Screening and Comment Threads

[merlinscribe]

The Merlinscribe in-box is now empty: if you have commented in the last several weeks and do not see an answer, drop me a line and I'll try to figure out what happened.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

This following comment was made on your post as to the mass market publication of Blade of Empire. I’m not sure you got it, but I am sort, and hope you don’t find this annoying, if you did!



Thank you so much for this update! I only read books in paper back, and I can't wait to read Blade of Empire, having been anxiously waiting basically since I picked up The Outstretched Shadow in October of 2013. I re-read Crown in five days, and have made it my goal to re-read both the Obsidian Trilogy and The Enduring Flame Trilogy before Blade comes out in August (fingers crossed life doesn't get in the way of that)!

I just want to say how much I have enjoyed this journey through the world you have created. I love how the reader can experience the darkness that permeates the very essence of your novels, but still find hope in the innate goodness of the characters you have created. As an aspiring author myself, I find the balance between the power of the villain and the power of the protagonist difficult to maintain in a believable fashion. There has to be just enough darkness within the novel to provide opposition, without snuffing out all hope and just leaving me depressed for weeks on end (*cough cough* Star Wars III).

I do have one question. I have noticed that the stylistic choices present in your books with Mercedes Lackey are significantly different from the tone created in Lackey’s own books. So my question is this: who does most of the actual writing of the books in the Obsidian world? Does one of you show more of a presence in the process than the other, or is it a more collaborative effort?

There is also another question I have, about the publication process. How much say do you as the author have in the formatting of the book itself? Did you have any say in any of the cover art? Are you satisfied with the way the cover art portrays your characters? What changes, if any, would you make?

Thank you so much for your time. I look forward to a response.

[merlinscribe]

Thank you so much for commenting. (I was very disappointed by SW3 as well.) I'm not sure whether or not I've already answered this, but here goes:

"[W]ho does most of the actual writing of the books in the Obsidian world?" -- Partly it depends on the book, of course. In the first trilogy, Ms. Lackey outlined the story and contributed large blocks of scenes, which I incorporated (since they weren't entirely in sequence, so I had to get from where I was to where she was). She then reviewed the finished draft at the same time Tor did, after which I incorporated her tweaks and Tor Editorial's notes into the final draft. Generally speaking, regardless of who does what, I do the final draft of the book.

"How much say do you as the author have in the formatting of the book itself? Did you have any say in any of the cover art? Are you satisfied with the way the cover art portrays your characters? What changes, if any, would you make?" -- Any author (except perhaps for dear Mr. Stephen King) has absolutely zero say about the design of the finished work: font, formatting, size, cover art, and cover artist, are all in the publisher's hands, not ours.

The question of whether I'm satisfied with the art is a complicated one. The covers don't accurately depict any of the characters or situations in the books, but they *do* give an overall impression of the tone of the books, and also make it clear to reviewers and distributors that this book (whichever book it is at the time) is a very big deal in Tor's opinion, which should be taken seriously by bookstores, libraries, and review media.

So in terms of the covers being good for sales, which means I get to write further installments in the series, I am satisfied. In terms of the covers actually looking like what's going on in the book, not so much. I'm not sure what I'd do differently were I given the chance. Other than wish somebody would make these books into a nice long miniseries.

Email response

[(Anonymous)]

Hello James,

Wow and thanks for answering so many of my questions through my email!!

I have a few more, based on what you’ve said, so do humour me, haha. Most of them are related to the mysteries that may never been fully expanded upon.

What other lands lie beyond the ocean in the east? Are they in contact with any of the lands in Kellen’s time, or Tiercel’s time?

What about the Endarkened? Do the Endarkened plan to conquer those lands to the east as well, or have they done that and that’s why the Elves fled to the west?

If you don’t ever plan on expanding them, would you mind explaining them in a bit more detail? What sort of races lie in those lands? Are they similar to the ones that we see in the Brightworld? Or are they races of Darkness?

