A Book About Hope: A Guest Post by A.F. Steadman
The epic conclusion to the popular series finds Skandar racing to save the island with the help of his friends…and even some enemies. In order to defeat the evil Rex, the gang must work together to protect their rare magic — and their lives. Read on for an exclusive essay from A.F. Steadman on writing Skandar and the Spirit War.
Hardcover $18.99
Skandar and the Spirit War (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Skandar Series #5)
Skandar and the Spirit War (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Skandar Series #5)
In Stock Online
Hardcover $18.99
Skandar and the Spirit War, the final book in my Skandar series is soaring onto shelves and I am so grateful to Barnes & Noble readers and booksellers for the remarkable journey we have been on together. It’s really special to share this moment with you, and to write about it here on B&N Reads.
Bringing Spirit War from blank page to bookshelf has been a very emotional process. I’ve never cried whilst writing before but when I was drafting the final chapters of Skandar and the Spirit War, tears began to fall. I think it was partly joy—I realized at that moment that I was actually getting to write the ending I had envisaged when I first had the idea of a boy and his bloodthirsty unicorn. And it was a kind of grief. Although the Skandar books only started publishing in 2022, I had the idea back in 2014. I have spent a decade with these characters, and it was time to say goodbye.
Although it is Skandar and his friends doing the growing up across the series, I do feel like I have learned so much about myself as an author and a person while writing these books. Most of all, those I’ve met along this journey—fans, booksellers, educators, librarians—have given me renewed hope that there are people out there who are big-hearted and kind and who care deeply about getting books into the hands of young readers.
And this final book in the series is a book about hope. In particular, about finding hope in the hopelessness—the pinprick of light in the shadows. It is about abuse of power and the terrible consequences of allowing fear and cowardice to guide us. It is about the importance of continuing to fight for change—with integrity and compassion—even when the world tells us we are powerless. It is about sacrifice and forgiveness and kindness in the darkest of times. It is a book—a whole series, really—about how we must pull together when people try to divide us. Because at the end of it all, the only thing we can really ever count on is love.
That brings me on to the readers who love these books. Thank you for recommending the Skandar series to your friends, families, students, customers and colleagues. Thank you for creating online communities, for dressing as riders, for ordering this stunning B&N exclusive edition, for drawing fan art and writing fan fiction. Wherever and whenever you first met these ferocious unicorns – whether it was three years or three weeks ago – now you will always be a Skandar fan and part of this community.
In fact, Skandar and the Spirit War is dedicated to you – the readers of the Skandar series. The unicorns between these pages exist because of you, for you and will always be here when you need them. They are yours now – look after them for me. And remember that whenever you miss this world, you only have to open the books again.
With love,
A.F. Steadman
