Crown of Vengeance News

[merlinscribe]

Crown of Vengeance, first book of the Dragon Prophecy Trilogy, will be released on November 13, 2012. I wish to assure readers of this journal that I have not secretly changed my name to Stephen Zimmer, who also has a book called "Crown of Vengeance" coming out this month. I'm rather surprised that this seems to be such a common title.

And what is our new book about? I'm very glad you asked:

#

"He was no longer Kellen Tavadon, Knight-Mage.

"He was Vielissiar Farcarinon, Great Queen, victor of a thousand battles. Since she had been old enough to hold a sword, she had fought -– against the Centaurs, against the Minotaurs, against the Bearwards. She had fought the warring Elven tribes who would attempt to take her crown from her, and united them beneath her banner. She had brought her rule to the land from the Forests of Ulayna to the Golden Isles, and united the Hundred Houses. All of them had acknowledged her right to rule, for she was wise, favoring no House over another.

"Then, in the moment of her greatest victory, when all the land was at peace, a new enemy had come. Not just an enemy of the Elves, but an enemy of all who walked beneath the Light.

"The Endarkened."

-From "When Darkness Falls" Obsidian Mountain, Book Three

#

Thousands of years before the race of Men existed, long before the Wild Magic was known to exist, the Elves were great Mages who shared their world -- not peacefully -- with a vast number of other races. Their dominion extended from beyond Greythunder Glairyrill in the East to Great Sea Ocean in the West.

It was not, at that time, an empire in any sense of the word, for the Elves were a race of bloodthirsty warriors, at war with one another as well as with the Kingdoms of the Otherfolk: Centaurs, Bearwards, Minotaurs, Firesprites, Merfolk, Sphinxes, Fauns, Unicorns, Woods Giants, Dryads, Selkies, and dozens of others.

Vielissiar Farcarinon is born into a land torn apart by war....

#

In Sword of Vengeance we return to the world of Jer-a-Kaliel, but thousands of years before the birth of Kellen Tavadon, before the Elves first clashed with the Endarkened. In this age, Elves were eternally at war, for the Unicorn Throne had been vacant for ten thousand years, and no one in all the Hundred Houses could agree upon who was to become High King...

Misty and I hope you will join us on our latest journey into the World of Obsidian, and we hope to see you there!

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I discovered your first trilogy in 2005-2006 (?) and I've been a fan ever since! Thank you for your work! Can't wait to read this new trilogy! Jane

[merlinscribe]

Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!

[(Anonymous)]

I've been looking forward to this for a while now! :D Thank you and Mercedes for all your hard work!

[merlinscribe]

Thank you for reading!

The New Trilogy

[(Anonymous)]

Wow!!!!!!!! I am reading Crown of Vengeance and I am so bloody lost...might just be me but for some reason the names of the elves are kickin' my arse. Love the other two sets though. I will get through and things will be fine I am sure. Please keep up the great work!!!!

Re: The New Trilogy

[merlinscribe]

I am terribly sorry about the names, but the Elves insisted. There are several detailed reviews here which may help you disambiguate the cast of characters.

Crown of Vengeance

[(Anonymous)]

I read it and i'm writing for the next one, i want to know what will happen to prince Runacarendalur her bondmate. He simply can' walk out on her. hope not
Francine

Re: Crown of Vengeance

[merlinscribe]

Certainly he can't, though of course he will try...

Blade of Empire

[(Anonymous)]

Your powers of description are well developed, almost disturbingly so when describing The Endarkened & their realm!

I am trying to be patient, waiting for news of of the next installment. Would you, in your kindness, be able to give an estimate on a release date of this highly anticipated sequel? (Sorry to be so blunt!)

In the mean time I am re-reading the first two trilogies & Crown of Vengeance for the umpteenth time. Hope to have something new soon!

Re: Blade of Empire

[merlinscribe]

I expect the Endarkened to become even more shuddersome in the next book.

I'm pleased to know you are looking forward to the next book in the series. I am hoping it will be released next year.

Meanwhile, there are several novellas that are part of the "Dragon Prophecy" story. Tor has them in hand, and I believe they are slated to appear on the website in the near future.

Re: Blade of Empire

[(Anonymous)]

I love all of the books in the Obsidian Universe. Can not wait for the next one to come out. If you have an ARC, I'd love to review it for you.

RTG101564@Comcast.net

Re: Blade of Empire

[merlinscribe]

Thank you very much for your kind offer. Tor decides where to send ARCs for review, so you should probably mention your interest to them.

Re: Blade of Empire

[(Anonymous)]

I have read the obsidian trilogy and phoenix unchained multiple times, I recently finished reading the beginning of the dragon prophecy and it I absolutely loved the first book. I am really looking forward to the second book of the series. Any idea of when it might be released?

Re: Blade of Empire

[merlinscribe]

I cannot say when it will be released, as that is up to my publisher. But I expect to deliver it by the end of the summer.

Re: Blade of Empire

[(Anonymous)]

When is Blade of Empire coming out?

Re: Blade of Empire

[merlinscribe]

Whenever Tor decides to publish it: the book has been delivered.

Re: Blade of Empire

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, good, news less than a year old! I don't mean to sound rude but this has been one of the most elusive sequels I've tracked. I guess I'm used to reading "old" sci-fi by authors who've passed on and thus finished their work, one way or another. Your Obsidian trilogy though has been the exception to prove my sci-fi only rule and Crown of Vengeance was its equal. I eagerly await and thank you for adding to the joy reading brings to my life.

