Anthologies
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The King Must Fall | 2022 | Buy |
The Crimson Empire Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Divine Death of Jirella Martigore | 2017 | N/A |
| Beasts of the Burnished Chain | 2018 | N/A |
| A Crown for Cold Silver | 2015 | Buy |
| Blut aus Silber | 2015 | N/A |
| A Blade of Black Steel | 2016 | Buy |
| A War in Crimson Embers | 2017 | Buy |
Alex Marshall is the pen name Jesse Bullington uses for his grimdark fantasy trilogy, beginning with A Crown for Cold Silver in 2015. Bullington had previously published under his own name, writing dark historical fiction with a pulpy edge. The Crimson Empire trilogy let him work at novel length in secondary world fantasy, and the result was praised for its scope, its dark humour, and for centring an older woman as its lead.
The trilogy follows Zosia, known in legend as Cold Cobalt, a former warrior-queen who has been living in hiding for years when her past catches up with her. A Crown for Cold Silver (2015) opens with an atrocity that forces her out of retirement; A Blade of Black Steel (2016) and A War in Crimson Embers (2017) complete the story. Zosia is not a traditional fantasy hero, and the world she inhabits is one where idealism tends to get people killed. The trilogy has a dedicated following among readers who want fantasy with genuine moral weight and characters past their prime trying to reckon with what they built.