Larry shared this on the book of faces today…- Jack
I’m nearing the end of the Saga of the Forgotten Warrior.
So I had to split the finale, Graveyard of Demons, in half because it got so damned big. The rough draft of the first book is done (I’m just waiting for a couple Hindi translations) and it is 5,000 words LONGER than Tower of Silence. 😀
So yeah, this would’ve been by far my longest book. But luckily it works out that there is a perfect logical cut off for the end. And having just read through it again… damn, I am proud of this series.
In the final scene of part 1 I get to explain something that I’ve had planned since the beginning, which totally explains why one of the major characters is the way he is, and once I explain it, the reader is going to go oh man how did I miss that? And it’s friggin’ rad. 😀
So yeah, cutting this one in half is the way to go, and it gives me a bit more room for other important characters’ resolutions in the second one. Which hopefully won’t take me very long to finish, so we can have a pretty close release.
The other day when I put up that list of everything I’ve written, somebody on Twitter said sure, you’ve written 25 novels since GRRM’s last GoT came out, but his are longer. Yeah, he writes 800 page doorstops while my fantasy novels are 400. But honestly, I can’t stand that meandering, bloated, nonsense that plagues fantasy where authors have to describe the ingredients of every meal and what every dress looks like, or fixate on characters that nobody cares about who do things that ultimately don’t matter. That’s the kind of stuff that I get bored and skim when I read epic fantasy. I figure if I don’t care, the reader really doesn’t care. I get bored writing that kind of fluff. I put enough description to provide a basic visual, and then let’s get to getting.
And I don’t like to spend time on minutia. Nobody cares. I’ll drop enough about the world to make it feel fleshed out, but the fact that the Capitol has fractional reserve banking, though fascinating to me, is utterly irrelevant to the stuff readers care about. So no, George, nobody gives a crap about Aragorn’s tax policy. (though I might stick one line about Devedas’ tax policy in there, just to be a dick).
One of the things I’ve been enjoying about the pro reviews of this series (which I’m FINALLY starting to get, ten years late) is them marveling how this is a fantasy, but it’s plotted more like a thriller. I think that’s fun that people are getting that, because when I set out to write this series it was to make the kind of story I wanted to read. It’s a throw back to the fantasy I read in my youth, with lots of action and adventure, intrigue, and heroes and villains, but I still wanted quality and depth, so there’s a point to all the hacking and slashing… just without the navel gazing and pointless nihilistic meandering that’s invaded the genre.
I had one dork troll on twitter (who hadn’t read my stuff, but it is funny when they try to guess) go all “hur dur, you’re a writer? Son of the Black Sword? sounds super HEAVY.” because these morons excel at sarcasm. But then all the responses were from fans going, doofus, it’s about genocide and caste systems.
So yeah, I get to write about fantasy Judge Dredd turned George Washington and play with heavy stuff like religion and the nature of government and legends vs harsh reality, and I get to kill lots of stuff with swords and blow crap up.
I have an awesome job. 😀
Once you’ve got the world down, you can write any kind of story you want. I’ve read fantasy stories that were romances, police procedurals, thrillers, noir, and westerns. It don’t take long if you’re good.
Can’t complain about having two books to read instead of one. If any thing YAY! More content!
I always thought of SoBS being about the evil that can arise when the power of law itself is the thing that is served rather than that power being a servant of the sacred (“good”, life, ect). That fundamental danger of the wrong things being placed at the top of the moral hierarchy, even something as useful as law and order.
But yeh, there’s castes and genocides and technology indistinguishable from magic, which is super cool.
Sooo…now your trilogy is 6 books? 😀
He’s an accountant, they have to do double entry math so everything is actually twice as long. Or something like that. Like R.O. said, more content!
It is a fine tradition, perhaps not started by Douglas Adams, but certainly perfected by him.
Adams is a small-timer. I think the all-time champion is Piers Anthony; his Xanth trilogy is up to something like 46 books now.
IIRC (and I may not) it was always going to be 5, until now.
Which….yes!!
David Weber’s Honor Harrington series was originally going to be 5 books.
Wait a minute! Does this mean the first three books are now a prequel trilogy and therefore I must hate them?
GAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
“Printer is coming.”
Suckup here – you do great work – and I delightfully note you independently follow Elmore Leonard’s advice:
“Leave out the parts people tend not to read.”
Yeah!
Radwaste could be read as an acronym for “RADiation WASTEland”.
Edit: Or rather RADioactive WASTEland.
So, how long before you announce the leather-bound collectors’ edition of the whole thing? (Want!!)
Your rebuttal on detail/book-length your love of history lead me to wonder if you’ve found/enjoyed the spy thrillers by Frederick Forsythe. I’ve learned more history from Forsythe’s fiction than most students are taught in university. (Tho some feel the historical detail slows the pacing, I promise it’s nothing like the word-padding that Hugo does with sewers and Waterloo in Les Miz!)
Just a recommendation from one grown-ass history nerd to another.
My parents bought me the paperback “Day of the Jackal” so that I would “stop rotting [my] brain on all that s-f and fantasy trash [in the jr. high library].” Good parenting, expanding my “flavour pallet” like that, but I still love me some Monster Hunters, Starship Troopers, Dragon Riders, Battle School, and especially some Ashok Black Sword bad-assery!
I can’t wait! I hope it’s published by my birthday this summer! Спасибо большой!!!
