Alsea lovers: This is the one you’ve been waiting for
One of the best things about writing a series is the ability to have long-term story arcs running through multiple books. There are a number of those in the Chronicles of Alsea, one of which has been running since Book One.
And now we’re on Book Eight.
I’m delighted to announce that Uprising will be released on Friday, April 19, just in time for the Easter weekend. And it’s a barn burner, answering many questions and concluding several multi-book story arcs.
Here are just a few of the questions that will be answered in Uprising:
- What happened to the Voloth soldiers?
- Why did divine tyrees suddenly reappear after a thousand cycles?
- How is Salomen adapting to the demands of being Bondlancer on top of her responsibilities as head of her family and holding?
- Why did Tal act so out of character at the end of Outcaste? Can she resolve it?
Uprising takes us back to Alsea and gives a voice to two new main characters: Prime Builder Anjuli Eroles and Voloth spokesperson Rax Sestak. We’ve seen them before, of course, but as minor characters. Now they’re our guides to different parts of Alsean life: as a Voloth settler and as a political player who isn’t at the top of the heap.
Which is not to say we’ve lost our earlier guides. Tal and Salomen both get a great deal of time on stage, accompanied by all the others who have made such an impression on readers: Lanaril, Vellmar, Micah, Lhyn, Ekatya, and Rahel, not to mention Salomen’s family on Hol-Opah.
Uprising is a sweeping epic designed to immerse readers and not let them go. Here is the synopsis:
A caste Prime with a personal grudge that may bring down the government. A captured soldier seeking peace with his former enemies. A rural landowner thrust into the highest levels of political power.
As Alsea looks to the future, its foundations are cracked by the past. The peaceful coexistence of six castes was shaped by an ancient injustice, but when Bondlancer Salomen Opah commits a well-meaning act, she disrupts the careful balance. Now Alsea teeters on the brink of caste war.
Standing between past and future are three people whose lives have been sent on a collision course by events beyond their control. An avalanche has begun, and only great courage and sacrifice can stop it.
You’ll find it on Amazon, Kobo, Nook, Apple Books, and several other platforms — I’ll post a universal link on release day. In the meantime, for those Alsea lovers who have been waiting for this: don’t plan on getting much sleep that Friday night.
Wow, that was a welcome find tonight. I must admit tho’ my delight is somewhat tempered by the subject matter. I really don’t like conflict and it sounds as if there is plenty of upset coming. But, in the big plus column, it’s Alsea and it’s only three weeks away🙂
Can’t write a novel without conflict! Yes, it’s here, but it’s all for very good reasons…and the last third is a gigantic action set-piece that you won’t be able put down.
Well. You’ve been busy!
I’ve been on tenterhooks- trying to work out if “in the spring” meant our spring or in Colorado (!)
Welcome news indeed.
Congratulations on book 8. But please tell me you think you’ve still got book 9 lurking in your psyche!
Best wishes
Annie
PS is there news on when Producer’s challenge might get its new hard copy format?
I do indeed have Book 9 lurking! In fact, I have it outlined and am having happy thoughts of starting to put words to page.
Re: Producer’s Challenge, it has been in the new hard copy format since last fall, but Amazon frustratingly has the default “paperback” button set to the handful of used copies out there. It’s infuriating but I can’t change it. (I have tried, believe me.)
But if you go to this URL, you will go straight to the correct paperback:
https://www.amazon.com/Without-Front-Producers-Challenge-Chronicles/dp/1912684152/
Hi Fletcher,
Thanks for the link. I’ve clicked order the £10.99 new paperback. ☺️
And book 9 is lurking too. What a treat.
Meanwhile…Just getting a bit of re-reading earlier chronicles to get in the swing of things.
How many pages are we looking at for book 8 – a goodly number I hope for sure.
If it’s possible to do an Amazon pre-order as you did for book 7 that would be much appreciated to!
Thank you 😊
Annie
Excellent, thank you for the purchase! It’s a gorgeous cover (and a much more readable layout). Re: the page count for Book 8, I’ll be doing layout tomorrow, but I can tell you that it’s comparable in length to the revised edition of The Caphenon. (In other words: epic!)
I’ll hope to set up a pre-order, but am not certain I’ll manage it this time due to the time crunch. We’ll see…
Dear Fletcher
Thanks for the page estimate- happiness is a speed reader with a 500 plus page book to enjoy. I’m primarily a Kindle reader but I purchased your new hard copy editions because they are all round beautiful. Typesetting, cover art, paper …❤️❤️❤️
So they’re getting some of our precious shelf room.
Good luck with your layout crunches.
Best wishes from a Brexit bedevilled Londoner…
🤪
Annie
I totally get that about the speed reader with 500+ pages! And getting precious shelf space is a high compliment, thank you. Speaking as one who just got rid of about 8 bags of paperbacks…that space is indeed reserved only for the keepers!
Hi Fletcher
Guess what – my Producer’s Challenge arrived. And it’s a new copy of the Ylva first edition 😳 wrong art etc. Not Heartsome. I think I will have to return it.
Obviously I’m locked into some old world but of the Amazon.co.uk empire. Hmmm bit puzzled about what to do now.
Annie
What! Something is very wrong if Amazon is printing up new copies of a defunct edition. Please return it and explain exactly why you’re exchanging it for the RIGHT edition, and express your dismay that Amazon is selling an old edition as new. I will work on it from my end as well, and use your experience as a concrete example (if you don’t mind).
Okay- that will help. I can email you pictures if you like. I’m returning this one … I tried to “Exchange” but that didn’t work! will hope patience pays off and we get there eventually…
Annie, I put up the US Amazon link, not remembering that you were in the UK. When I went to the UK site just now, I see it has the proper edition for Warrior’s Challenge, but the wrong one for Producer’s Challenge. You can get to the right edition by drilling down through the options, but it’s not up front where it should be. I’m going to try to get that fixed. In the meantime, here is the proper Amazon UK link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Without-Front-Producers-Challenge-Chronicles/dp/1912684152/
Ok!!! I’ve clicked and now re-ordered the correct new edition. Don’t worry about me now- I’m sorted. You concentrate on your layouts and your new launch.
Annie
Bedevilled by Brexit etc etc
I’m glad you’re getting the correct edition, but it should not be this hard! I’ve just sent off an email to Amazon. Fingers crossed.
Annie, Amazon has responded and is unlinking the third-party sellers from my detail page (hurrah!), but they have asked for additional info to assist:
“If you could help us with the order ID and Product ID of the order which the customer purchased, so that we can proceed further (the Product ID is on the last physical page of the book under the barcode).”
If you have that info, you can drop it into the Contact form on this blog and I’ll send it along. If not…no worries.
Thank you for the Amazon purchase ID numbers — I have sent them on and deleted your original comment for your privacy. Onward!
Hi Fletcher!
Happy camper here…my Heartsome Edition of Producer’s challenge arrived. Lovely.
Finally! So that’s vols 1-3 done.
Meanwhile now I’m settling down and looking forward to vol 8.
Annie
Hurrah! I’m so glad for you. And grateful that you told me about the snafu, or I wouldn’t have known. Still waiting to get that straightened out, but I have hope.
I am so excited. Can’t wait for Easter to get here
Not too far off!
Uprising has arrived. I will not start it now, repeat I will not start it noooooow.
Did you start it?