The Inheritance Series
Queer Urban Fantasy for Adults
Inheritance is an ongoing series best read in order.
The books are available at all major retailers, and your friendly local bookshop or library can order them for you if they don't have them in stock.
Audiobooks are also available through retailers and libraries.
Signed paperbacks can be purchased direct from AK here.
Season One
Jack of Thorns
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Laurence Riley might be able to see the future, but he can't see a way to fix his messed-up life. He can't control anything—not his supernatural talents, not his drug addiction, and not his violent ex-boyfriend. Laurence needs help and he knows it. A lifelong pagan, he turns to his god... and he gets Jack. Jack can help Laurence tame his powers and take control of his life. But it comes at a price: Laurence will need to keep him fed with regular offerings of sex. For the old Laurence, that would've been a pleasure. Problem is, Laurence has met Quentin.
Quentin is devastatingly handsome, way out of Laurence's league (like British nobility levels of out-of-his-league), and unbearably chaste. If that weren’t enough to keep Laurence away, Quentin's wild telekinesis is even more uncontrollable than Laurence's precognition. But Laurence doesn't want anyone else, and Jack is getting hungry.
Then Laurence foresees a glimpse of Jack's true plan. It will leave a trail of death across San Diego--and Laurence has been helping him do it. The past has taught him that the future can't be changed. But if Laurence and Quentin can't stop Jack, there won't be any future at all.
Ableism, Acephobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Arophobia, Biphobia, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Coercive Control, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Dissociation, Domestic Abuse, Drug Abuse, Drug Overdose, Drug Use, Emotional Abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental Illness, Panic Attack/Disorder, Past Childhood Sexual Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual Assault, Sexual Content, Sexual Harassment, Stalking, Suicidal Thoughts, Threat of Sexual Assault, Toxic Relationship, Violence, Vomiting.
Effortlessly handling weighty issues of addiction, class, and sexuality, Faulkner keeps [their] heady mythology grounded in reality and lays a promising foundation for future installments. Readers will be eager for the next in the series.
Publishers Weekly: Starred Review
AK Faulkner thrusts together two deliciously flawed main characters (a former heroin addict and a mysterious member of British nobility), then weaves an empowering plot of destiny, inheritance, and self-improvement—all while letting the reader languor in the glow of a glorious slow burn romance.
IndieReader: Approved Review
Faulkner builds the book out into its supernatural elements with the barely contained glee of a mousetrap architect who just got their hands on a 3D printer.
Alasdair Stuart: Writer, Voice Actor, & Podcaster
Knight of Flames
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Some men are forged in fire.
Quentin d’Arcy may have survived a showdown with a god, but now he faces something far more terrifying: falling in love. And the secret he’s hiding from Laurence could burn them both.
Kane Wilson says he wants to make a better world—one in which psychics are out and proud without fear of reprisal or hatred—but there’s a trail of bodies buried in his past. Kane’s power is his words. When he commands, everyone obeys. They have no choice.
Everyone except Quentin. As the only person in San Diego immune to Kane’s mind-control, he is the psychic community’s last line of defense against Wilson’s murderous schemes.
The fire has been foreseen.
Quentin’s survival hasn’t.
Ableism, Biphobia, Blood, Bullying, Child Abuse, Child Death, Child Sexual Abuse, Death, Death of Parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Fire, Fire Injury, Gun Violence, Homophobia, Medical Content, Medical Trauma, Murder, Rape, Sexual Content, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Torture, Toxic Relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit.
An energetic urban-fantasy sequel that skillfully expands the saga’s worldbuilding and cast.
Kirkus Reviews
I seriously cannot get over how much I love these books. The characters continue to be complex human beings, the plot was intriguing, the romance amazing (the pet names between the two are just absolutely adorable), and I love how well this story sucks me right in.
Katie Guest: wordsandworldsbooks
Lord of Ravens
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Hunter and prey. Which is which?
Laurence Riley believed that he was nothing. He couldn’t have been further from the truth. Descended from Herne the Hunter, his own need to seek prey has long gone unfulfilled. Now it’s out of control.
Something ancient is coming to take Quentin home: a creature of nightmare who feasts on the flesh of children. But Laurence has seen the real monster. The one who is pulling all their strings from afar.
