Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame

With an armored, oath-bound hero reminiscent of The Mandalorian and the Asian-inspired epic fantasy of She Who Became the Sun, Neon Yang's Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is a stunning queer novella about a dragon hunter finding home with a dragon queen.

Few know the true identity of the masked guildknight of Mithrandon.

She barely remembers herself.

The masked guildknight--Yeva--was thirteen when she killed her first dragon. With her gift revealed, she was shipped away to the imperial capital to train in the rare art of dragon-slaying. Now a legendary dragon hunter, she has never truly felt at home--nor removed her armor in public--since that fateful day all those years ago.

Yeva must now go to Quanbao, a fiercely independent and reclusive kingdom. It is rumored that there, dragons are not feared as is right and proper, but instead loved and worshipped. It is rumored that there, they harbor a dragon behind their borders.

While Yeva searches for the dreaded beast, she is welcomed into the palace by Quanbao's monarch, Lady Sookhee. Though wary of each other, Yeva is shocked to find herself slowly opening up to the beautiful, mysterious queen.

As they grow closer, Yeva longs to let Lady Sookhee see the person behind the armor, but she knows she must fulfill her purpose and slay the dragon. Ultimately, she must decide who--or what--she is willing to betray: her own heart, or the sacred duty that she has called home for so long.

"A lovely, intricate gem of a fairy tale about finding yourself in another person and traveling distant lands to finally come home. I loved it."--Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six

"A brisk and satisfying tale full of love, hope, and yearning."--Publishers Weekly

"Neon Yang's careful craft yields a tender story of romance and self-exploration that feels like a dream. Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is a stunning accomplishment."--Reactor

"Beautifully written and brimming with lush detail, Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is the sapphic lady knight story of my dreams. A perfectly satisfying tale of knights, dragons, duty, and finding your way home."--M. Stevenson, author of Behooved

"Yang's emotion-laden novella will be a hit with fans of dragons and slow-burn romantasy. Readers of Aliette de Bodard and the "Singing Hills Cycle" series by Nghi Vo will especially enjoy Yang's prose."--Library Journal, STARRED review

"Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is a beautiful story of reclaiming one's heritage to arrive at a new, unimagined place. At times exciting and at times measured, it has both a fast pace and deep characters."--Sung-il Kim, author of Blood of the Old Kings

"Yang presents readers with a folklore-inspired tale complete with queer love and a coming-of-age story. . . [a] lush, mythological novella."--Booklist

"Delightful. . . There's a great deal to love in Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame."--Locus

Neon Yang (they/them) is the author of four other novellas (The Red Threads of Fortune, The Black Tides of Heaven, The Descent of Monsters, and The Ascent to Godhood) and one novel (The Genesis of Misery). Born and raised in Singapore, they currently live in the UK where they spend their days avoiding productivity by playing video games. Find them on social media @itsneonyang.

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