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Happy New Year to you all!
Christopher Ruocchio here, pausing from my work on BOOK SEVEN, SHADOWS UPON TIME to bring you this first-of-the-year newsletter. I am very nearly done with the last book now (I have about 16 chapters left to write, somewhere between THE LESSER DEVIL and THE DREGS OF EMPIRE in length to go), and I expect to finish sometime in February, with the goal of finishing revisions by July for a NOVEMBER/DECEMBER release date.
This is going to be a big year: for Hadrian Marlowe, for the series, and for me.
My wife and I are expecting our second child in March, and so it is my hope to complete the manuscript before the little one arrives. In an ideal world, my editor will be able to work on the manuscript while I adjust to double-fatherhood and take care of my family.
It is always possible that things will not go quite according to plan (Lord knows, I'm used to that by now).
In a lot of ways, this newsletter is premature. There should be a cover and release date reveal very soon (possibly this month), and there are a number of other announcements I'd like to make for this year that just aren't ready to roll yet. But I'll get into what I can tell you about below. There's a lot going on--and I mean a lot: we've just completed the campaign for the EMPIRE OF SILENCE | DIAMOND EDITION, and DISQUIET GODS has just seen a very successful launch in paperback; but this year promises to be even bigger, with hardcover reprints, all kinds of special edition stuff happening, and...well, for some of it you'll have to wait and see. The wheels are turning once more on all manner of secret projects, and I can't wait to start revealing them as time goes by.
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As I mentioned above, SHADOWS UPON TIME is entering its final stages, and will release by the end of this year. The reason so much of the other stuff I'm working on is on hold is to allow me to freeze everything else and focus on the final novel.
SHADOWS is already the longest book in the series. Today it stands at exactly 345,000 words (the original draft of DISQUIET GODS was 318,000 words, and the version you read was 284,000 words long). It will probably break 400K in this initial draft, with the goal being to get it down to something like 320,000 words by the end of revisions.
I am extremely proud of the novel as it stands, and I hope that you will all enjoy it. None of the theories I've seen really come close to the whole truth, and it's gratifying to see that I'm still a few steps ahead of y'all as we enter this final act.
Expect a cover reveal and release date reveal soon, along with pre-order links. SIGNED COPIES will be available for pre-order from Quail Ridge Books when the time comes, as is tradition.
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SPECIAL EDITIONS: DIAMOND, ANDERIDA, & THE BROKEN BINDING
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There are three special edition sets of the series in production now: one from Diamond Editions, one from Anderida Books, and one from The Broken Binding. All 3 sets will show movement this year, so here's the breakdown:
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The Diamond Editions of EMPIRE OF SILENCE are sold out, and rights-holders from book 1 will have first shot at HOWLING DARK when it launches here in the next month or so. That means folks who purchased BOOK ONE will have dibs on BOOK TWO for the first one of pre-orders, after which any unclaimed copies will go up for general sale.
Pre-orders for HOWLING DARK are NOT live yet. Expect a cover reveal and pre-order start date very, very soon. The artists are both hard at work finishing up illustrations for HOWLING DARK now, and I hope to jump right into work on the last revisions after BOOK SEVEN is complete.
BOOK ONE was famously fraught with delays that nearly doubled our delivery time. A lot of the kinks should have been worked out, and we already have a huge paper supply earmarked for HOWLING DARK.
Moving forward, all Diamond Edition stuff will run through the Diamond Editions' website (which did not exist when we produced EMPIRE OF SILENCE. All customer service queries moving forward should be directed to the publisher (NOT TO ME) at the link below:
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Anderida Books is making big moves this year, starting with the release of THE MURDERED SUN here in the coming weeks. They will be taking pre-order payments for THE MURDERED SUN later this month, so sign up for their newsletter at the link below.
Like the Diamond Editions, prior Anderida Books customers have priority when it comes to ordering the new books, but they will have some availability for new customers, so make sure you sign up for that newsletter if you want in!
THE MURDERED SUN is a special sort of book. It's the original, rough draft version of EMPIRE OF SILENCE, about half as long and very different from the book everyone has read. It will be exclusive to Anderida for the foreseeable future, but it may see a wider release one day down the road.