Only Herne can prepare Laurence to face an evil which far outmatches him. Their enemy wields the most powerful weapon of all, and will destroy everyone Laurence loves unless he can master the same power.
He must learn magic.
Ableism, Adult/Minor Relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal Death, Blood, Bullying, Car Accident, Child Abuse, Child Sexual Abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of a Parent, Deportation, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual Assault, Sexual Content, Torture.
Readers anticipating the author’s knack for indelible prose won’t be disappointed... A grand entry in a consistently gripping and remarkable urban fantasy saga.
Kirkus Reviews
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Truth is a matter of perspective.
Frederick d’Arcy is determined to unearth the truth behind his mother’s untimely death, but the only witness is a man whose mind Frederick cannot read: his twin brother, Quentin. And Quentin is up to his neck in trouble half a world away.
That trouble’s name is Kane Wilson. As Wilson works to out psychics and kill anyone who gets in his way, Frederick enters into a deadly game of cat and mouse. He must outwit, outthink, and outmanipulate Wilson without revealing the extent of his own powers, or the vengeance he seeks could be snatched from his grasp.
This isn’t the Knight of Flames you remember.
Ableism, Adult/Minor Relationship, Blood, Child Abuse, Child Death, Child Sexual Abuse, Classism, Death, Death of a Parent, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, Fire, Fire Injury, Gore, Grief, Murder, Police Brutality, Rape, Sexual Assault, Sexual Content, Suicide, Toxic Friendship, Toxic Relationship, Violence, Vomit.
A thoroughly riveting installment of a supernatural saga. [...] Fans of the series anticipating the author’s typically sublime passages will be more than satiated.
Kirkus Reviews
Page of Tricks
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There’s nowhere left to run.
Quentin d’Arcy has escaped his father’s clutches for six years, but the life he has built in San Diego is about to come crashing down. The skeletons in his closet won’t stay hidden.
The Duke of Oxford’s pawns are all in place. One move triggers a catastrophic chain of events: Freddy kidnaps Laurence, and Quentin is thrust into a race against time to save both his lover’s sanity and his own.
Every family has secrets, but the d’Arcy line is built on them.
Nothing will ever be the same again.
Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Blood, Car Accident, Child Abuse, Child Sexual Abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of a Parent, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, Emotional Abuse, Excrement, Fire, Fire Injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Incest, Injury, Injury Detail, Kidnapping, Mental Illness, Murder, Panic Attack/Disorder, Rape, Sexual Assault, Sexual Content, Torture, Toxic Relationship, Violence.
Throughout the series, Faulkner has successfully fused supernatural events with Quentin and Laurence’s budding romance. This fifth installment adds much more action and suspense to the mix, and there’s a noticeably swifter pace as Quentin scours London in search of Laurence and answers. [...] Perpetually engrossing characters populate this invigorating installment.
Kirkus Reviews
Season Two
Rites of Winter
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Let the Wild Hunt begin!
Tortured. Broken. Laurence and Quentin need time to heal. A layover in New York offers just that, but then Quentin vanishes in the worst blizzard the city has ever seen, and all Laurence’s Hunter gifts aren’t enough to track him down.
Two gods have warred for centuries. One is trapped in Manhattan, and needs Laurence’s aid if he’s to continue his vendetta. The other is confined to Annwn, the Land of the Dead. He needs Quentin’s help if he’s to win once and for all.
Unlike gods they’ve encountered before, these ones aren’t frail. Not even close. But there really can be only one, and Laurence must fight to save Quentin before they both get trampled into dust.
He can’t do it alone.
Body Horror, Child Abuse, Death, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, Emotional Abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Panic Attacks/Disorders, Torture, Toxic Relationship, Violence.
A sprightly, engaging paranormal series installment with magic-infused action and character evolution.
Kirkus Reviews
Sigils of Spring
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We all fall down.
When Quentin is accosted by YouTube ghost-hunters with a crackpot theory about his mother, he writes it off as nonsense — until they kidnap him right off the street in broad daylight. Not even his psychokinesis can save him, but Laurence will. He must.
