Blade of Empire Update

[merlinscribe]

As of last week, BLADE OF EMPIRE has gone through *two* editorial revisions and is now in production at Tor! This puts it on schedule for a Fall 2017 release.

I will almost certainly be turning in SCOURGE OF FATE by the end of this year, though what Tor does with it after that, and when, is anybody's guess.

Comments

[starwind40]

Amazon has it listed for October 24 (pre-order is available, but hardcover only - so far).

Can hardly wait.

[(Anonymous)]

I preordered via kindle

[merlinscribe]

Looks like all versions may be available for pre-order now...

...

[(Anonymous)]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Re: ...

[merlinscribe]

Better yet?

I'm so excited!

[camphor.wordpress.com]

I know you don't control what TOR does with publication dates and such, but I'm tentatively allowing myself to get excited about a late October release date! Are you able to tell us whether you did cut the 160K words you were asked to? And if so, whether we can see some of the outtakes? The Annobuena scenes and the Dardolan scenes were some of my favourite add-on bits to read. :)

Re: I'm so excited!

[merlinscribe]

This time, Tor let me have most of my wordage, so I'm not sure there are any outtakes large enough to post (when I cut a manuscript for length, I remove sentences rather than paragraphs, and a single sentence really isn't that entertaining in terms of snippet postings. I'll see what's there, and how spoilery it is.

I'm so glad you liked those cut scenes. I think that at its pre-cut length, Crown was a much stronger book. Certainly Tor has, and does, routinely publish longer ones. Alas and ah well...

[(Anonymous)]

I have been excited about Blade since I got done with Crown. I have not been this excited for any book, and I have several release days for different ones on my calendar. With Blade of Empire, though, I have been counting down the days. I also fear that I may have given this book completely unreasonable expectation. That no matter how much I want Blade in my hand, no matter how much I will enjoy it. It just can not meet those expectations. Still can't wait, though.

Hopefully Scourge of Fate will be out by next year, then.

[merlinscribe]

I hope it will too. I'd also be interested to know whether Blade meets your expectations: of course I hope it will, but it's always hard for an author to compete with themselves.

Guess what I just preordered!!!

[(Anonymous)]

Soooo excited! Bring on the prophecy of unpronounceable names! I woke my poor husband up with the squeal when I saw it on Amazon!
In other news, I have harrassed for in every possible way for the past year, sending weekly emails, torturing their Facebook admins...
Seriously five years is too long to wait.

Re: Guess what I just preordered!!!

[(Anonymous)]

That would be "harrassed Tor" but google phones are illiterate.

Re: Guess what I just preordered!!!

[merlinscribe]

Huzzah! Let the unpronounceable names begin! *G* We step up the game in Blade--not only do we have unpronounceable Elvish names, but in bringing the Nine Races into the story, we have multiple place-names for nearly everything! (My copyeditors hate me...)

Release dates....?

[archang3ll]

OPINION:
I have waited, and waited, and waited for this book to release. I no longer allow myself to get excited about "planned" release dates. I'll get excited if it actually releases. I'll be the first in line at the bookstore if it releases. This series, this book has had more release dates than Star Citizen. Not blaming anyone specifically (life happens) but at some point after five years, just stop throwing out future release dates that never come to pass.

Well, as the blind man once said - "...We shall see..."

Re: Release dates....?

[merlinscribe]

I am 99% certain that 10/24 is an actual release date and Tor won't pull the book at the last moment. Since I don't get to set release dates for my books (if I did, they'd release much closer together), and I can only pass on what information Tor has, in the past, given me.

I hope you'll find the book worth the wait.

[(Anonymous)]

I just finished devouring Crown of Vengeance (read the whole thing in under 24 hours) and was desperate for more. Imagine my growing horror, until I found this post, that a sequel was not forthcoming. Needless to say I am glad I only have to suffer a few more months rather than the years many seemed to have endured.

[merlinscribe]

Indeed! I hope you enjoy the new book as much as you did its predecessor.

Rar!

[(Anonymous)]

Pre order already in. James, I just re-read the original trilogy and it re-kindled my desire for more on Kellen. I mean how did he do in the flower wars? Surely he participated. Did his relationship with Vestakia flower or whither? Kids? And was Shalkan special among the unicorns or just a particularly nosey though amiable personality with a penchant for sweets?

Re: Rar!

[merlinscribe]

I've had a novella in mind about Kellen and Vestakia's honeymoon for quite a long time--perhaps when Scourge is delivered, I'll have the time to write it. I don't think I'm spoiling anything to tell you that Kellen and Vestakia had a long happy life together--after all, Harrier Gillain, though he doesn't know it (and might not care if he did, considering the events in Phoenix), can trace his ancestry back to one of their children.

The Flower Wars are such an Elven thing that I don't imagine Kellen ever really wanted to participate. As a Knight-Mage, he would probably win, at least in practical terms, but the Flower Wars have developed such an incredibly elaborate set of rules over the millennia that it would be supremely unlikely that Kellen would have the patience to learn or follow all of them.

As for Shalkan...I actually don't know. I have a strong sense that there's much more of his story waiting to be told, and I think, once you read Scourge, that you'll see why. Meanwhile, I can only hope that Shalkan himself will wander back into the story at some point so that we can all find out more about his past.

