THE WARDOG’S COIN
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#145 Free in Kindle Store
#10 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Epic
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > War
While a book can’t actually be called a best seller when it is being given away for free, it is still satisfying to see The Wardog’s Coin reach number one in Epic Fantasy in the free Kindle store. Thank you if you were a part of making that happen, whether by downloading the book or reviewing it. One of my objectives for next year is to see either A THRONE OF BONES or Book Two in the Arts of Dark and Light series reach #1 in Epic in the Kindle Store proper. Also, if you haven’t scored a copy of Wardog yet, note that it is still free today.
And while The Last Witchking doesn’t appear to be threatening the bestseller lists – it only reached #37 in Epic on its first day out – I’m very pleased that most of those who have read it appear to find the three stories it contains to be worth reading. Given the semi-canonical and allegorical nature of “Hoblets”, the unrestrained darkness of the title novelette, and the complete lack of any action in “Opera”, I was half-expecting Selenoth fans to be disappointed in it. I should have known that those who already appreciate a relatively broad spectrum world would tend to enjoy seeing the scope of the world expanded.
Gecko asked: “what’s the recommended reading order for the first Selenoth run-through?” That’s a good question, and one which I’ve never actually considered in light of how most of the series has only been published in the last five months. But I suppose there is a considerable amount of text out there in comparison with the average series where only the first book has been published already. This is the order I suspect may be optimal for the average reader, but keep in mind that there is absolutely no authorial intent here. And, as you will note, I am very skeptical of the value of authorial intent when it comes to these matters.
A Magic Broken
The Wardog’s Coin
Qalabi Dawn
A THRONE OF BONES
Summa Elvetica
Master of Cats
Birth of an Order
The Last Witchking
Opera Vita Aeterna
The Hoblets of Wiccam Fensboro
Now, I think an advanced reader who prefers epic fantasy would be best advised to begin with A THRONE OF BONES from the start, but since it is a giant novel and one that begins slowly at that, it’s probably better for most readers to begin with a few of the smaller works. I wrote the smaller works in the knowledge that many of them would be read prior to the central series; that’s why all of them are set in times prior to the events of Book I.
In answer to Gecko’s other question, “Nephew or Wardrobe?”, I can only say “Wardrobe” and declare that I am fully prepared to fight to the death anyone who would be so abysmally stupid to assert otherwise. I have staunchly resisted buying a new set of Narnia novels, even though our old paperbacks are mostly in pieces now, because I don’t want to own a set that is ordered incorrectly.
NB: the free copies of Witchking went out to those who preordered the Summa Elvetica hardcover at 9:30 PM Mountain time. If you didn’t receive it, first check your spam traps and if you still can’t find it, let me know.