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Sword of Shadows: Some Questions


Garlan the Gallant
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I have a question about the first book and the series as a whole.

I'm about 20% in to the first book and this Mace Blackhail keeps getting away with evil buslshit because because most of characters are complete fools. He actually rapes a woman then gets away with it. This is very frustrating to me and I wonder if the book is worth reading.

The mystery with the girl Ash in a tower is very intriguing but the stupid clansmen thing is infuriating and off putting.

Is the whole book like this? Are other books in the series? When does he get out of the picture?

I don't mind evil characters, but I can't stand it when they keep succeeding purely because nearly everyone around them is an idiot.

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On 4/15/2021 at 6:56 AM, Werthead said:

Yup. Apparently it would have been done at the end of last year or the start of this without the pandemic and attendant problems, but it got pushed back a bit. I think she was sitting around the two-thirds-done point late last year.

I know JV has also recovered the rights to the Book of Words trilogy - which leads into Sword of Shadows but is not strictly necessary to enjoy it - and wants to re-release them as ebooks and audiobooks. If Tor picked them up, that could take the sting out of waiting eleven years for Endlords (though I suspect they'll also want to see the progress on the final book as well, which JV is planning to roll straight into) and allow for a unified marketing and cover design strategy.

Are there six planned books for Sword of Shadows then?

Seeing this thread had me contemplating a reread, but if there are to be six I may hold off. 

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2 hours ago, Ninefingers said:

Are there six planned books for Sword of Shadows then?

Seeing this thread had me contemplating a reread, but if there are to be six I may hold off. 

Yeah, six I believe is still the plan. Endlords is the penultimate book.

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4 hours ago, Garlan the Gallant said:

Is it too much to ask if Wert or Pat to do an in-depth interview with JV Jones where one of the questions is how the book is going? 

On her Patreon, she's just posted Raif's first chapter from the book and an additional Ash chapter. Work seems to have resumed at a good clip after a break due to a bereavement.

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I think I may go back and reread this series now ahead of Endlords.  It’s really great to hear that JV Jones was finally able to return to writing.  I’ve avoided checking for updates over the past year, but it’s probably getting close now.  (GRRM taught me patience the long, hard way)

Considering the quality of this series — and, yes, it showed incredible development over her prior series — it’s a bit crazy that she hasn’t spent the past decade having an experience similar to the top tier fantasy authors.

This series could definitely be optioned for TV, although I doubt it has the embedded fan base or name recognition of WoT or the Witcher.

edit: just purchased the series so far on Kindle, even though I have the original paperbacks up in the attic

Edited by Iskaral Pust
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4 hours ago, Iskaral Pust said:

I think I may go back and reread this series now ahead of Endlords.  It’s really great to hear that JV Jones was finally able to return to writing.  I’ve avoided checking for updates over the past year, but it’s probably getting close now.  (GRRM taught me patience the long, hard way)

Considering the quality of this series — and, yes, it showed incredible development over her prior series — it’s a bit crazy that she hasn’t spent the past decade having an experience similar to the top tier fantasy authors.

This series could definitely be optioned for TV, although I doubt it has the embedded fan base or name recognition of WoT or the Witcher.

edit: just purchased the series so far on Kindle, even though I have the original paperbacks up in the attic

I don’t know how much you follow her Patreon, but her past decade has gone pretty rough. Basically the polar opposite to authors like Rothfuss and GRRM that have managed not to put out the book that fans want from them because they are getting their books optioned and their book sales are great. I have tremendous respect for her and I have way more empathy for her than other authors as well because of how upfront she has been with her readers on her Patreon. In addition, the preview chapters have been fantastic!

Edited by Garlan the Gallant
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25 minutes ago, Garlan the Gallant said:

I don’t know how much you follow her Patreon, but her past decade has gone pretty rough. Basically the polar opposite to authors like Rothfuss and GRRM that have managed not to put out the book that fans want from them because they are getting their books optioned and their book sales are great. I have tremendous respect for her and I have way more empathy for her than other authors as well because of how upfront she has been with her readers on her Patreon. In addition, the preview chapters have been fantastic!

I don’t check her Patreon but I was aware that it was personal problems that took her away from writing these past years.  That’s a terrible pity for her, both for what she went through and the opportunity it cost her just as she had shown the quality to be a top tier writer.  But hopefully she can recapture that now.

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On 6/4/2022 at 12:41 PM, Iskaral Pust said:

I think I may go back and reread this series now ahead of Endlords.  It’s really great to hear that JV Jones was finally able to return to writing.  I’ve avoided checking for updates over the past year, but it’s probably getting close now.  (GRRM taught me patience the long, hard way)

Considering the quality of this series — and, yes, it showed incredible development over her prior series — it’s a bit crazy that she hasn’t spent the past decade having an experience similar to the top tier fantasy authors.

This series could definitely be optioned for TV, although I doubt it has the embedded fan base or name recognition of WoT or the Witcher.

edit: just purchased the series so far on Kindle, even though I have the original paperbacks up in the attic

Yup, same here, I am patiently waiting on Endlords, whenever a publication date is announced I will commence a reread...

These books has so many made for TV moments, should have gotten optioned years ago..

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I started my reread of the series but I’m struggling to enjoy it.  The first book spends so much time on Raif and Ash going through their separate teenage angst as they resent that they are being lied to but everyone else is too stupid (clan) or complicit (Spire Vanis).  The super special emo teenagers rejecting corrupt adult authority figures feels too cliche, especially after all of the YA book series that got adapted as films since this was published (Divergent, Maze Runner, Hunger Games all come to mind).

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On 7/18/2022 at 4:01 AM, Garlan the Gallant said:

Not sure if people saw but JV Jones estimated six months until completion of the book on her Patreon.

I am wondering if there has been any updates posted for her Patreon readers on how things have progressed and if the book is close?

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