Corey Brickley Illustration

Wrinkles and textured skin are beautiful, vibrant, and full of life. Folds and loose skin have beautiful shapes and volumes. If you view aged skin through the eyes of an artist, you gain a deep appreciation of its beauty 🖤 That’s why we drew wrinkles and folds for last month’s drawing challenge, and guess what, I enjoyed it so much that I’ll probably do it again! 👵 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you like drawing challenges, join us: we’re creating sunset and sunrise studies this month! A perfect opportunity to practice your environment skills and study the beautiful colors that nature gives us. Check it out here ✨

I never updated the Eyes of Kings cover reveal here!!!

the sheer beauty of this trilogy's covers have truly been something to behold, and I feel so lucky. the US covers are by Will Staehle/ Unusual Co and the UK covers are by Corey Brickley. SUCH BEAUTY. SO MANY EASTER EGGS!

Eyes of Kings releases August 4th 2026 in the US, and August 6th 2026 in the UK. it took me two full years to write, and I'm still in the weeds of line edits moving around sentences and nitpicking down to the syllable rhythm because these characters love to scheme and backstab and argue their way through a massive war. it is the finale to a trilogy that I started to dream about in 2020 because I was thinking about power and identity in the context of Shakespeare's Antony & Cleopatra, paired with the rise of the Roman Empire and Chinese theological debates about the divine right to rule.

working with these asshole characters has felt like pulling teeth sometimes. but I also think that's where the most sticky, weird stories emerge from. you can preorder from your favorite bookstore now, and thank you to everyone who has stuck with these books over the years <3 the end is coming so soon!

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS:

The action-packed finale to Chloe Gong’s New York Times bestselling Flesh & False Gods trilogy—inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra—brings readers the ultimate showdown for power among gods and men.

War beckons in the kingdom of Talin. On one side sits Calla Tuoleimi and Anton Makusa, and on the other, the recently dethroned August Shenzhi and Calla's own predecessor Sinoa Tuoleimi. Neither will rest until the opposition is buried.

Calla assumed victory would be easy. She wears the divine crown after a violent coup, wielding the most powerful weapon in the kingdom. Then the provinces start to whisper of the old gods returning to earth, and suddenly the game board is flipped upside-down.

Anton thought he aligned himself with victory. When he swore to serve as Calla’s general, he understood the battle they were waging. But he fears Calla is no longer herself with the crown. Rather, he fears that Calla is returning to who she once was.

August would sacrifice anything for victory. He has waited his entire life for the throne, and surrender is not an option. In the face of age-old immortals challenging his terrain and the possibility of betrayal from his closest and most cherished guard, he must be careful who he trusts.

The Green Knight

Screenshot re-paint? Progress pics under cut

Rodeo Pyromancers for Magic: The Gathering's Outlaws of Thunder Junction set, AD Taylor Ingvarsson, © Wizards of the Coast

Boy this sure is a red card! Reading the brief like "There is fire in the foreground. There is fire in the background. Good luck." (Somehow I'm very happy with how this came out in the end, though!)

Nimble Brigand for Magic: The Gathering's Outlaws of Thunder Junction set, AD Taylor Ingvarsson, © Wizards of the Coast