115 ratings | 66 reviews | avg rating:4.44

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João F. Silva

Goodreads Author

Born

Portugal

Website

https://joaofsilva.net

Twitter

JoaoSilvaWrites

Genre

Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror

Member Since

August 2015

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/joaosilvawrites

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Get a FREE copy of RUINS OF SMOKE, a prequel novella from the epic fantasy series The Smokesmiths, by joining João's mailing list: www.joaofsilva.net

João F. Silva was born in a small town in Portugal but now lives in Glasgow, Scotland, with his wife and feline co-worker/boss. His debut novel Seeds of War won the Best Indie Debut of 2023 at the FanFiAddict Awards. His short fiction was published in Grimdark Magazine and Haven Speculative. ...more

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Combine Editions
João F. Silva’s books

Average rating: 4.14 · 736 ratings · 318 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors

	Seeds of War (The Smokesmiths, #1) 4.07 avg rating — 438 ratings — published 2023 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ruins of Smoke (The Smokesmiths, #0.5) 4.38 avg rating — 132 ratings — published 2023 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Thorns of War (The Smokesmiths, #2) 4.22 avg rating — 90 ratings — published 2024 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Dead Man 3.85 avg rating — 53 ratings — published 2022	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Grimdark Magazine, Issue 33, January 2023 by Beth Tabler (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Sarah Chorn (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan (Goodreads Author) 4.56 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2023 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rovine di Fumo: Italian Edition by João F. Silva (Goodreads Author), Raffaella Corini (Translator) 4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by João F. Silva…

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João F. Silva's Blog

Thorns of War!

Hi everyone!

I'm very excited to announce that pre-orders are open for Thorns of War, the second book in my debut series The Smokesmiths.

Even cooler: I'm launching a kickstarter campaign for a Deluxe Release Edition of the book. That means it will be signed, and it will have exclusive artwork, a new map, and more stuff.

follow the kickstarter

If kickstarters aren't really your jam but you still want to pick up Thorns of W Read more of this blog post »

3 likes · Like • 2 comments • flag

Published on February 16, 2024 00:28 • Tags: joao-f-silva, seeds-of-war, thorns-of-war

Series by João F. Silva

The Smokesmiths (2 books)
by

João F. Silva (Goodreads Author)

4.15 avg rating — 660 ratings

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João’s Recent Updates

João Silva is now friends with DarkAlkemist
Apr 20, 2026 02:20AM · like
João Silva rated a book really liked it The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1) by James Islington (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This book got bumped to the top of my TBR when the friends who brought me back to being a Fantasy reader with their suggestions said this was great! It is a great story, indeed. What stood out to me the most was the immersion. The story is narrated by ...more
Feb 05, 2026 11:29AM · 7 likes · like · see review
João Silva liked Nathan Alexander's review of Seeds of War (The Smokesmiths, #1): "João F. Silva’s Seeds of War is an inventive and gripping fantasy, full of smoke magic, anti-heroes and underdogs, and epic battles. The novel takes place ten years after a major global war, ended by a miracle that led to the creation of a new contin" Read more of this review »
Feb 03, 2026 01:26AM · see review
João Silva and 5 other people liked Lezlie The Nerdy Narrative's review of Seeds of War (The Smokesmiths, #1): "A dark, character-driven fantasy full of morally gray choices, dangerous magic, and political scheming. If you love complex characters and messy decisions, this one’s worth it. Full thoughts coming soon on YouTube. " Read more of this review »
Feb 03, 2026 01:26AM · see review
João Silva rated a book really liked it The Written (Emaneska, #1) by Ben Galley (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Had this book stashed in the depths of my kindle for way too long, and had to pick it up, so I did it over the holidays. I had a really good time with it. The author pulls all the stops and gives the reader: wyrms, dragons, werewolves, vampires, sword ...more
Jan 16, 2026 01:31AM · 1 like · like · see review
João Silva rated a book it was amazing Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City (The Siege, #1) by K.J. Parker	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
So much to say about this book! It's a unique one that perfectly weaves humour, character work and exciting plot developments with a lot of research on ancient history, warfare and engineering. Sprinkle a little bit of societal criticism over it, and ...more
Jan 15, 2026 01:41AM · 7 likes · like · see review
João Silva rated a book it was amazing ETHOS by Benjamin Aeveryn (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This anthology is a tour de force of fantasy, tackling deep-rooted beliefs and featuring strong-headed characters. Six powerhouse authors join forces to explore stories and worlds where characters see their values and ideals tested through world-shat ...more
Oct 07, 2025 12:54PM · 5 likes · like · see review
João Silva and 11 other people liked Ovium_Reads's review of Seeds of War (The Smokesmiths, #1): "This dark and grim world was a blast to be a part of. I loved the gritty character-driven story and the magic system was super fresh-feeling and interesting. I'm a big lore buff and I got my fill and some with this book. Between the magic, the differ" Read more of this review »
Jun 29, 2025 10:53AM · see review
João Silva rated a book it was amazing Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1) by Steven Erikson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A book that makes no compromises and holds no hands, sometimes to its detriment, but with a courage and a vision that must be certainly admired. I wasn't able to get past the first 150 pages the first two times I tried, but I tackled it slowly with pa ...more
Jun 15, 2025 02:06PM · 15 likes · like · see review
João Silva rated a book it was amazing The Devils (The Devils, #1) by Joe Abercrombie	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Say one thing about Joe Abercrombie, say he doesn't miss. Wait, that's a different series... Ah, the devils, the devils. What to say about this book? It's simple and darkly humorous on a surface level, but really well-executed. Once you start peeling ...more
May 22, 2025 02:52PM · 10 likes · like · see review