It’s interesting to see how the Elves of Amrethion’s time thought that Pelashia’s children were cursed and dangerous, but yet now the Lightborn (who you said are all Pelashia’s descendants) are referred to as Pelashia’s Children and walk openly among the Elves of Vieliessar’s time.


One thing also bugs me. The Elves of Vieliessar’s time knew to draw upon the Flower Forests for their magic. But in Kellen and Tiercel’s time now I only ever see Elven Mages draw power from Dragons. Does that mean that the Elves no longer know how to draw upon the Flower Forest to power their magic? Or that they no longer can?

Lastly, the Elves of Kellen and Tiercel’s time remind me so much more of the Woodvose than Vieliessar’s Trueborn Elves.

And why is Amretheon called “Amretheon Enslaver” and “Amretheon Betrayer”?

And a few suggestions, thoughts? Maybe Savilla doesn’t really know that Virulian is her daughter because he was killed before she was fully grown and Uralesse became King of the Endarkened after? But you probably have all these planned out already.

So by the next 10 years, the Elves of Vieliessar’s time are already in the Uradabhur and the Arzhana? Or were they still in Tildorangelor and the magic is being drained dangerously?

Re: Email response

[(Anonymous)]

I'm not James, but I've had some thoughts on some of your musings. I'm sharing them because, while I may not know what I'm talking about, these things are interesting to ponder.

RE: Pelashia's children. There was something I read in "Blade of Empire", a quote from Amrethion's prophecies, that made me think maybe the elves that became the first Endarkened were some of Pelashia's children. What may make that impossible is timing, meaning we know ages have passed since the first Endarkened appeared and since Pelashia lived, but at this point we don't know if these two things were concurrent. Or it may be that Pelashia was part of the same lineage as the elves that were changed into Endarkened and so in her time her progeny were feared as being cursed and dangerous, whether or not they actually were. Either way, the elves that became Endarkened had to be of the same bent as Ivrulion and likely their behavior caused them to be seen as cursed and dangerous when they were still living among the elves. Over time, though, the prophecies weren't studied except by some Lightborn scholars, and as the Lightborn evidenced only constructive use of their magic (until Ivrulion), the idea that the Lightborn were cursed and dangerous fell by the wayside.

RE: The elves ability to use the Flower Forests. I'm thinking ability to use the magic of the Flower Forests was forever lost to the elves as part of giving up the greater magic in Vieliessar's time. Kind of poetic justice and a way of restoring balance considering the use the elves made of the Flower Forests in "Crown of Vengeance" and "Blade of Empire", and I wouldn't be surprised if one of the reasons dragons became necessary is because in fighting the Endarkened the Flower Forests were being eviscerated.

RE: Savilla's father. I had the same thought as you.

RE: The elves in Harrier's and Tiercel's time. Same as you, but I also wondered if the time the elves spend in Tildorangelor, when "no lights were seen" (and likely not draining the forest's magic as flagrant use could be detected) was already setting them on the path of living like the Woodvose (just as Vielessar did when she was banished from the Sanctuary of the Star), that the Woodvose lived the elves' truest way of being, and that destroying the Endarkened elf-beings and going into seclusion freed the elves to become who they really are and were always meant to be.

Re: Email response

[merlinscribe]

I'm delighted to see there is a discussion going on, because that's a great deal of fun for writers. I'll answer some of your questions here--others might well be spoilers for upcoming books.

What other lands lie beyond the ocean in the east? Are they in contact with any of the lands in Kellen’s time, or Tiercel’s time?

In Kellen's time, of course, nobody is in contact with much of anywhere, especially the humans. In Tiercel's time, expansion is Westward, so the human realm is in contact with a number of other groups in that direction. Eastward expansion would seem to be blocked by the Elven Lands, and I imagine the Elves have their own very good reasons for doing so.

What about the Endarkened? Do the Endarkened plan to conquer those lands to the east as well, or have they done that and that’s why the Elves fled to the west?