A friend of mine got me to read David Eddings a couple decades back. The stories were entertaining enough, but so drawn out. The characters would meander all through the story, seemingly as an excuse to include all the elements in the map at the front of the book. Then the entire story gets wrapped in two or three paragraphs at the end.
In one story, a character is assigned the responsibility of “choosing” between two opposing outcomes. One is “good”, and one is “evil”. She is escorted to the site of this event by the “good” side, while the evil side attempts to kill her or at least prevent her from arriving at the site at the ordained time so that evil can win by default. All along the way, the chosen one explains over and over again to her escorts (who dutifully keeps her alive) how good and evil to her and her people are simply flip sides of the same coin, and she will choose between them.
When the climax arrives, she is indeed torn between the good side who has only transported her safely to this destiny and the evil side that attempted to thwart if not kill her. How to choose, how to choose? Finally, the representative of evil claims, “If you can’t choose, I will!” All the attempts on her life couldn’t affect the choice, but the attempt to claim the choice was just too much. So good is chosen, and the evil one is magically destroyed.
So many words to reach a simple conclusion.
Yeah, the finale of the Malloreon was one of the most painful things I think I ever read. At the time, I actually enjoyed meandering epic fantasy (now it feels painful), but that ending was so dumb. Disappointing when you consider that the Belgariad had a fight with the literal god of Evil and Madness.
Asok is, in my humble opinion, one of the most intriguing and captivating characters I have ever read. And, he is surrounded by equally complex and deep characters.
Every point made about the plodding fantasy that plagues writers like GRRM is absolutely correct. It gets in the way of the story, and makes me want to put it aside. (seriously, does anyone really need 1,000 words about what every person in the room is wearing?)
One minor complaint is I need to re-read the previous book (sometimes books) to get back up to speed on the story and all the players, it takes time. But, I am more than willing to put in that time for this Saga. On the other hand, I have never cracked the cover of Game of Thrones since I completed it. Too heavy. (800 page door stops… About right)
The part I’m looking forward to is when Larry finally confirms for the reader that what you thought was fantasy is really science fiction. It’s not been that hidden but the details are not known to the characters and because of the point of view used in the narrative the reader can only draw inferences that are not available to the characters.
The hints have been there from the beginning as to the history of events centuries ago are all “explainable” with ancestors who had science and not “magic.” So I fully expect one “mysterious” character will come on the stage in the last act and explain some of the world’s history to the characters.
Yeah, that Arrow they called down to take out the nest of worm demons sure looked like a ‘Rod From God’ kinetic weapon to me.
Congratulations, Larry. I’m looking forward to the end result.
I’ve loved the series so far; my one concern after finishing Book 4 was “Wow, there seems like a lot of plot points to finish and lore to explore, how is he going to do it all in just one more book?” So I’m thrilled to hear that two more books are expected!
This is such great news. The SotBS is one of the few series that I actually recommend to my friends and family. Sadly, I only have one copy of each book, so they have been passed around and read quite a few times. But great news! I was dreading the ending of this series, but I’m happy to hear that instead of one more book, we’ll be getting two! One of the best pieces of news of 2024! I still think that a graphic novel or animated series is still in the future for this series. Hell, maybe you can get HBO to produce a series with an actual ending verses the garbage that GoT became.
Please book Tim Gerard Reynolds’ narration time in advance!
Thanks for assembling an awesome series!
I agree that some stories have extraneous filler and details that makes you wonder if it is relevant to the plot or not. Certainly there is a subjective “enough” factor.
On the one hand, heck yeah two books!!
On the other hand, even a relatively short release gap means I’ll have to wait longer to finish!
Still excited
I suppose I am wasting my time submitting an unbiased comment on this site but here goes: The entire ‘Forgotten Warrior’ series is derivative, trite, pulpy garbage. Correia45 is more then a ‘never was’ than a ‘has been.’ The declining readership of this nonsense illustrates that even nostalgia for Correia’s halfway decent writing is insufficient to buoy the absolute garbage he currently writes.
1. We’re pretty even handed about letting people comment. Pretty much only spam and insults/threats to his children get removed.
2. ‘Derivative’ of all the other fantasy books based on Indian culture instead of the traditional Celtic?
3. If he wasn’t a ‘never was’ and more of a “real author” he’d have two mountains instead of owning just one like some peasant, huh?
4. ‘Declining readership’? LOL
5. Wait- you’re admitting he was once halfway decent? That’s progress, I suppose
6. Ahhhh. Another sock puppet account. Last time it was ‘IrishJew.’ You really are obsessed with Larry, aren’t you? I’d suggest counseling.
It is interesting how Mr. Correia’s understanding of Indian culture is influenced not just by the Vedas and boring stuff from thousands of years ago, but also by India’s disastrous experiment with socialism and 5-year plans since WWII.
As a consequence of its traditional (since independence) pro-Soviet orientation, currently India is siding with Russia and Putin in his invasion of Ukraine and is an important customer for Russian oil, thus thwarting the international embargo attempts.
Mr. Correia’s India is a modern India, with evil, stupid, and incompetent bureaucrats. Ashok is a Milei-like figure.
Larry Correia has published more than 30 books. Millions of people have bought them.
How many books have you published? How many people bought them?
Wanker.
Oh, it’s this fucker again. “Unbiased”? Lol. Fuck off. 😀
Derivative of what? 🤨
You are stupid.
After their vague plans to stop making miniatures and just 3D print everything fell through, Privateer Press has just firesold virtually everything they own (including Warmachine and associated fiction). I eagerly await Steve and Larry laughing at that company’s well deserved fate.