Posts Tagged: Del Rey

Chew Manga by Jessica Dinh

Chew Manga by Jessica Dinh

For the past year or so, Terry Brooks has been teasing his fans with hints of a conclusion to his long-running Shannara series. Since some of its earliest volumes, the Shannara series has explored the results of growing science in a world once dominated by magic. Brooks has mentioned several times now that within the next several years he will be writing a trilogy that will tie-up this ongoing tug o’ war, calling the trilogy and “end” for Shannara. But, would Brooks, and his publishers, really be willing to step away from the long-standing (and reliable revenue generating) series? The answer, it appears, is no.

The the most recent instalment of “Ask Terry,” a monthly feature on Brooks’ website where the author answer fan questions, Gina Miller asked, “When I finished Measure of the Magic, it felt incomplete. We left everyone divided and leaderless, and it was an incomplete transition to the Shannara world. Will there be a bridge to make the transition complete?”

To which Brooks replied:

Yes, there will be a finish to the set. Just not for awhile. Probably not for as along as five years. I intend to write the end of the Shannara series first, then go back to the pre-history. Obviously, if I intend to keep my promise to all of you, I have to write from Measure up to the First Council of Druids. Let’s hope I live that long.

Colour me unsurprised (and a happy Shannara fan). While Shannara might receive a trilogy that concludes the war between science and magic, there are many more stories to tell in the world, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Brooks turning to more standalone novels, similar to his upcoming novel, The High Druid’s Blade, set at various points along Shannara‘s lengthy timeline.

In addition to these upcoming novels, Brooks has also said that he has a new book (or series) planned that is entirely unrelated to his previous works.

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Well, boys and girls, mark your calendars. We’ve got a (tentative, vague) date for the next volume of Scott Lynch’s Gentlemen Bastards sequence, The Thorn of Emberlain.

The Thorn of Emberlain “ought to be out in the fall of 2014,” said Lynch in an interview with Fantastical Imaginations. While some guarded skepticism is natural, Adam Whitehead of The Wertzone said, “Scott’s publishers are themselves confident that this date can be met: Scott began work on The Thorn of Emberlain some time before the final edits on Republic [of Thieves] were done, and the novel is already in an advanced stage of writing.”

Lynch also revealed some early details about what fans can expect of Locke and Jean’s misadventures in Emberlain:

The Thorn of Emberlain, the fourth book in the Gentleman Bastard sequence, picks up about half a year after The Republic of Thieves and finds Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen trying to get back on their feet with a major con. They’re trying to sell the services of a non-existent mercenary company to the besieged city-state of Emberlain, hoping to escape with the hiring fees before the chaos of the Vadran civil war overruns Emberlain. Naturally, things don’t go according to plan…

Given my love for Lynch’s most recent novel, The Republic of Thieves (REVIEW), The Thorn of Emberlain has immediately vaulted to the top of my most anticipated novels for 2014.

first-law-comic

Joe Abercrombie confirmed Monday that the first draft of his next novel, Half a King is, for all intents and purposes, done. The “kind of YA kind of crossover whatever the hell it is” has completed its copyedits and is ready for its publication on “July 8th 2014 from Del Rey in the US, and a not totally specific though probably very similar July date from Harper Collins in the UK,” says Abercrombie. He also indicates that ARCs (and thus the first reviews) should start appearing over the next handful of months.

He further indicates that, though behind on his ‘ludicrously over-optimistic schedule,’ he’s still hopeful that the sequel, Half the World will be “comfortably finished by the time Half a King is unleashed, hopefully with the 3rd and final book, Half a War, well underway.”

After he’s done with the Half a King trilogy, Abercrombie is planning to begin earnest work on a new trilogy set in the world of The First Law, “set some years after the end of Red Country.” The first book in this trilogy won’t see store shelves until at least 2017, however. “This is at an embryonic stage right now,” Abercrombie says. “And I’m keen to get a solid plan, and hopefully a rough draft, of the entire trilogy before we publish the first book. That’ll mean putting off publication of book one, but hopefully a faster, more regular and better managed publication of the best books possible thereafter.”

The Darkling Child by Terry Brooks

Terry Brooks’ next novel, The High Druid’s Blade, isn’t even out yet, but the cover for the follow-up novel, The Darkling Child, is already loosed on the world. (See what I did there? It’s like a demon from the Forbidding.) And, it’s just as pretty as the previous cover. I really like the rough, impressionistic quality of the painting they’ve used.

The Darkling Child is the second in The Defenders of Shannara, a loose trilogy of standalone Shannara novels that follow the events of Witch Wraith, Brooks’ most recently published novel. The High Druid’s Blade and The Darkling Child will be released in 2014.

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

Publisher: Del Rey - Pages: 672 - Buy: Book/eBook
The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

I can remove the poison from your body.

Poison kills. Locke Lamora knows this—poison courses through his veins, eating away his health, wasting away at his mind. Poison is killing Locke Lamora, but at what cost can it be removed from his body, and can even that be considered salvation? The Republic of Thieves, the long-awaited third volume in Scott Lynch’s Gentlemen Bastards series, answers those questions, but, as any good middle-volume should, it asks so many more.

Scott Lynch emerged onto the fantasy scene as an intense, bright-burning star. Almost overnight, he became one of the most exciting young novelists when he released his debut novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora, which engaged readers with its wit, intricate plotting, mile-a-minute dialogue and characters you knew immediately upon meeting them. It was one of the most impressive debut novels of the twenty first-century. And, as luck would have it, the sequel was just around the corner. Lynch promised a book-a-year, and delivered Red Seas Under Red Skies on that schedule. The Republic of Thieves was next on the list. That was six years ago. Read More »