Fans of Anne McCaffrey will be thrilled with this Epic Fantasy!

You can do everything right . . . and still lose.

Harper Tavros always dreamed of being a dragon rider. But after a prank went horribly wrong—she ended up bonded to an utterly ridiculous and insanely brave griffin instead. A bond that can only be broken in death. Together, Harper and Felix graduated the Tennessan Bonded Training Academy and proved themselves during their first six months on active duty even as the war with Savinia heated up.

Now, every mission is more dangerous than the last.

Griffin riders are the eyes and ears of the Tennessan military, an advantage unmatched ever since their enemy’s griffin riders vanished from the battlefield years ago. So when a dying Savinian griffin shows up at a Tennessan fort, Harper and Felix are dispatched to retrieve the message she carries—a plea for help from Savinia’s last griffin riders.

A plea Tennessan can’t afford to ignore.

Harper and Felix are assigned to the team tasked with unraveling the mystery of Savinia’s griffins. Their mission will take them deep behind enemy lines and into the dreaded Southern Smoke Mountains. After everything goes wrong, Harper and Felix will be pushed to their limits.

When every choice leads into the fire, their only option is to burn . . . and let the flames temper them into something stronger.

About The Author

Melissa Olthoff

Melissa Olthoff is a science fiction and fantasy author who delights in sneaking in romance wherever she can. She is a lifelong geek and a veteran of the United States Air Force, both of which are incredibly useful when writing. Her degrees in meteorology and accounting are slightly less applicable to writing but absolutely useful when it comes to supporting her family. In 2023, she took second place in the annual Baen Fantasy Adventure Award Contest with her story “Fall from Grace” and won the Imadjinn Award Best Short Story in 2023 and 2024. She is published by Baen, Chris Kennedy Publishing, Hit World Press, and Three Ravens Publishing, and is best known for her first novel of the Griffin Corps, Rise from Ruin, and novels in the Four Horsemen Universe, the Blood & Armor Series, the Salvage Title Universe, and Hit World Valkyries, as well as numerous short stories.

Product Details

Publisher: Baen (July 7, 2026)
Length: 496 pages
ISBN13: 9781668073339

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Raves and Reviews

Praise for Rise from Ruin:
“Melissa Olthoff is a fantasy master like no other. Rise from Ruin is a fun-filled tour de force and I can’t wait to see what she does next. Dragons have never been so fun!” —Sherrilyn Kenyon, author of the New York Times best-selling Dark-Hunters series.

“In Rise from Ruin, Melissa Olthoff brings a new twist to dragonrider tales. Olthoff creates not only a believable and immersive world, but populates it with people whom you can respect, understand, care for, and sometimes want to punch in the face. I love the camaraderie between the dragon and griffin corps.” —Jody Lynn Nye, New York Times best-selling author

“[V]ery reminiscent of Anne McCaffery’s Dragon Riders of Pern and Mercedes Lackey’s The Black Gryphon, in all the best ways. . . . a fast-paced book, with elements of romance, coming-of-age, military, fantasy, and even bits of SciFi. . . . a fun read . . .” —Kal Spriggs

“Fourth Wing meets Dragonriders of Pern.” —Edie Skye

Praise for To Tread Obsidian Shores, coauthored with Jason Cordova:
“Olthoff’s veteran experience shines through in the authenticity of her character interactions and dynamics. She knows what it’s like to drive yourself to the breaking point in order to keep your brothers- and sisters-in-arms alive . . . and it shows.” —Kacey Ezell, USAF Retired, coauthor of The Romanov Reign series

“An unconventional work of military sci-fi set during peacetime . . . Cordova and Olthoff still delivers the fighting esprit de corps and noble sacrifice common to wartime stories. . . . The emotional sting of loss and comforts of companionship are fairly distributed, and a late surprise revelation sets things up nicely for book two. Military SF fans will find it hits the spot.” —Publishers Weekly