Anna Jackson, Senior Editor at Orbit UK, has acquired World Rights in a three-book contemporary fantasy series by UK novelist James Bennett for a major five-figure sum. The agent is John Jarrold, and the first book, provisionally titled ASCENT OF EMBERS, will be scheduled for the second half of 2016. The sequels will follow over the next eighteen months.

This contemporary fantasy series features the last few remaining creatures from myth and legend hiding among us in human form. But the delicate balance between their world and ours is disturbed when a centuries-old rivalry resurfaces.

Acquiring editor Jackson said, ‘This highly imaginative and massively entertaining story grabbed our attention and wouldn’t let go. Fast-paced and action-packed, it explores what happens when the realms of classic myth and the real world collide. Our hero Ben Garston is one that the reader can’t help but root for, and fans of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher are sure to be enthralled. We can’t wait to unleash this story upon the world!’

James Bennett is a British writer of fantasy and horror. Born in Loughborough and raised in Sussex, South Africa and Cornwall, his travels have furnished him with a love of different cultures, history and mythology. He’s had several short stories published internationally in the independent press, his latest ‘Broken Bridges’ in Fox Spirit’s European Monsters anthology earning a feature in Starburst magazine. James Bennett currently lives in West Wales.

Feel free to join him on Twitter: @wytcheboy

He said: ‘I’m delighted that my first major series has been acquired by one of the world’s leading publishers of SF and Fantasy. I’m sure it’s the beginning of an exciting ride!’