Acquisition Announcement: The Dungeon Book by Gareth Hanrahan

Orbit is thrilled to announce the acquisition of two new standalone fantasy books from Gareth Hanrahan, author of The Gutter Prayer and The Sword Defiant. Senior Commissioning Editor Emily Byron acquired World Rights from John Jarrold at John Jarrold Literary Agency.

Coming first, in August 2026, will be The Dungeon Book (As told by Cornelius the Skull), a brilliantly witty, gleefully fun, and yet heartfelt tale in which a small child is thrown to a dungeon full of monsters who decide to raise her rather than eat her. Epic fantasy fans will love this captivating mash up of Dungeons and Dragons and The Jungle Book featuring a labyrinthine dungeon packed with monsters galore, a nefarious sorcerer, a merciless dragon, and plenty of dungeon-crawling mayhem.

Bait doesn’t remember a time before the dungeon, before the dragon stole her from her cot. She doesn’t know what her name was before she was handed over to the monstrous denizens of the dungeon beneath the sorcerer’s tower. Luckily for Bait, they decided not to eat her. And so, she grew up in the dark – the goblins her adopted family, a vengeful minotaur her protector, a sentient skull her tutor and a faithful blob of corridor slime her main source of nutrition.

But the labyrinthine dungeon, with its haunted halls, buried temples and forgotten magics, draws treasure hunters like moths to flame. And as the outside world starts to intrude, Bait will learn what it means to be monstrous, and she will have to decide where she truly belongs.

‘Full of wit and adventure, twists and turns, wonderful monsters and astonishing revelations. An absolute joy’ M. R. Carey, bestselling author of Once Was Willem

Gareth Hanrahan’s three-month break from computer programming to concentrate on writing has now lasted fifteen years and counting. He’s written more gaming books than he can readily recall, by virtue of the alchemical transmutation of tea and guilt into words. He lives in Ireland with his wife and three children.