Re: Blade of Empire

[merlinscribe]

Thank you! It's incredibly frustrating, I know, when you find a new series you like and it isn't *finished* yet (Kate Elliot and "Court of Fives", I'm looking at *you*). I very much appreciate your patience.

Le Sigh.....

[(Anonymous)]

Perhaps a little off topic, but as I await the next saga in the only series I read that is still being produced (an by far one of my favorites for its imagery and depth of character), what would you recommend for a good read? What is a book/series that inspired you? Also, has there been any discussion of maybe some artwork being done beyond the cover?

I hate waiting but you and Ms. Lackey have always made it worth the wait, thank you for that. Additionally, I like that you respond to people, so many authors don't take the time.

Re: Le Sigh.....

[merlinscribe]

Thank you! All writers start as readers...

I'm sorry it's taking so long for Book Two to arrive. Tor has in hand a series of novellas set in that universe, and I think you'll be seeing them on the Tor website some time next year. I'll post details and links when I have them.

I've been enjoying Scott Lynch's "Lies of Locke Lamora" series, which has amazing worldbuilding. Matthew Stover's "Chronicles of Caine Black Knife" has just reached closure, and I recommend it highly. James Barclay's stories about the mercenary company called "The Raven" is another one I'd recommend.

And for a series that inspired me, I point you to Bernard Cornwell's books about Richard Sharpe, a rifleman of the Napoleonic Era.

As for additional artwork for the series, I don't think Tor has any plans. But there's always DeviantArt...

waiting sucks

[(Anonymous)]

The subject says it all, waiting for the next book sucks. I've been sucked into some other series lately, and now I'm waiting on them too. I think I'll go back to reading books by authors that are dead while I wait. No offense meant by that, but there's less waiting involved. I can't write a book though, and it wouldn't be very fun for me to read it if I could, so take however long you feel is necessary. The last one was so good I had dreams about it, I love it when that happens. I wished I was reading it most of the time that I wasn't, and enjoyed contemplating its complexities when I probably should have been thinking about other things. Happy writing, I'll keep waiting patiently for my next escape into the world you decide to create.

Re: waiting sucks

[merlinscribe]

:laughs: I'm afraid I have to agree with you, since I'm following many cliffhanger authors and creators as well. In addition to dead authors (nany of whom I much enjoy), there are also live authors with finished series' to consider. Only don't get involved with whatever their current series is!

Very Truly Yours,

James Mallory, Writer

merlinscribe@gmail.com http://merlinscribe.com/ http://merlinscribe.dreamwidth.org/

Re: waiting sucks

[(Anonymous)]

The search goes on. My Mother mistakenly recommended a well known series to me thinking that it was complete... Totally not done. I told her there were more that she hadn't read. I didn't tell her the author is alive and still finishing the series so she'll be just as frustrated as I was soon enough (a petty revenge). My problem with living authors (present company excluded of course) is that I'll start with a complete series and then I'll go on to the next one (provided that it meets my criteria of no cars/electricity) and there I am at the end of an unfinished series AGAIN. At least there's always something to look forward to.
August (formerly known as Anonymous fan of the ())

Re: waiting sucks

[merlinscribe]

Dear August (formerly known as Anonymous fan of the ())--

I highly recommend checking out the Wikipedia entry on a series or an author before plunging in. If I had known, just for example, that WOLFHOUND CENTURY stops practically in the middle of a sentence, I would certainly have waited until the second half of the book came out. Which fortunately it does, later this month.

I promise I am working as diligently as I can on Book Two. Unfortunately, it is not yet done.

Very Truly Yours,

James Mallory, Writer

merlinscribe@gmail.com http://merlinscribe.com/ http://merlinscribe.dreamwidth.org/

Re: waiting sucks

[merlinscribe]

It is indeed a pernicious problem, August! On the one hand, I think Wheel of Time is finally done. On the other hand, A Song of Ice and Fire looks as if it may not be done in my lifetime. Your only hope may be to stick with "open world" series (Valdemar, Darkover, and so on) where all the books are set in the same world, but the individual story is resolved in a single book or a trilogy at most.

With Sympathy,

James

[(Anonymous)]

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank both you and Mercedes Lackey for writing these trilogies. I have read The Obsidian Trilogy at least 6 times since I discovered them several years ago, and have just once again finished re-reading The Enduring Flame Trilogy. I was actually bringing a friend of mine to our local book shop so that she could buy the first of the Obsidian Trilogy when she stumbled across Crown of Vengeance, and I am very much looking forward to once again diving into the world that you two have created!

They are absolutely fascinating, wonderful trilogies, and I have already begun using them in the academic sphere, and hopefully (one day) I will be able to integrate them into my high school classroom (I am in school to be an English teacher). The material that you write is rich and wonderful, and I thank you again for writing.

Yours,
Marly

[merlinscribe]

Dear Marly:

Thank you so very much for your kind words, and I will certainly pass them along to my lovely and talented co-author. We both very much enjoy writing in the World of Obsidian and hope to go on doing so for many years to come.

All the best,

James

Very Truly Yours,

James Mallory, Writer

merlinscribe@gmail.com http://merlinscribe.com/ http://merlinscribe.dreamwidth.org/

[(Anonymous)]

I've read and re-read The Obsidian Trilogy countless times, to the point that my books have had their covers removed. I enjoyed your series so much, and that includes the Enduring Flame series. I have also finished readjng Crown of Vengeance and is patiently waiting for the next installment. Good luck and congratulations for the success of your books. ^_^

- from Cleryfrey, a fan in the Philippines.

[merlinscribe]

Thank you so much for your kind words, Cleryfrey. I am always pleased to hear from my readers, and I assure you, I never forget my obligation to provide to them the best story I possibly can.