by @runar.hall (IG)

Ogam

Art by @runar.hall (IG)

Barrow of Winter

Set in the world of Hall of Smoke and third in the overall timeline of The Four Pillars series, this stand-alone title follows Thray, daughter of Ogam.

Thray is the Last Daughter of Winter, half immortal and haunted by the legacy of her blood. When offered a chance to visit the northern land of Duamel, where her father once ruled, she can't refuse – even if it means lying to the priesthood she serves and the man she loves.

In Duamel, Thray’s demi-god siblings rule under the northern lights, worshipped by arcane cults. An endless winter night cloaks the land, giving rise to strange beasts, terrible storms and a growing, desperate hunger. The people of Duamel teeter on the edge of violence, and Thray’s siblings, powerful and deathless, stand with them on the brink.

To earn her siblings’ trust and find the answers she seeks, Thray will have to weather assassinations, conspiracies and icy wastelands. And as her siblings turn their gaze towards the warmer, brighter land she calls home, she must harness her own feral power and decide where her loyalties lie.

Because when the spring winds blow and the ice breaks up, the sons and daughters of Winter will bring her homeland to its knees.

Barrow of Winter is available in print, ebook and audiobook formats.

PRAISE:

"A beautiful, impressionistic, and engrossing tale that is reminiscent of a Mercedes Lackey title. It is a coming-of-age tale full of danger and adventure, set against an icy, winter backdrop that imbues itself into each sentence."
-Library Journal

"An intricate world tapestry with colorful threads of myth and magic...Readers will want to stick with this stalwart heroine through her chilly treks and blood-stained battles."

-Publishers Weekly

“An epic fantasy set in a rich and wintry world of warriors, gods and monsters, with epic battles, dangerous magic, and complex family bonds. Thray is a heroine both powerful and vulnerable, and I loved her journey.”
Sue Lynn Tan, bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess

“Brimming with magic and intrigue, Barrow of Winter is a spellbinding read. Thray’s northern quest had me turning pages late into the night, as did Long’s beautiful winter-sharp prose. A vivid story that lingers long after the last word.”
Rebecca Ross, internationally bestselling author of A River Enchanted

"A world so vividly rendered you'll feel the ice on the pages"
Richard Swan, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Justice of Kings

“Long's story of a woman caught between the mortal and mythical worlds is evocative, lyrical, and brimming with fierce magic. Another brilliant addition to this clever, Norse-inspired series.”
Sunyi Dean, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book Eaters

"Sharp as the winter wind, Barrow of Winter grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go. Long's latest is a compelling portrait of a woman coming to know herself—woven through with betrayal, darkness, thunderingly epic stakes, and a cast of prickly immortals I couldn't get enough of. It's fantasy at its very best."
Allison Epstein, author of A Tip for the Hangman

“An epic fantasy adventure that reminds me why I love the genre, Barrow of Winter pulls you in and doesn’t let go. It’s a masterclass in world-building, with descriptions so visceral you can almost feel the icy winds. Thray is a complex, powerful character I would follow into the cold again and again. A superb new addition to the Hall of Smoke universe.”
M.K. Lobb, author of Seven Faceless Saints

"This unputdownable tale features cinematic action, lush worldbuilding, and a conflicted main character who is deeply relatable despite her demigod status. Barrow of Winter offers all the action and adventure of high fantasy while also taking the time to offer deep, thoughtful exploration of the meanings of life and death, family and enmity."
M. J. Kuhn, author of Among Thieves

“An epic journey into a strange and wintery world filled with intrigue, adventure, secrets, loss, battles and monsters.”
Kell Woods, author of After the Forest

“H. M. Long goes from strength to strength. Transportive and charged with intrigue, Barrow of Winter has a heroine in Thray whose appeal is in her turmoil and her flaws... With layers of lore and a sense of a vast, intricate history, Long expands on a world so vibrantly wrought I could taste the winter winds.”
Hannah Mathewson, author of Witherward

“Steeped in natural beauty cold to the touch and yet crackling with warmth, Barrow of Winter is about a young woman on an age-old quest of self-discovery that nevertheless feels as fresh and crisp as new snow. For fans of fantasy and adventure, this is a must read.”
Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, author of The Witch and the Tsar

“Barrow of Winter delivered exactly what I look for in epic fantasy: An immersive world of gods and warriors, with badass characters who will stick with me long after I reach the end.”
Gabriela Romero Lacruz, author of The Sun and the Void

“A tale of old gods, new gods, and a search for identity in the darkness of winter. Epic fantasy teeming with adventure and wonder.”
Christopher Irvin, author of Ragged

Pillar of Ash

Coming winter 2024, this fourth title set in the Hall of Smoke world will follow a powerful brother and sister duo whose bond will reshape - or break - the world.

More info to come.

Yske & Berin

Art by @runar.hall (IG)

THE WINTER SEA

DARK WATER DAUGHTER

A swashbuckling adventure on the high-seas, full of magic, betrayal, redemption and fearsome women, for readers of Adrienne Young and Naomi Novik

The first book in a new swashbuckling high-seas adventure series, with a dark folktale twist.

Mary Firth is a Stormsinger: a woman whose voice can still hurricanes and shatter armadas. Faced with servitude to a deathless pirate lord, Mary offers her skills to his arch-rival in exchange for protection - and, more importantly, his help in sending the pirate to a watery grave.

But Mary's dreams are dark and full of ghistings, spectral creatures who inhabit the ancient forests of her homeland and the figureheads of ships. Her new ally has his own vendetta, complete with revenge and a lost fleet, locked in the eternal ice of the far north, and disgraced pirate hunter Samuel Rosser is close on their trail. Samuel will stop at nothing to restore his good name and claim the only thing that stands between himself and madness: a talisman stolen by Mary herself.

Finally, driven into the eternal ice at the limits of their world, Mary and Samuel must choose their loyalties and battle forces older and more powerful than the pirates who would make them slaves.