Waiting on Wednesday – Sisters of the Lizard by Jackson Ford

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight a very fun upcoming fantasy sequel with the awesome sounding Sisters of the Lizard by Jackson Ford

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Earlier this year I had the great pleasure of reading the very entertaining fantasy novel, The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford. The first book in Ford’s Rakada series, The Bone Raiders followed a small band of grassland raiders and outcasts who came up with the bold plan to train giant, fire-breathing lizards and ride them into battle against the encroaching armies of the Great Khan. The resulting carnage, which include battles, betrayals, unlikely romance, and some entertaining lizard riding antics, was extremely fun, and I had an absolute blast getting through this fantastic read.

Upon finishing The Bone Raiders, I was very curious to see where Ford was going to take the series next, especially after some interesting reveals towards the end of the story. Well, it looks like fans of this novel are going to get answers soon, as Ford has a sequel coming out in May 2026.

This sequel, which has the amusing title of Sisters of the Lizard, will once again follow the raiders from the first book, the titular Rakada, as they continue their chaotic life on the grasslands, now with several giant lizards for protection. However, things look set to become complicated once again, with war, invading armies, a vengeful khan and sick lizards all coming for the protagonist.

Plot Synopsis:

Following The Bone Raiders comes the next thrilling new novel set in the world of the Rakada: an edge-of-your-seat, action-packed epic fantasy series, where a wild band of raiders harness the power of gigantic, fire-breathing lizards to defend their homeland.

All Sayana wanted was to enjoy her life in the rolling grasslands of the Tapestry. After she and her fellow Rakada managed to ride humongous fire-breathing lizards to face down the Great Khan’s army, they should have been able to kick back a little for once. Not too much to ask, right?

Instead, the Tapestry is in turmoil – invading armies threaten, the other raider clans are at war, and inside his fortress city of Karkorum, the Khan broods and plots. What’s more, the Rakada’s giant lizards are getting sick, and they have no idea how to cure them. If they die, there’s no telling what might happen to the Tapestry.

But then the Rakada receive a vision – apparently from the gods. A deep emerald pool surrounded by bone-white sands – one that may be able to heal their lizards. With no other option, the raiders set out on an epic quest across the mountains and into the desert.

But the danger that awaits them will be one greater than they’ve ever faced before. These guys really can’t catch a break.

I really love the sound of this upcoming sequel, especially as Ford is expanding on a lot of the interesting open story elements from the first book in Sisters of the Lizard. Focussing on the consequences of the protagonist’s actions from The Bone Raiders should make for quite an intense read, especially with all the betrayals, wars and revenge that is likely coming their way. The excellent cover of the book seems to indicate that a certain former Rakada member is going to make a return in this novel as an antagonist, and I’m sure that will lead to some particularly dramatic scenes. I also am curious to see how the author will expand on some of the lore around the giant lizards in this sequel, and it should be fun to see how much the protagonists and their unlikely mounts have evolved since the events of the first book.

Overall, I am quite excited to read Sisters of the Lizard in the new year, and I think it has a lot of potential. Ford really impressed me with his entertaining and compelling 2025 novel, and this intriguing sequel will likely be just as good. An awesome and no-doubt deeply compelling upcoming novel I’m really looking forward to.