Leigh Bardugo is releasing Dead Beat on September 15, which is the conclusion of her fantasy trilogy that began with Ninth House, per elle.com. The novel follows protagonist Alex Stern into a high-stakes narrative blending supernatural threats with institutional power dynamics at Yale University.
The bestselling author spent 15 years after graduating from Yale attempting to write fiction before publishing her debut novel, Shadow and Bone, in 2012. Her Alex Stern series draws heavily from her own complex experiences as an undergraduate and a member of the university’s Wolf’s Head secret society.
In Dead Beat, protagonist Alex faces unrelenting conflict from page one, navigating a landscape filled with ghosts, demons and hostile board members. Bardugo notes that the supernatural elements in her work serve as metaphors for real-world political, social and economic forces.
Reflecting on her career and the current digital landscape, Bardugo announced plans to step away from social media and promotional platforms in the coming year. She intends to focus on writing without constant external input, though she has left a small window open to potentially revisit the Alex Stern universe in the future.
•Featured image courtesy Leigh Bardugo