A SEA OF INK
A New Mythic Historical Fantasy / Adult Epic Fantasy Series Begins
A Sea of Ink is Book 1 of an epic fantasy set in a world similar to ancient Greece.
The Gods are dead.
The seas are turning black.
War has come to the doorstep of a fledgling democracy.
An oracle’s plea for help binds the fates of an aging Strategos and a brilliant young slave.
Wanted for murder, together they must reach a besieged city and learn the secrets of the darkening seas within its walls.
A Sea of Ink offers readers:
The rich immersion in antiquity of quasi-historical fiction
Interwoven philosophy similar to Shantaram
Innovative cosmology
Cosmere style action and hard magic systems
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Athros is a young democracy in a world abandoned by the Gods. Meriarchus, an aging Strategos who is spending the twilight of his career serving in the Senate, fights to protect his city as war draws ever closer. Naia, and her neuro-atypical younger sister Zee, are orphaned slaves in the care of a kind master. When their master dies a violent death at the hands of his own son, Naia is framed for the murder and flees the estate. When Meriarchus receives a desperate plea from an oracle who once loved him, he sets out to find and rescue the runaway slaves and bring them to the besieged city of oracles. Their journey will not be easy, for they are hunted by three powerful Ink-bonded agents who wield traces of the powers the Gods left behind.
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A Sea of Ink shares the shelf with grounded fantasy series like Wheel of Time, Kingkiller Chronicles, and the Gentlemen Bastards series by Scott Lynch.
It also sits comfortably with historical fiction, like Troy by David Gemmel and Conn Iguldon’s Emperor series.
More recent similar titles include Will of the Many, Bloodguard, and popular reimagined myths such as The Songs of Penelope by Claire North and Ariadne. -
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang - Quasi historical fantasy with a female protagonist and magic elements
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty - Quasi historical fantasy with a female protagonist and magic elements
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri - Quasi historical fantasy with a female protagonist and magic elements -
A 2026 tentpole film is about to bring ancient Greece into the mainstream conversation.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has a locked theatrical release date of July 17, 2026, announced by Universal Pictures, with major-format emphasis and an unusually loud marketing campaign including an official trailer already in circulation.
Recent media coverage has explicitly framed the Odyssey as “having a moment,” driven by new translations, adaptations, and contemporary reinterpretations.
At the same time, myth-driven fiction keeps getting fresh oxygen: for example, I, Medusa (adult debut via Random House) is positioned squarely inside that ongoing demand for classical reimaginings.
A Sea of Ink is poised to arrive when readers are already primed for the textures of city-states, spears and sandals, maritime power, patron gods, oracles, bronze, blood, and the timeless myth of a journey home.
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A Sea of Ink’s target audience is both male and female adult fantasy readers. It will speak to history buffs, fans of ancient Greece/Rome, and features a central character that is neuro-atypical. It does feature violent action but doesn’t contain foul language or sex scenes.
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The manuscript (203k words) is complete and was recently revised based on Alpha reader feedback. Printed books are currently in the hands of thirty Beta readers, and feedback is coming in. The final manuscript will go through a round of edits and re-writing based on Beta reader comments.
The author has begun writing book 2 of the series, and about 10k words have been written so far.
Manuscript available upon request. -
A Sea of Ink is intellectual but accessible:
Flesch Reading Ease Score: 74.1
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 6.5 -
Rights are available and there has been no previous publication. The author is currently vetting literary agents.
Manuscript available upon request.
Market Position
About
the Author
David Angeloff is a professional storyteller (i.e. a practicing trial lawyer) based in Los Angeles.
He has contributed to and edited a number of non fiction works, including Talent Just Wants To Be Free and Sensation: The New Science of Physical Intelligence, as well as written numerous far more boring but no less important legal publications.
He has three children, a brilliant wife who reminds him how much he does not know about the world, a passport with lots of stamps in it, and a nightstand that is covered with graphic novels.
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