Eden's Rise: The Empire Under the Mountains

• Launches October 24th, 2026 (Pre-order now)
• Epic fantasy primarily set in an underground dwarven world, at war with dragons
• Primary themes: coming of age, friendships, marginalization, political intrigue, radicalization
• Audience: suitable age 12+, main characters make it YA-ish (17 years old), adult crossover appeal (see reviews), clean (no spice, no gore, no profanity)
• Favorable review from Kirkus Reviews and BookLife, 4.2 stars on GoodReads (75 ratings)
• Launches as Author's Edition (hardcover), audiobook, ebook, standard edition (paperback + hardcover)
• Audiobook narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading (Wheel of Time (Jordan), Stormlight Archives (Sanderson))
• With illustrations by Roberto F. Castro (concept artist, Amazon's Rings of Power, Marvel), Greg Rutkowski (top fantasy artist), Pascal Wijnberg, Audrey Rouvin
• 415 pages, 108k words, fast pace read
• Debut novel, self-published, first book in planned series
• Professionally edited, certified no-AI
• Contact author: [email protected] / Instagram @oebruening

• "Atmospheric and tense... ambitious fantasy for readers who like their worldbuilding earned." — Kirkus Reviews
• "Fresh take on classic fantasy... fans of classic fantasy alive with feeling and ideas will relish an ending that feels like a new beginning." — BookLife
• "I think this book just reignited my love for classic fantasy."
• "I don't think I've been this engrossed in the twists and turns of the plot for a fantasy novel for years."
• "What an extraordinary debut for an author."
• "The world building is epic and immersive, the prose is beautiful."
• "I'm addicted and so ecstatic that this is going to be a series."
• "The narration was amazing and kept our whole family engaged in the story while listening in the car."
• "Great art holds a mirror to real life, and this does."
• "I'm dying for book two, and this isn't even released yet!"

More quotes →

• 1. Author's Edition (limited collector's hardcover)

  A book designed to be treasured. Special cover with embossing, 16 pages of full-color illustrations by Greg Rutkowski, Roberto F. Castro, Pascal Wijnberg, and Audrey Rouvin, deleted-scenes bonus content, full-color endsheets, sprayed edges, and a bookmark ribbon. Printed with sustainable soy inks in a limited print run. $34.99 plus tax and shipping, with a 10% pre-order discount. Ships late November.

  Where: Sold only at edensrise.com/preorder. Because it is custom-printed, it is not carried by bookstores or online retailers.

• 2. Audiobook

  Narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading, the voices of Sanderson's Stormlight Archive and Jordan's Wheel of Time. Recommended price $19.99, varies by retailer. Pre-orders open now, available October 24, 2026.

  Where: Audible, Spotify, Apple Books, Libro.fm, Kobo, Google Play, Chirp, Barnes & Noble, Audiobooks.com, Storytel, Everand (Scribd), Bookshop.org, Books-A-Million, Downpour, Nextory, AudiobooksNow, Bokus Play, Bookmate, 24symbols, Audiolibrix, Cliq Digital, Anyplay, TuneIn. Libraries: OverDrive, Libby, hoopla.

• 3. eBook

  Digital edition with the full illustrations. $8.99. Pre-orders open now, available October 24, 2026.

  Where: Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Tolino (via Thalia), Smashwords, Fable, Vivlio, Everand. Libraries: OverDrive, Libby, hoopla, cloudLibrary, BorrowBox.

• 4. Paperback (standard edition)

  Standard paperback with the same illustrations in black and white, printed on demand for general distribution. $17.99. Available October 24, 2026.

  Where: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Books-A-Million, Waterstones, and independent bookstores.

• 5. Hardcover (standard edition)

  Standard hardcover with the same illustrations in black and white, printed on demand for general distribution. $26.99. Available October 24, 2026.

  Where: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Books-A-Million, Waterstones, and independent bookstores.

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  Author's Edition cover

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  Standard edition cover (hardcover, paperback, eBook)

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  Audiobook cover

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