The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver

Tolkien meets Jemisin in this sensational epic fantasy debut filled with fallen gods and forbidden magic

By: Rafael Torrubia

Narrated by: Lianne Walker

'If, like me, you're interested in what comes after the war, what sins and saints it begets, this is the book you want this year' C. L. CLARK

'A dark fairytale of epic proportions' J.T. GREATHOUSE

'A gothic love letter to high seas, deep love, and the epic stakes of a world at risk. The spirit of Poe infused with Samantha Shannon, and perfect for fans of both' R.R. VIRDI

'The most beautiful book I have read in a very long time. Dark, gothic, visceral and incredibly hard-hitting' ROGBA PAYNE

'Bold, brassy, clever work. It made me feel like my childhood self again' THE SCOTSMAN

'Rafael Torrubia is a generational talent' HARDY'S BOOKS

MEET YOUR NEXT EPIC FANTASY OBSESSION . . .

No one remembers the calamity that killed the gods and stole the names of their people. Now Shipwright and Shroudweaver are known only by their professions.

She's a master of magical shipbuilding. He's a maker of the gilded gods that fuel their sails, stitched from the souls of dead sailors.

When a chance to save their world calls the veterans back to shore, they decide they'll stop at nothing to vanquish the ultimate evil, embarking on a deadly race against time to beat the grief-wracked sorceress known as Crowkisser to the notorious mountain kingdom in the legend-infested north before she unleashes the ancient power entombed at its heart - the one waiting to finish what it started.

The first book in a brand-new debut duology, The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver introduces a trail-blazing voice in Scottish fantasy, fusing the Celtic folklore of J.R.R. Tolkien with the climate geopolitics of N.K. Jemisin in an epic adventure of ancient gods, apocalyptic magic, and love that can survive the end of the world - unmissable for fans of The Will of the Many by James Islington, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.©2025 Rafael Torrubia

Critic reviews

I've enjoyed every sentence of this beautiful, beautiful book. If, like me, you're interested in what comes after the war, what sins and saints it begets, this is the book you want this year

A dark fairytale of epic proportions. Torrubia casts a spell with their poetic prose and portrays a strange, magical world full of complex and compelling characters

Rafael Torrubia pulls you along a dark, surreal, and hauntingly lovely dream over the high seas in this powerful debut fantasy. With prose that's lilting, seductive, and smooth, a story that pulls at your heartstrings like canvas and rope, and a magic as deep and sorrowful as it is fantastic and forbidden, The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver is a gothic love letter to high seas, deep love, and the epic stakes of a world at risk. The spirit of Poe infused with Samantha Shannon, and perfect for fans of both!

The most beautiful book I have read in a very long time. Dark, gothic, visceral and incredibly hard-hitting. Rafael Torrubia's prose is stunning and they have managed to render gripping characters in a tortured world that will stay with me for quite some time. A delight from the first page to the last

This is bold, brassy, clever work. It made me feel like my childhood self again

Rafael Torrubia is a generational talent