Razorbill Acquires Sabaa Tahir's Debut Novel, An Ember in the Ashes

Posted on January 28, 2014

Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, has acquired Sabaa Tahir's debut novel, An Ember in the Ashes. Paramount Pictures has already purchased the film rights in a deal worth seven figures. Producer Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, The Chronicles of Narnia) is attached to the project.

The story is set in a fantasy world with elements found in ancient Rome. It tells the tale of two teenagers fighting to survive under the Empire's brutal, militaristic regime. The Empire has outlawed the Scholar class. The oppressed Scholars live under the rule of a group called the Martials. The Martials are known for their silent assassinations of insurgents. When Laia's brother is imprisoned by the Martials, Laia must embark on a quest to save him from execution.

Sabaa is a former editor at The Washington Post. Her experiences growing up in California's Mojave Desert and her experiences as an editor on the foreign news desk at the Post inspired her to write the novel. Sabaa says her inspiration includes "Kashmiri women whose husbands or sons were imprisoned by the army with little explanation and no hope of release" and "Liberian child soldiers who tied teddy bears to their backpacks while toting AK-47s."

The novel will be published in 2015.