The Endarkened don't so much "conquer" as "eradicate", and certainly they intend to eradicate all life on the entire planet (I can call it a "planet" here, out-universe as it were, but frankly, nobody has much of a grasp of astrophysics at this point in time). The Elves fled to the West a couple of thousand years before the Endarkened got into the winnowing business: why they did will be touched on in the next book.

And why is Amretheon called “Amretheon Enslaver” and “Amretheon Betrayer”?

Why indeed? Take a look at who's calling him that. (I'm hoping to go into a great deal more detail about that in the next book.)

As for Savilla and her parentage, you've already seen a bit of Endarkened child-rearing practices. What amazes me is that *any* of them know who their parents were. But again, this is something I'm hoping to touch on in the next book.

Thank you again for all the questions--my apologies for not answering more of them.

Maps

[(Anonymous)]

Love the books so much have read them multiple times. I’m trying to make a d&d game based for of the books but was wondering if there is a map that I can use as reference for the players as they travle around

Re: Maps

[sanders1800]

The only map I think there is, is at the beginning of Crown of Vengeance. I admit that map helped me out a lot in understanding both that story and Blade a little better. If you are one of the smart people and wait for all the books to come out before you read them (I am too inpatient for that), you can Google Crown of Vengeance and both halves (2 pages) of the map will come up. I think it shows under Google Books. Hope that helps.

Book 3

[(Anonymous)]

Are we to wait for years again for Scourge of Fate release?

Re: Book 3

[merlinscribe]

Probably. And I am so sorry this is true. But I am not in charge of the manuscript-to-book process (unfortunately!) and Tor Books is. I promise you I know how you feel, having waited years for books by many of my favorite authors to see the light of day.

A question about Dragon Prophecy in relation to the other series

[(Anonymous)]

I want to start off by saying that I really love your work and am waiting eagerly for the next installment.
That said, when I started reading Crown of Vengeance (and on into Blade of Empire) I noticed a few details that weren't consistent with the details given in the original trilogy.

The most notable example is the fact that in Obsidian Mountain it states several times that, at the end of the first Endarkened War, the Elves had given up their share in the greater magics in exchange for peace and longevity. Yet, here in Dragon Prophecy, the first Endarkened War is still going on, the Elves still have magic, but they already seem to be living very long lives.

Another example is the notable difference between the goals of the Endarkened in the two series. (Oh, and also, the original trilogy stated that Savilla was the daughter of Uralesse, not Virion) In Dragon Prophecy the goal of the Endarkened is nothing less than the annihilation of created life and then returning to nothingness in union with He Who Is. But in Obsidian Mountain the goal of the Endarkened seemed to more or less just be conquering the world.

Now, I know that it is unfair to expect you to remember every detail of books written so long ago, especially since you have other series to keep track of. What I am wondering is whether the changed details were due to simply forgetting the details? Or are the details being retroactively changed to better fit the story that you want to tell? Or is it an in-universe example of details being lost or remembered incorrectly over time and goals changing over time?

Re: A question about Dragon Prophecy in relation to the other series

[(Anonymous)]

I think maybe your question about the difference in the Endarkened's goals is addressed in Blade of Empire where it discusses the difference between the Created, Created-and-Changed, and Born. Specifically, the Created-and-Changed and the Born were concerned that only the Created would be able to return to nothingness, and so their intent became prolonging the elimination of all life, and they set a plan in motion to destroy Virulion in the process. Savilla was one of the Born and when she destroyed Uralesse she was free to abandon the goal of returning to nothingness, which she likely thought wasn't possible for the remaining Endarkened.

It's likely that neither Savilla nor Uralesse knew Virulion was her father, and I wouldn't be surprised if by the time Savilla grew up Virulion was dead and she simply claimed Uralesse was her father to further her own ambitions, or maybe he claimed her to further his ambitions.

