An unlikely group of rebels are ready to burn down the Roman empire like you've never imagined it before.

From the halls of the Senate floor to the bloody sands of the gladiatorial pits, Sophie Burnham's debut is full of riveting political danger, thoughtful worldbuilding, and a tightly-knit group of conspirators.


The role of Imperial Historian is Selah Kleios's birthright, but she was supposed to have more time to learn the role from her father, the previous Historian. In the wake of her father’s sudden and shocking assassination, Selah finds herself custodian of more than just the Imperial Archives when an old flame returns intending to steal the Iveroa Stone—a seemingly harmless artifact containing secrets that could destroy the empire. 

Theo Nix is a damn good spy, and they know it. By day, they work in Senator Naevia Kleios’s office; smart, unobtrusive, and grateful, they’re the model of a perfect plebeian. By night, their time belongs to Griff: master strategist, commander of the Revenants, the spider at the center of a very large and very dangerous web. When Griff gives Theo an assignment, they move, no questions asked, so it’s really no surprise Theo is flirting with Arran Alexander—Selah’s low-caste half brother is an obvious target. It is a surprise, however, that they’re enjoying it so much. 

After a year away in the legions, Arran has recently returned home, only to find the cracks beneath his feet widening. Struggling with his own identity and purpose, drawn into an underground independence movement through his growing feelings for Theo, Arran must choose between the sister he loves and the chance to take control of his own life for the very first time.

Sargassa is the first book in a new speculative trilogy that is equal parts political intrigue, queer romance, and revolution.

Art: Rebecca Yanovskaya

Cover Design: Adam Auerbach


PRAISE FOR SARGASSA

“A masterclass in world-building… Burnham's skillful prose depicts visceral character struggles, [and characters] converge in a firework display of friendship, conflict, and queer romance.”

Shelf Awareness (Starred Review)

BreathtakingThoroughly compelling… This is a deft, vividly observed novel that is precisely interested in social realism and the relations of power. It uses Rome, and Romanitas, to examine and to critique the nature of systems of oppression […] to very pointed effect.”

Locus Magazine

“Burnham offers queer love not only as a reason to keep fighting, but perhaps, as the fight itself. Sargassa is a celebration of misfits who slip between the cracks, a book for rebels who believe that the world not only can change, but that it must.”

Motif Magazine

“You devious… scheming… short little lesbian.”

— my friend Violeta June


An ever-evolving and by-no-means comprehensive list of indie bookstores where Sargassa can be found:

ALABAMA

CALIFORNIA

COLORADO

ILLINOIS

KANSAS

MAINE

MASSACHUSETTS

NEVADA

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NEW YORK

OKLAHOMA

ONLINE ONLY

ONTARIO

PENNSYLVANIA

RHODE ISLAND

TEXAS

UTAH

VERMONT

WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON, DC

WISCONSIN

If you don’t see your local indie on this list, that doesn’t mean they don’t have the book in stock or can’t order it in for you. Just ask them!

If you’re a bookseller with Sargassa in stock and don’t see your store listed here, shoot me a message and I’ll be happy to add you.