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Under the Iron Sky

The first book in a new dark, seductive and all-consuming fantasy series, in which a human commander and the masked enemy interrogator sent to break her are drawn into a slow-burn, dangerous bond - one that could end a fifteen-year war or ignite something far deadlier. Perfect for fans of Alchemised and Samantha Shannon.

Vordell was beautiful once. Its people lived in harmony as they harnessed the power of light – until darkness came. The Iron Sky smothered the suns, the earth split, releasing vicious creatures, and the long-buried Dar’rak reclaimed the world above.

A high-ranking commander, Soraya Tollmere has spent most of her life on the front lines of the brutal war that followed. By day, she leads covert missions across ruined lands through enemy territory. By night, she meets with a Dar’rak defector who has kept humanity alive with his steady stream of secrets.

But when a lead that could turn the tide of the war draws her into enemy territory, Soraya is captured by The Demon, the Dar’rak’s most feared soldier. His orders are simple: break the human commander and uncover humanity’s greatest weapon.

As devastating truths unravel and loyalties blur, Soraya must decide who to trust in a world where light is dying… and where her greatest enemy may be her only salvation.

© A.T. Emerald 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Under the Iron Sky is fresh, engrossing, brilliantly energetic. A.T. Emerald has crafted a gorgeously realised world savouring of Mad Max and Pitch Black. The combat scenes are vivid, the enemies-to-lovers throughline goes hard on the enemies (to my vast delight), and a juicy vein of cynicism seeps through the characters' voices. An exhilarating ride.

Brigitte Knightley

About A.T. Emerald

A. T. Emerald lives with her husband and baby daughter in Nottinghamshire. She discovered her love of writing in 2020 and has not shut up about enemies to lovers ever since. She loves iced matcha, torrid love confessions with knives pressed to throats (fictional, of course) and does not accept bills for any therapy her books might incur.
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