HOT NEWS! The Ferren Trilogy chosen as one of the 8 BEST SERIES of the last few years
The Independent Book Review has made its judgement, and the Ferren books are up there with the eight best! It’s one of only two fantasies – the other is Joseph Stone’s paranormal Dark Fantasy, The Lykanos Chronicles, set in 1920s France.
Here’s the link to all of the eight – https://independentbookreview.com/2025/03/03/best-book-series-of-the-last-few-years/
And here’s the feature heading –
And Another Giveaway!
IFWG is still celebrating the release of Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven and the completion of the Ferren Trilogy – with ANOTHER giveaway! All three books go to four lucky winners –
IT’S OUT!!
At last! I’ve been hanging for this day! February 26, the day when the thunderous conclusion to the Ferren Trilogy goes on sale! FERREN AND THE INVADERS OF HEAVEN is now available globally – pbk $17.99 and ebook $5.35 in the US.
Quick round up of reviews –
“the set pieces are memorable … and the lengthy, riveting climax is searing … a wholly satisfying wrap-up” – Kirkus Reviews
“a harrowing yet vividly imagined epic that spans realms” – BookLife (supplement to Publishers Weekly)
“action explodes off the page … it flies by like a captivating action movie” – Independent Book Review
“it’s that rare kind of series that stays with you long after you’ve closed the cover” – Reader Views
PS. For Australian readers who want paperback not ebook – hang on a few more weeks and it’ll be available at a much cheaper price (and probably sooner too)
AND A DIFFERENT KIND OF REVIEW …
This one’s unusual – a review of the whole Ferren Trilogy. Extract here, full review posted in my Blog page.
“Visceral, poetic, and unforgettable…
Harland’s world-building is excellent. His vivid descriptions create an immersive setting that feels as vast as it is intimate.
[His] writing strikes a perfect balance between the vastness of the celestial war and the intimate, emotional stakes of the characters. The battles, both cosmic and terrestrial, are intense, chaotic, and emotionally charged. Yet, it is the emotional resonance of these conflicts, alongside Ferren and Miriael’s personal journeys, that makes the trilogy so compelling.”
And how about this review of Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven?
“The fantastic conclusion to an epic trilogy
… There’s always momentum, and it’s rarely slow moving. Action explodes off the page. Readers are on high alert from the moment the Residual Alliance escapes the Humens to the invasion of Heaven. From then on, it flies by like a captivating action movie. The author sure knows to keep his readers entertained.
Reaching the end of Harland’s Ferren trilogy is bittersweet. Bitter only because I didn’t want the adventure to end! The world is cleverly, deeply crafted and the protagonists are given their rightful endings. Any fantasy reader looking for days of entertainment should read the Ferren books up to the very last period.”
—- The Independent Book Review (Alexandria Duckworth)
I’ve posted the full review on my Blog page
A WEEK AND A DAY TO GO
Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven, Book 3 in the Ferren Trilogy, comes out globally on February 26th!
Meanwhile, a great advance review from Kirkus Reviews, who are well known for being very tough judges! But I love what they said about Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven –
“The set pieces are memorable … the lengthy, riveting climax is searing … a wholly satisfying wrap-up.“
“… Harland focuses this final installment of his fantasy series on action. The set pieces are memorable—Miriael, along with Ferren’s sister Shanna, witness angels and Humen clash; myriad Residuals flee their enemy in the midst of an intense hailstorm; and the lengthy, riveting climax is searing … Plenty of story unfolds in this novel … as one character’s demand to oversee the Residuals’ assembly sparks contempt and another’s subdued romantic feelings beget petty jealousy. Tension steadily builds as the Humen work on an “unimaginably huge construction” for a purpose not immediately apparent. The author rounds out this brisk finale with appearances from archangels, Miriael’s “visionary dreams,” and a wholly satisfying wrap-up.
An action-packed dystopian story teeming with celestial warriors and diabolical machines.”
The full review with extra description is posted in my blog.
And another giveaway – this time a competition, and this time it’s global! IFWG Publishing has announced two free sets of all 3 books – Ferren and the Angel, Ferren and the Doomsday Mission and Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven – to be given away on red letter day, February 26th.
All you do to enter is post a photo, illustration or video that’s angel-themed in Facebook, Instagram, Threads or BlueSky using the hashtag #ferrentrilogycomp. IFWG Publishing will collect all entries, and Gerry Huntman will judge and contact the winners. Jump in now and/or check it out at https://ifwgpublishing.com/2025/02/14/the-ferren-trilogy-giveaway-competition/
Now live on GoodReads and up for grabs in the US! Not just 4 print copies of Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven, but 4 three-packs of the whole Ferren Trilogy, print copies! Go to Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven to find the giveaway (or via Browse>Giveaways). The three-pack offer is in the message, but it has to appear under the title of a single book, and it’s only for GoodReaders in the US – that’s how the system works.
I talk about the latest novel and the whole trilogy with Jason Henderson on Castle Talk podcasts> https://www.spreaker.com/episode/castle-talk-richard-harland-author-ferren-and-the-invaders-of-heaven-ifwg-publishing–64057127 (I swear my rustic Suffolk accent is getting stronger all the time!)