[(Anonymous)]

Mr. Mallory I love the books both you and Ms. Lackey have created in this world. It has been my favorite since not long after When Darkness Falls was published. It takes me awhile at times to get into either a new author or even a new series by an author I already love. For the longest time To Light a Candle was my favorite book (If anyone saw that book on my shelf, they would know that it has been re-read many times. It was in horrible condition). Around 2009 or so The Outstretched Shadow became my all-time favorite book. That was too change a third time when Crown of Vengeance was published, and that one book remains my favorite to this day. Personally I think that this has the ability to become a great open world series. There are so many stories that can be told in this world. So I pray continuously that Tor would be interested in buying them (and hopefully not destroy the books while they are at it).

When I read some of your earlier post here, something that was said bothers me. I may be over thinking this, but on Jan. 4, 2017 you said that Blade of Empire and Scourge of Fate was basically one long book (cut down so hopefully more of the book will be published). On an earlier post (can’t remember where off hand) you said that Tor has only contracted you for three books. Will the rest of the story get told in Scourge of Fate? You say this book is still a trilogy. But if Blade and Scourge is one book, then wouldn’t that leave the conclusion not finished? Or will Scourge be ‘cut to fit’ like Crown? Sorry about this question but once I started to think about what you wrote, and then overthink it, I was panicking that I would never see a good finish for my favorite series to date.

Thank you for your time,
Bridgette
P.S. Any news on the Novellas you said Tor already had?

[merlinscribe]

To answer your questions in no particular order...

Tor apparently has no interest in publishing the Obsidian novellas it asked me for. Two of the three have already been posted here, and I will dig up the third one eventually and post it as well.

At the moment, I am expecting Scourge to run about 150K and end with a huge event that begins the transformation of the Elves of Vieliessar's time to the Elves Kellen knows. It is certainly nowhere near the end of the First Endarkened War. I absolutely promise I will finish the story in one venue or another: with platforms like Kickstarter and Patreon, the gatekeeper status of traditional publishing is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. In many ways, that's a good thing.

Here it comes!

[lusional]

Hey James, just thought I'd drop a comment since this site has gone quiet again and I can't seem to find any other sites/social media when searching for you.

I saw on twitter that Kate Rudd is in the process of recording the audiobook for Blade of Empire, which is awesome since she did an awesome job with Crown of Vengeance... which I just listened to yet again. Anyhow - any updates on life, love, or your favorite flavor of Doritos?

Re: Here it comes!

[merlinscribe]

How wonderful that the same voice artist is back to record the second book! Thank you for letting me know about this--normally the audio book folks would contact me for a pronunciation guide, but it doesn't look as if they needed to this time.

As for my personal updates: I am a Cool Ranch Doritos loyalist. I prefer coffee or tea to soda, but when I do drink soda, I prefer Classic Coke.

Aside from this journal, I have an author's page: www.merlinscribe.com but it doesn't currently seem to be reachable. (I will contact my page agent about this.) It hasn't been updated recently, alas.

And I have no idea why Tor thinks I live in Maryland...

So to clarify....

[(Anonymous)]

1. Tor has you on for Scourge and potentially some novellas that they have thus far declined.

2. You are looking into Kickstarter and Patreon for future books as publishing options have opened up.

3. Amazon has Blade of Empire pre-order out late October.

5. Scourge is expected (by you) to be turned in by end of year 2017.

Questions:

1. How do you and Mercedes co-author these books? Do you share in all parts or is one of you responsible for the over world and darkness and the other the light?

2. Do you find it difficult to finish off protagonists? I'm not wanting like a GRR style removal of characters or anything but the life/death ratio seems to be Tolkien or better.

3. We're the Phoenix books HEAVILY edited? They seem anemic between the original trilogy and this one so far.

Re: So to clarify....

[(Anonymous)]

Gah, phone auto-correct got me, my apologies.

Book 3

[(Anonymous)]

I’m an avid fan of the entire Obsidian Universe, and I’m currently Re-Reading books one and two of the Dragon Prophecy, and I’m curious since we haven’t had any news on Scourge of Fate since this initial thred was started, and since I can’t find any information online about it, what the status is on Book three?

Re: Book 3

[(Anonymous)]

Yep, we may all die of old age before we see book 3. I too want to know the status. Has Mr Mallory decided to ignore his fans?

Hope eternal

[(Anonymous)]

Still awaiting Scourge ❤

Re: Hope eternal

[merlinscribe]

Dear Friend:

I'm sorry to be giving you this form response, but so many of the posts in my inbox are asking pretty much the same question, and after my long absence, I cannot quite be certain you will see it otherwise. You certainly have every right to have given up expecting an answer, after all.

I am back, I am at work on the third book in the Dragon Prophecy Trilogy (the title has been changed from "Scourge of Fate" to "Wings of Fate" because after all: dragons), and will be posting the opening chapters on my blog's other site merlinscribe_library. The first chapter is already up.

I hope you enjoy it, and I hope to see you at merlinscribe soon. Thank you so much for your patience.

Very Truly Yours,
James