Once that is done, Anderida will be preparing for the release of its own edition of EMPIRE OF SILENCE, which should go up for sale in the May/June area. Veteran series artist Kieran Yanner returned to grace us with an all-new, wraparound cover, and a ton of interior artwork, both full-color inserts and black-and-white. This edition is going to be incredible, and I am incredibly excited to get my hands on it later this year.
But that's not all, Anderida is hoping to also put out their own edition of HOWLING DARK by the end of the year, depending on Kieran's availability. Assuming everything goes according to plan, expect BOOK TWO around Christmastime!
Check out their Sun Eater news page at the link below, and don't forget to sign up for their newsletter!
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The Broken Binding tackled BOOK ONE, BOOK TWO, and BOOK THREE last year, with the first printing going out in September. A second printing is up for preorder right now, and can be purchased here:
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There are still a few hundred sets available from the second printing, and a second wave of copies will be made available in February, so if you miss out, never fear. The second printing will bring the total number of Broken Binding sets up to 8000.
What is more, Petrik Leo and I are already at work on the art for KINGDOMS OF DEATH and ASHES OF MAN. Peng Lu has just one more piece left to do for us, and Rene Aigner is set to start next month. We don't have a date for books 4 and 5 just yet, but they are expected to launch for pre-order in the latter half of this year. Expect them in the summer at the soonest.
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I get emails now all the time asking why folks can't find books 4-6 in hardcover, and the answer is simple: They're out of print. But never fear! Last year, DAW Books reprinted the standard editions of books 1-3 in hardcover, and said reprints have been a resounding success, so I'm happy to report that KINGDOMS OF DEATH, ASHES OF MAN, and DISQUIET GODS will all see hardcover reprints this year.
I do not have precise dates at this time, but please hold fast! As soon as I have more information, I'll be the first to let you know!
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TALES OF THE SUN EATER, VOL. 4
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The next volume of the TALES OF THE SUN EATER ebook short story series will be out this year. The manuscript is ready, the cover is done. Release was only delayed by the fact that one of the stories in it is original to the Anderida release of THE MURDERED SUN. With THE MURDERED SUN set to appear as early as next month, expect news about TALES 4 to follow some time in March.
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THE LESSER DEVIL, REMASTERED
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We redid QUEEN AMID ASHES as a hardcover last year, with revised text and a new, wraparound cover by John Barry Ballaran.
John will be doing a new cover for THE LESSER DEVIL this year, but production got delayed by the fact that John is also doing black-and-white interiors for the HOWLING DARK | DIAMOND EDITION, and can't do both at once.
I won't commit to a timeline on this just yet, but rest assured that John will be starting cover development once work on HOWLING DARK is done!
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With SHADOWS UPON TIME courting completion sometime in February, that leaves a lot of the year open for new projects. You can bet I'll be jumping into my next project before the end of the year...but what that project is, you'll have to wait and see. Truth be told, I haven't committed to anything, and while the next series may, indeed, be related to my short story "The Barrow King," it just as easily might not be.
In any case, I will be taking a short break from novels after completing SHADOWS UPON TIME. I'll have a new baby, and I want to enjoy time with her and with my family.
But work is work, and there's a lot in this newsletter I haven't said just yet. I have a number of smaller projects I'll need to knock out before I get into the next book (whatever it is), short stories, special edition intros...maybe a novella or two. The sky is the limit. Well, the sky, and time.
But 2024 was the biggest year I've ever had, and 2025 is going to be even bigger. You're not prepared for everything that's coming. I know that--because I'm sure not prepared. I haven't talked about Patreon art, or conventions, or tours...or secret projects.
Much to do, and much, much more to come! I'll see you all in the world! Until next time, everyone, farewell!
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Buy Now
The Sun Eater, Book 6
DISQUIET GODS
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SUN EATER: BOOK SIX is out in paperback, and available wherever books are sold! The release of the paperback also marks the book's changing hands to DAW, my original publisher, which means the new paperback perfectly matches the dimensions of the rest of the series!
Get yours here!
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Back in Hardcover
The Sun Eater, Book 1
EMPIRE OF SILENCE
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Want a signed copy? No problem. All my books may be ordered from my local independent seller, Quail Ridge Books, right here:
(Please allow for time for me to get into the store and sign for you. It can take a few days).
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