[QCRIT] The Tide of Empire, Adult, Fantasy, 86K, First attempt
Hello! This is my first time posting to reddit and posting my query letter. I've sent this query out to 10 agents and received form rejections. I've included an example personalization that would be tailored to each agent. Any feedback or advice would be much appreciated!
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Dear Agent,
Aife, a skilled fisherwoman, reluctant shepherd, and village oddity, is plagued by chronic pain and can’t dream beyond surviving the next winter with her steady husband. When spirits trespass into her nightmares and creatures rise from the pages of folklore to destroy her home, Aife embarks on a journey with elves, the adopted son of seers, and a shapeshifter whose form is bound to the rising of the first star to find survivors of her village.
Aife must travel to Selonica, the central city of a foreign continent, where creature attacks are stoking buried tensions of an old war. Her companions are as divided as the continent itself. Respected warriors of the progress-oriented Southern kingdoms are entrusted to shepherd survivors alongside dangerous mercenaries of the magic-practicing North. Among them is a warrior born of two kingdoms whose growing closeness to Aife threatens her return to a simpler life. As creatures haunt every step of their journey, Aife will need to discover the gift of her pain to understand what the spirit world is asking of her.
To save the heart of the continent, Aife must ultimately decide for herself the truth of this new land and her divided companions, and if she can claw back the peace of her island, does she still want it?
Complete at 85,940 words, The Tide of Empire is an adult high fantasy novel with a central queer romance, historically informed by the folklore and language of European cultures at the time of the fall of the Roman Empire. It will appeal to readers who enjoyed the epic journey of The Road of Bones, the central romance of the Priory of the Orange Tree, and the atmosphere of The Mercies.
I am submitting to you due to your interest in historically-informed fantasy with the world-building of Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s legacy series.
Professionally, I have a PhD in wildlife biology and work at the intersection of nature and culture.
Thank you for your time and consideration