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Shattered Sea Trilogy (aka 'So much for Abercrombie's sabbatical')


MisterOJ

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It was an interesting blog.

As for Joe writing something shorter and tamer not set in the world of The First Law... I don't know. He's written six really good books (although I've only read five of them to day, but from what I have seen, Red Country is great too) so that gives me a reason to trust him. So, I'll be picking it up. But I will have some trepidation about doing so.

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I'll have to see what it's about first. I'm sure it'll read well and there's other fantasy works that could be considered YA that I've enjoyed and there seems to be a lot of leeway in when YA becomes Mature. Chris Wooding's books probably fit into YA and they are excellent.

I'm happy Joe took the decision to try something else while getting ready for the next trilogy. I think it would have showed if he'd tried to go straight into another First law series without being 100% behind it. This way we should get a great "first law" book in a few years and potentially a new series to enjoy in the meantime. I just hope he doesn't have too much fun with the new series and decides to forget about the first law books!

I'd love to know what kind of games he was considering doing some tie-in fiction for. Given his love of games he should have considered writing a game for a new project not just writing a tie-in.

EDIT now it makes sense why he had "the vikings" at the top of his "to watch" list :)

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I'll have to see what it's about first. I'm sure it'll read well and there's other fantasy works that could be considered YA that I've enjoyed and there seems to be a lot of leeway in when YA becomes Mature. Chris Wooding's books probably fit into YA and they are excellent.

I'm happy Joe took the decision to try something else while getting ready for the next trilogy. I think it would have showed if he'd tried to go straight into another First law series without being 100% behind it. This way we should get a great "first law" book in a few years and potentially a new series to enjoy in the meantime. I just hope he doesn't have too much fun with the new series and decides to forget about the first law books!

I'd love to know what kind of games he was considering doing some tie-in fiction for. Given his love of games he should have considered writing a game for a new project not just writing a tie-in.

EDIT now it makes sense why he had "the vikings" at the top of his "to watch" list :)

You know what though... I'm okay if somehow he were to drop First Law books. His story sits at a natural conclusion as is with a dynamic world that you can picture going on off-screen. It'd be far different if he were like some other authors who just stopped writing in the middle of a series with their story at a cliff hanger.

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You know what though... I'm okay if somehow he were to drop First Law books. His story sits at a natural conclusion as is with a dynamic world that you can picture going on off-screen. It'd be far different if he were like some other authors who just stopped writing in the middle of a series with their story at a cliff hanger.

There would be worse ways of ending a series, I agree (eg halfway through) but fans would always remember he'd claimed there'd be another trilogy. You know what fans are like :)

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You know what though... I'm okay if somehow he were to drop First Law books. His story sits at a natural conclusion as is with a dynamic world that you can picture going on off-screen. It'd be far different if he were like some other authors who just stopped writing in the middle of a series with their story at a cliff hanger.

I would be sad not to come back to that world, but I actually do like how it would sort of emphasize the theme that this war just goes on and on. I've worried that Joe is in a bit of a Catch-22 with the next trilogy. Either he brings the interminable War of the Magi to a close (which undermines the ending of LAoK significantly) or he doesn't, and then it brings into question why we needed the trilogy at all.

But maybe I should just have a little more faith. I would love to see Bayaz and Khalul both get their comeuppance.

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Longer plot synopsis for Half a King;

A classic coming-of-age tale, set in a brilliantly imagined alternative historical world reminiscent of the Dark Ages with Viking overtones, the book tells the story of Yarvi, youngest son of a warlike king. Born with a crippled hand, he can never live up to his father’s expectations of what a real man should be and his destiny is not the throne but the Ministry, not the sword and shield but the book and the soft word spoken.

But when his father and brother are killed, Yarvi is propelled to kingship and must sit in the Black Chair, between gods and men, and half a man must find a way to rule as half a king. Thus begins a gripping switchback ride of a tale that will carry Yarvi far beyond his kingdom, from the heights of royalty to the depths of slavery, during the course of which he must find better ways to fight than with a sword, and learn the lessons that will make him a man.

http://harpervoyager...oe-abercrombie/

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But maybe I should just have a little more faith. I would love to see Bayaz and Khalul both get their comeuppance.

Or... What if they were overthrown by their apprentices who then start a new Cold War, beginning a cycle akin to Bayaz et al replacing Juvens. Could make for a good theme there.