Except Laurence can't find Quentin. His powers have never failed him like this before. There's only one hope left: a stranger called Angela is willing to teach him more magic than he currently knows. Normally he'd write her off as bad news, but Quentin is running out of time, and Laurence is all out of options.
He has less than 48 hours to save Quentin's life, and no price is too high.
The clock is ticking.
Ableism, Blood, Child Abuse, Confinement, Death, Eating Disorder, Emotional Abuse, Kidnapping, Mental Illness, Murder, Physical Abuse, Religious Bigotry, Self Harm, Sexism, Stalking, Torture, Violence.
While the protagonists are, as always, an indelible, series-worthy couple, others stand out as well, such as Laurence’s familiar, Windsor, a charming raven with whom he often communicates telepathically. The ending hints at an evil that the heroes may not have encountered yet. This enthralling, sensational tale further bolsters a series about love and superpowers.
Kirkus Reviews
Spells of Summer
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Learning magic doesn’t come cheap, and the bill is long overdue.
Rufus needs his student’s help to solve his parents' murder, and after a year of tuition, Laurence has run out of excuses to put off witnessing the gruesome secrets buried in the past. But his vision only raises more questions. The mystery isn’t how they died, but how Rufus survived.
The only clue is a teddy bear nobody remembers, and it holds magic powerful enough to hospitalize Freddy, entangle a god, and hide a murderer.
Maybe some secrets are better left buried.
Ableism, Child Abuse, Confinement, Death of Parent, Grief, Injury, Injury Detail, Kidnapping, Medical Content, Medical Trauma, Panic Attacks/Disorders, Sexual Content, Torture, Violence.
This latest offering retains the somber tone and understated humor that Faulkner mastered in previous volumes in the series. Most characters have dark pasts that weigh heavily on them in the present day. This sequel explores familiar territory, with copious nods to earlier events throughout the series. Still, the mystery this time around is thoroughly engaging, and the cast is, as always, fascinating. Series staple Frederick is especially memorable as a sublimely complicated telepath who’s easy to like despite his unquestionable capacity to do some awful things. Laurence and Quentin, too, are shown to struggle with the effects of past traumas, including Laurence’s former heroin addiction and Quentin’s father’s abuse. [...] A well-developed cast fuels the latest entry in a consistently absorbing paranormal series.
Kirkus Reviews
Runes of Fall
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No storm bows to reason.
Quentin's trip to the desert with his chosen family is supposed to be two days of testing the limits of their powers. Instead, a violent storm looms on the horizon, and nothing will alter its course.
The storm has a name: Nate Anderson. Demigod, supremacist, leader of a neo-Nazi Übermensch cabal... and father to Quentin's latest ward, Mel. He means to take her home, and won't let a ragtag group of "inferior" psychics get in his way.
Besieged and outgunned, Quentin is trapped in a no-win scenario. No matter which way he turns, one fateful night will change him forever.
Transphobia, Sexual content, Violence, Child abuse, Disordered eating, Nazis, Loss of family member, Grief, Homophobia, Racism, Kidnapping, Blood, Murder, Death, Panic attacks, Stalking, Vomit, Drug use, Drug abuse, Medical content, Torture, Child death, Sexual abuse.
Another profound and exhilarating entry in this queer urban fantasy series.
Kirkus Reviews
At points in this story I actually wailed aloud; "Noooooo!" (Which went down well in the canteen at work!) But such is my investment in these brilliant characters.
Amazon Reviewer
Wheel of Fate
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The wheel turns.
Laurence figured he'd be planning his wedding as soon as he got home from the desert; instead he's pulled away from his fiancé to track down Rufus' missing mom. Worse, the last person he'd ever want help from is on his side, and Laurence can't afford to say no.
Surrounded by strands of fate that rapidly became a web, Laurence's only hope is to aim for the spider at its heart, but Vincent Harrow has been weaving it since before Laurence was born.
Trapped between two evils, neither of which are lesser, Laurence is about to discover that there really are fates worse than death.
Violence, Childhood sexual abuse, Disordered eating, Dissociating, Death, Loss of family member, Confinement, Blood, Torture, Murder, Vomit, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Violence, Injury detail, Medical content, Slavery, Animal death.