Comments on: Sequels and things: new story — The Price of Salt

By: low

low — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 04:44:40 +0000

Thanks for the speedy reply. Your series give fantasy readers (and gamers) a ray of hope in a sea of mediocrity.

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Adrian Tchaikovsky — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 21:50:00 +0000

Reply @ Low — Grasshoppers, left to their own devices, aren't fans of armour. In Commonweal armies they would generally get a leather cuirass or hauberk, reinforced with chitin if they were lucky. If they were really lucky they wouldn't have got themselves drafted in the first place.

By: low

low — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:02:09 +0000

One of my favorite things about your books is the concept that each kinden favor different Armour and weapons. However I've never found any references to the Armour favored by grasshoppers.

By: ito

ito — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 21:07:40 +0000

Thanks for the reply. I am eagerly waiting the next fix. If only writers could write as fast as we read. I guess the age of fast food and microwaves (instant results) has put unrealistic expectations on everyone.

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Adrian Tchaikovsky — Mon, 31 May 2010 11:28:22 +0000

All I will say is that all three of those characters (and I assume, without giving spoilers, that I'm thinking of the same characters, and that you don't mean third Wasp soldier from the left or anything, leave a long shadow. The next three books are all to do with their legacy, and dealing with their absence (or, as you note, their unexpected presence, in one case).

Third Wasp soldier from the left is gone, though. I agonised about it, but it would be too contrived to bring him back.

By: ito

ito — Mon, 31 May 2010 07:58:25 +0000

"There might be unintentional/intentional spoilers from Salute the dark."

Man, you killed my 3 favourite characters in Salute the dark. They were the main reason why I loved the books. Not the only reason, but a big part. They fired my imagination and couldn't wait to see what their new adventures put them through. Now I feel less enthusiastic about the new adventures. I want to find out more about the world you brought to life and the other kinden, but without these 3 it won't be the same for me. The ones left alive I could do without although I'm glad Parops and Balkus pulled through. Still I really like your concept and together with the Mystborn of Brandon Sanderson and the Dunyain of R Scott Bakker I consider them some of the most original ideas in Fantasy that I have read so far.

Now I am waiting to see if the ending of your fourth book will turn out to be the resurrection of one of my favourite 3 in The Scarab Path. That's if I understood it correctly All the best!

By: Jonathan Miller

Jonathan Miller — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:45:27 +0000

10 books is the best news I’ve heard all day,
I love your books, and as a Law student you give me hope of a better tomorrow. I like the longer series, just don’t let it take forever and get off track (see the sad story of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time).

PS I really enjoy that you kill main characters and let cities fall. Really adds to the suspense.

By: Huw

Huw — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:53:03 +0000

Cheers

Look forward to more shorts then (hopefully explaining more of the background) and ultimately to their inclusion into the "main" storyline.
Always nice to hear about the nomadic plainspeople (or their analogues) of a world. Keep up the good work though, it's a real pleasure to come accross something fresh in the world of "Fantasy"!

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Adrian Tchaikovsky — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:51:16 +0000

Well Ygor (1) and company are indeed returning — possibly in shorts at some time, but also in the main story in a few books' time. One of the reasons I'm writing these shorts is to flesh out the backstory of some of the smaller characters, and to get a feel for those that I want to use later.

And in response to Moon Kim — you get Skaters to work for you by giving them plenty of opportunity to profit from it…

(1) Scorpion naming conventions place the home (2) first, then the name, so Barad Ygor is Ygor from Barad, and Akta Barik is Barik from Akta (Akta, at least, is on the map for book 1). Scorpions without a "forename", such as Hokiak, have pointedly disavowed their past and people.

(2) Or rather, loose cultural sub-group, as Scorpions are nomadic by nature.

By: Huw

Huw — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:32:38 +0000

Morning,

Quick comment — loved it. Are you planning on doing more with this collection of assorted ruffians? I'd like to read more about Barad and his kin, especially the whole concept of Stalkers and their wifes (and Husbands? Do you get female stalkers?).

Cheers