Guess who created the fabulous cover? Who but the fabulous Elena Betti! She’s done it again – with a third angel for the third cover. This time it’s Metatron with his great tome, the Universal Register of all the angels in Heaven.
The story is still about Ferren, Miriael, Kiet, Shanna and Zonda, but Metatron is there at the climax. Or one scene of the climax – the last third of the book is all climax, the biggest rolling climax ever! Going up to Heaven, joining in the fighting against the Humen invaders of Heaven – I can’t even begin to describe all the twists and turns (and I wouldn’t give away the surprises anyway!) Everything that’s been building over the trilogy so far comes into it! Even the Morphs!
Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven is longer than the first two books, but only $1 dearer for the print version and still the same price for epub/Kindle. It’s available for pre-order (with a small discount) on Amazon; it’s also on Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo and others.
MORE GIVEAWAYS
Watch out for a GoodReads giveaway that starts on February 1 – it’s for Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven, but the package includes the first two books too! All three free! (US only)
If you haven’t caught up with the series, 6 print copies of Ferren and the Angel are being given away on YABC (Young Adult Book Central) as from yesterday. (US only). Jump in on it at –
ADVANCE REVIEWS OF FERREN AND THE INVADERS OF HEAVEN
Great review from BookLife. This one’s up on their website and will come out in print as a supplement to Publisher’s Weekly on Feb 17 –
The “Humen” of a dystopian future Earth storm Heaven itself in this polished and confident climactic installment of Harland’s Ferren Trilogy. Pulsing with complex relationships—platonic, familial, and romantic—layered world-building, angel lore, and epic celestial battles involving great snakes, spike-guns, flamethrowers, and the Sword of Judgement itself, this entry offers a harrowing yet vividly imagined epic that spans realms. The tension ramps up quickly. Even as the Residual Alliance has rescued the fallen angel Miriael and defeated the evil Doctor Saniette, the angels above deliver a message for their earthly adversaries: “Surrender now or suffer your fate. Your terrible fate.” Led by archangel Uriel, the angels prepare to launch an attack on the vulnerable Humen. But the fallen angel Asmodai, Miriael’s former love, has other plans, moving to take over the Humen Camp and lure Miriael back into his awaiting wings.
As humanity’s secret weapon, Asmodai leads the fight to the Heavens, while Miriael, whose visionary dreams will aid the incursion, and her friends must pick a side and practice some tense diplomacy. The action is inventive and surprising, blending future tech and feathered hosts, as Harland establishes a brisk pace with emotional stakes that match the apocalyptic narrative. Though biblical figures abound—archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel—Harland presents them as players in a sweeping fantasy rather than symbols of faith or religious teachings. That allows for unexpected compacts, jolting betrayals, and a welcome sense, too rare in angel-driven epics, that anything can happen. The geography of Heaven and strategies involving the front and supply lines are as fascinating and clear as the emotions and choices faced by the heroes
Fans of fantasy, angel lore, and desperate rebellions will find Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven compelling but are advised to start with the earlier volumes. For all this entry’s epic scope and long-built-to payoffs, Harland never loses sight of the human, emphasizing community, family bonds, and preserving the future as the tale races to an explosive conclusion.
__________________________
And another, from Sheri Hoyte of Reader Views. She gave Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven five stars – but what she had to say was better than stars ! >>>>>>
… One of the things I’ve come to love about this series is how Harland raises the stakes with each book, and here he pulls out all the stops. The scale of the war is epic—angels sweeping in across the sky, chariots of fire, the eerie hum of Humen force fields vibrating through the pages—yet even with all that, the story always feels deeply personal … The characters are the beating heart of this book.
“Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven” by Richard Harland brings The Ferren Trilogy to a breathtaking and unforgettable conclusion.
… The writing itself is as immersive as ever, with vivid descriptions that made me feel like I was right there on the battlefield, watching angels clash with Humen or creeping through the shadows with Ferren and his team.
… By the time I reached the final pages, I couldn’t believe it was over. After following Ferren’s journey through three extraordinary books, I felt a mix of satisfaction and sadness—it’s that rare kind of series that stays with you long after you’ve closed the cover. If you haven’t started thitrilogy yet, do yourself a favor and pick up “Ferren and the Angel” immediately. And if you’ve been following along, you’ll find “Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven” a worthy, heart-pounding finale … What a ride! (Sheri Hoyte in Reader Views)
I’ve put the full review on my BLOG page.
… AND THE AWARDS ARE CATCHING UP!
While the advance reviews for Book 3 are coming in, the awards are still catching up on Book 1. Ferren and the Angel has now taken out a second US award: the Moonbeam 2024 Silver Award for YA – Fantasy/Sci-Fi.
The first award was the Reader Views Reviewers Choice Silver Award for Teen Fiction
This trilogy’s on a roll! If Ferren and the Angel is good, Ferren and the Doomsday Mission is better and Ferren and the Invaders of Heaven’s the best!
I ought to be able to talk about something other than the Ferren Trilogy. I’ve had nineteen Spec Fic books published, I’ve scored international success with Worldshaker and its sequels, and I’ve won a swag of awards including the prestigious Prix Tam Tam du Livre Jeunesse in France. But right now nothing else matters – it’s Ferren, Ferren, Ferren all the way!
Check out Ferren on the menu above – or click here. Then maybe the other menu items later!