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This looks interesting. I've only read Best Served Cold and parts of TBI (about to take Red Country on holiday with me) and I can't imagine Abercrombie without extreme gore. It'll be interesting to see how he's adapted his style for the YA market. The plot sounds my type of thing.

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You know, as I thought more about his blog entry; I was fascinated by something I saw. I know Joe haunts threads around here... so perhaps I'll give it a try:

/Casts Summon Author: Abercrombie

The blog mentions that "They fished The Blade Itself from the slush pile, more or less". I'm curious if Joe would expound upon what exactly they saw in TBI that caught their eye. While I felt the book was very good with some strong prose, on the surface it (I think purposely) looks like derivative fantasy. Its not until the ending of BTAH and particularly LAoK that you realize everything you thought was standard fantasy fare has been turned on its head. So if the book was picked up from the slush pile, what made it so special without the later reveal?

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They all have to try writing YA at some point. Not that I'm complaining, I'm very much on that level, despite my advanced years. Also, I'd read anything written by this guy. Can't wait.

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I just got the best blog comment ever about this:

Hope he remembers his true audience after this ill thought out degeneration into the territory of YA fails to bag the author lucrative cash. Whats next "Fifty shades of Crap" romance junk I expect. hmmmph. write proper books or dont write at all. The YA fixation is just an excuse to dumb down and treat the readers as challenged people.

WHAT?

You know, as I thought more about his blog entry; I was fascinated by something I saw. I know Joe haunts threads around here... so perhaps I'll give it a try:

/Casts Summon Author: Abercrombie

The blog mentions that "They fished The Blade Itself from the slush pile, more or less". I'm curious if Joe would expound upon what exactly they saw in TBI that caught their eye. While I felt the book was very good with some strong prose, on the surface it (I think purposely) looks like derivative fantasy. Its not until the ending of BTAH and particularly LAoK that you realize everything you thought was standard fantasy fare has been turned on its head. So if the book was picked up from the slush pile, what made it so special without the later reveal?

IIRC, someone passed it onto Gillian Redfearn, an editor at Gollancz, during an unrelated event, so she read the whole book and snapped it up. I don't think it quite went through the full slush pile process. I think Joe meant more that Gollancz took a big chance on him (though if the summoning works, he can perhaps elaborate).

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[blinding flash of light]

Once more, I walk among you!

[coughs and waves away smoke]

Love that comment, Wert. Exactly the sort of elevated response I was hoping for a lot more of in response to this news. I'll have to drop by and thank him/her personally for being a true audience.

On the finding of the manuscript, I'd been sending it to agents in the field for about 6 months and had gathered maybe half a dozen rejections. Then, as luck had it, Gillian Redfearn, who now runs Gollancz but was then (end of 2004, I think?) but a newly employed assistant editor, went on a desk-editing course with a friend of mine who works for an educational publisher and knew I'd written it. When he found out she worked for an SF/F imprint he wearily asked her if she'd have a look. With some trepidation she had a look at a few chapters, liked em, asked to see some more, liked em, asked for the rest of the book and a synopsis of the series, got an offer a day or two later. So I guess you could say it was generally in slush piles but it was an 'in' at the most basic level that produced the break.

I'm not sure I've ever actually asked her what specifically she liked that much about it. Clearly her bosses at that time, Simon Spanton and Jo Fletcher, must also have liked it enough to back her up, and they'd have had to get it through a publishing meeting. I guess the voices, the style, the sense of humour, the approach to point of view and action were there, even if the ultimate payoff wasn't necessarily clear. Plus it was in need of a fair bit of editing and had a much less punchy beginning at that point.

Incidentally, Harper Collins are publishing these three books, but The First Law stuff continues with Gollancz who remain my adult publisher.

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It certainly sounds like it was your story rather than your rather loose connection that sold TBI, Joe. It makes my summer goal to keep working on my current project, especially the opening chapters, seem worthwhile. You can put whatever alongside something but the prose and characters have to sell.

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Thank you kindly for the response. As I said above, I'm fascinated by the process. I'm certainly not talented enough to make a go of writing myself, so I find these insights very... well... insightful. (See what I mean about not being very well written?!!? :P )

One thing I do wonder about though... that post Wert quoted may not have been totally off. Both Logen and Monza had some pretty strong love scenes. I think if you really put your mind to it, you could totally delve into the adult soft-core porn reading fad like the "Fifty Shades of Crap" he mentions. :lol:

:smileysex:

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