I've always chalked up the Elves' longevity difference to details being lost or remembered incorrectly. It's also possible that during Vielliesar's time the Elves lived longer than the approximately 15 centuries of Kellen's time (judging by how old Jermayen was when Ancaladar's bond was transferred). There may be some indications for that in Blade of Empire, though the way the information is given makes it difficult to ascertain with surety.

Re: A question about Dragon Prophecy in relation to the other series

[(Anonymous)]

It's noted subtly throughout the books that the constant wars between the Elven houses, and their culture, resulted in early deaths being the norm. That's what they mean by peace and long lives / longevity. Longevity as a result of the peace they earned.

As for Savilla / Uralesse / Virulion, it's entirely possible that Virulion died early on in the war before Savilla was fully grown and learned of her true parentage. But it's also possible that she thought of Uralesse as her adopted father because he was the one who showed her the ways of being Endarkened, etc. You know what I mean.

Scourge of Fate

[(Anonymous)]

Dare I even inquire as to how long the wait might be for book 3? Hopefully not another several years. Even incomplete, I love this story. it's a vivid world and i am very interested to know how it all shakes out.

Re: Scourge of Fate

[(Anonymous)]

Yes! I would love to hear roughly when the next one is coming out! Can't wait!

[sanders1800]

I really don't want to hassle you about Scourge of Fate. Any news? Just wandering, because it has been half a year since your last post. Hope it does not have the same wait that Blade had. I will like to think that you are just working hard on the third book and don't have time to post updates. Hope everything is is all right with you, though.

[merlinscribe]

Good lord--has it been that long? Alas, there's no particular news other than that the wordcount on SCOURGE increases--even though it is more than a little depressing to think that so many of them will be thrown out by Tor. I wish I had better news for you.

Manuscript of Blade

[(Anonymous)]

I'm so happy I stumbled upon your site. I love the work of Obsidian and adore the characters.

I saw in previous posts that Blade was trimmed throughout the editing process - is there any chance in you releasing your original manuscript?

Re: Manuscript of Blade

[merlinscribe]

That would require Tor's permission, which I don't think will be forthcoming. Our only hope is if television wants to make a miniseries out of it: at that point, I think Tor would be happy to see a longer version in print.

[(Anonymous)]

Any idea when the next book will be released?

Any update on Scourge of Fate publication?

[(Anonymous)]

I just reread the first two Dragon Prophecy books, and it makes me all the more anxious for book three.

New title for Scourge of Fate?

[(Anonymous)]

I just searched Amazon for Scourge of Fate, and it identified a book with that title, published on Dec. 25, 2018 by author Robbie MacNiven. Does this mean you are looking for a new title?

Re: New title for Scourge of Fate?

[sanders1800]

Maybe not. There was another book title Crown of Vengeance that came out Feb. before Dragon Prophecy did.

[(Anonymous)]

When is Scourge of Fate being released?

[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

Just checking up

[chichiri]

Its been over a year since you've made a new post. How are things going? I'm just talking in general and not necessarily book updates since I don't recall there being radio silence here for quite this long before. :)

Re: Just checking up

[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

Scourge of Fate

[(Anonymous)]

Waiting in anticipation.
Whatever it takes.

Re: Scourge of Fate

[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

Update

[(Anonymous)]

Just sitting hear waiting on book 3

Re: Update

[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

Scourge

[dreamteja]

Any new news on Scourge?

Re: Scourge

[(Anonymous)]

Anyone know why the website link also isn't working?

Hoping for an update soon as I love this series!

Sequel question

[(Anonymous)]

Will there be a follow up book to your co-written book The House of the Four Winds? I very much enjoyed that book! Thanks!

Re: Sequel question

[merlinscribe]

There are followup books planned for the series, but we will be doing another project set in the same world first. After that, I hope Tor lets us get back to One Dozen Daughters.

Any news on life in General?

[(Anonymous)]

It’s been nearly a year (363 days) since your last update or response to any comments on here, any news? Is everything O.K.?

Re: Any news on life in General?

[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