Announcing THE SHADOWS HAVE TEETH and THE DARKNESS BITES BACK by Ben Alderson and Laura R. Samotin 🧛🏼

We are thrilled to announce a two-book deal with author Ben Alderson and Laura R. Samotin; The Shadows Have Teeth will be making its premiere in Fall 2026! With beloved tropes of star-crossed lovers, feuds as old as time and vampire galore, this duology is the gay gothic Romeo and Juliet reimagining you have been waiting for…

Read on for more details!

 

Author Ben Alderson had the following to say about the acquisition: “Not only have I had the chance to write a book with my best friend, it has also found a home with the incredible Angry Robot. I could not be more excited for you all to experience a moody Oxford city and its underbelly of warring vampires and sexy graveyard scenes”. Author Laura R. Samotin also had the following to say: I’ve long been a huge fan of the Angry Robot list, and I’m so excited to be joining such a brilliant publisher’s roster. Getting the chance to tell stories with my best friend Ben is a dream come true – we can’t wait to immerse readers in our dark, sexy version of modern-day Oxford, and introduce them to our vampires seeking an eternity’s worth of vengeance.” Editor Eleanor Teasdale expressed her enthusiasm for the two-book deal, stating “Vampires. Academia. Revenge. Queer. Obviously I was a yes the second I heard about this – it’s a sexy and fast paced dark academia vampires in Oxford, which is exactly what you want a book with those describing words to be. I’m thrilled to be working more with Ben and very excited to work with the brilliant Laura Samotin bringing this to readers.

 

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

 

The series opens with The Shadows Have Teeth, a dual POV queer, vampiric romance set in modern-day Oxford. With star-crossed lovers meets Saltburn vibes, we follow Tobias as he sets out for revenge against the head of Britain’s strongest vampire family – and the man who made him a vampire – by seducing his heir apparent, a vampire with a love for humanity…

 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

 

You may already know Ben Alderson as the author to the Realm of Fey series; the first book in the series, A Betrayal of Storms, is out now! Ben Alderson is a #1 Amazon bestselling author and former BookTuber. In 2023, he was nominated for TikTok Author of the Year. An active promoter, Ben is active on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. He has self-published a number of M/M romantic fantasy novels, and his series Court of Broken Bounds is published with Second Sky (Hachette UK). Ben lives in Oxfordshire and, when not writing, can be found reading, taking Winston – his Labrador – out for long walks, or obsessing over Marvel’s The Scarlet Witch.

Laura R. Samotin is the queer, Jewish author of the adult fantasy duology The Sins On Their Bones (Random House Canada, 2024 and 2025). The title is one of Indigo’s Most Anticipated SFF and is a Barnes & Noble BookTok Festival pick. She has a PhD in international relations from Columbia University and enjoys using her academic background on military tactics, power politics, and leadership to enliven and inform her creative writing. Laura lives in New York City with her spouse.

 

See the announcement on our socials: Instagram | X

 

You may also like

Leave a comment