Ignyte Award-winning author C. L. Clark brings fantasy to the fens with Fate's Bane, a tragic sapphic adventure.

Warring clans. Burning hearts. Deadly fate.

The clans of the fens enjoy a tenuous peace, and it is all thanks to Agnir, ward and hostage. For as long as she can remember she has lived among the enemy, learning their ways, growing strong alongside their children. When a burgeoning love for the chieftain’s daughter lures them both to a hidden spring, a magic awakens in them that could bind the clans under one banner at last—or destroy any hope of peace. By working their intentions into leather, they can weave misfortune for their enemies… just like the Fate’s Bane that haunts the legends of the clans.

Ambitions grow in their fathers’ hearts, grudges threaten a return to violence, and greedy enemies wait outside the borders, seeking a foothold to claim the fens for themselves. And though their Makings may save their families, the legend that gave them this power always exacts its price.

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Praise for this book

“With Fate's Bane, C.L. Clark has written a book that feels like a ballad sung at dusk, or a tale told by torch-light: haunting, ancient, full of bad blood and true love. Gather round, listen close--I promise, you'll never forget it.” —Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House

“Bardic and powerful, Clark weaves a timeless narrative of pain and retribution, love, loss and family against the backdrop of the ancient fens." —Hannah Kaner, bestselling author of Godkiller

“C. L. Clark invites us into a world of kinship, love and fearful struggle that will leave a reader breathless” —Lucy Holland, bestselling author of Sistersong and Song of the Huntress

“Fate's Bane was everything I wanted: a wildly romantic bogland fable, tough and tender by turns, gripping to the last moment. This book is a wonderful well-crafted little thing and I'd recommend it to pretty much everyone.” —Grace Curtis, author of Frontier and Floating Hotel

“Clark miraculously tells a grand epic in the space of a breathlessly paced novella, full of love and conflicting loyalty, family and betrayal, impossible choices and heartbreak. You will fall in love with Agnir and Hadhnri even as they fall in love with each other, and lose yourself with them in the magic of the fens.” —Melissa Caruso, author of the Swords and Fire trilogy

“A vivid fantasy romance set in the marshy Fens, mystical, emotional, and richly built despite the book's short length. This sapphic star-crossed-lovers tale will enchant fans of Samantha Shannon and Amal el-Mohtar with its rich meld of folkloric fantasy and epic-poetry-esque romance.” —Booklist

”Fate's Bane is heartwarming and heartbreaking. It sees love itself as a Making, as magic that forges something stronger than its parts. It's about finding your own power and owning it no matter how small it might seem - even if that power is nothing against the overwhelming machinations of fate.” —Locus Reviews

“Fate's Bane is an exquisite gem of a novella—a tightly crafted, emotionally resonant tale of love, longing, loyalty, and betrayal.” —Leslye Penelope

“Clark’s skill for Viking saga-craft and her clear affection for her sapphic warrior heroines combine into an unforgettable doomed love story.” —Publishers Weekly

“Smart and moving, brilliantly paced and gorgeously written, a great tale of daring and duty that delivers a powerful romance.” —Matt Bell, author of Appleseed




About the AuthorC.L. Clark is a BFA award-winning editor and the Nebula-nominated author of a handful of books, several short stories, and a few essays, including the Magic of the Lost trilogy (beginning with The Unbroken), the novella Fate’s Bane, and the Arcane novel Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf. When she’s not imagining the fall of empires, she’s trying not to throw her kettlebells through the walls.
Title: Fate's Bane
Author(s): C. L. Clark
ISBN: 9781250293152
Copyright 2025
Release Date: September 30, 2025
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: mobi,ePub | Learn More about our supported formats
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