adelaidesean: (glitter negative)
[personal profile] adelaidesean
The two novellas I have out this year are not only substantial (>20k) and therefore great bang for your buck, but two of the best things I’ve ever written. As if that weren’t enough, they also connect to existing stories--so if you want to know what finally happens to Ros and Adi, the two most famous lovers in the world of the Change, or if you want to learn more about the world of “A Map of the Mines of Barnath” and “Inevitable”*, then these stories are for you. (And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, never fear: they also completely stand alone.)

They are “The Spark (A Romance in Four Acts)” now out in Legends of Australian Fantasy and “A Glimpse of the Marvellous Structure (& the Threat it Entails)” from Godlike Machines, long-delayed but scheduled to be out in time for Worldcon.

The novella is such a wonderful length to write to in sf&f, and wonderful to read, too. I hope you enjoy these two, if you get the opportuity.

          

* From the Locus Award-winning anthology The New Space Opera 2. Yay, Jonathan Strahan! (Without whom neither of these novellas would have existed.)

Date: 2010-06-28 12:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thiefofcamorr.livejournal.com
Legends of Australian Fantasy is the whole reason I'm following you and have bought The Crooked Letter :) I loved your novella so much! I can't wait to read more of your work :)

Date: 2010-06-28 12:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] seanwilliams.livejournal.com
Thank you very much! That's wonderful to hear. I hope you enjoy TCL just as much.

Date: 2010-06-28 12:38 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thiefofcamorr.livejournal.com
Which book would you suggest I read for the start of Ros and Adi? Is TDL the right place to start, or should I grab another book? ...Though I will of course be getting all of them, I mean grab a certain other book now :)

Date: 2010-06-28 12:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] seanwilliams.livejournal.com
Ah, now. This is a difficult question to answer. I'll try to be brief!

THE CROOKED LETTER is the first of the Change books, chronologically speaking: that is, it's set roughtly now, and shows the transition from our world to the world of Ros and Adi, et al.

However, it's probably not where I would start. If you want to follow Ros and Adi specifically, their story is contained in a YA series called The Broken Land, starting with THE CHANGELING and continuing through THE DUST DEVILS and THE SCARECROW. (There's also another stand-alone novella called "Ungentle Fire", from THE DRAGON BOOK, which is set just before "Spark".) The Broken Land is set about 500 years after TCL.

Ros and Adi are younger in this series, since it's aimed at younger readers. If that puts you off, you could go to the Books of the Change, which follows another couple, Sal and Shilly, through three books, and further, as they cross over into the (more adult) second to fourth Books of the Cataclysm. (TCL was originally intended as a prequel or Book Zero to this series, hence its radically different style and chronological placing, but my editors thought that would be weird, so Book One it became.) These books are set about 500 years after the Broken Land, but there's still a lot of overlap: "Spark" references family names and locations (such as Ulum) used in the later books, and Ros is referenced in THE DEVOURED EARTH, the last book on the timeline. And the themes are similar, too, so if you like Ros and Adi, I reckon you'll like Sal and Shilly just as much.

In other words, there's no clear-cut answer, and I think I've done readers a disservice by making things so complicated, but I hope you'll persist and let me know how you get on. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Edited Date: 2010-06-28 12:57 am (UTC)

Date: 2010-06-28 08:44 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thiefofcamorr.livejournal.com
That's very helpful and I don't think you've done any disservice at all, it's just all an intricate weave ;) Thank you!

Sadly (for me, not you!) you're sold out all through Darwin (though we ARE limited with only three bookstores...) so all I was able to get was the first in the books of the Change series. I've ordered in the first in the Broken Land - I'll read anything as long as it's well written, YA or not - I just can't wait for it to get here now! :)

Date: 2010-06-28 08:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] seanwilliams.livejournal.com
That's not such a bad place to start. THE STONE MAGE & THE SEA was my first fantasy novel, so I have a lot of love for it, and it's the novel I generally give people who don't read my stuff but would like to. You could easily start there. :-)

Date: 2010-06-28 08:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thiefofcamorr.livejournal.com
Oooh, excellent! I do like reading authors in publish-order at times. It's how I want people to read my work if I ever get published someday ;)

Though the last problem I now have is that work was incredibly hard after lunch as I just wanted to keep reading, and I had to keep stopping to take notes, as I always do when I adore an author's work. Tsk, Sean! It's going to take me ages to read your books! hehe

Date: 2010-06-29 01:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] seanwilliams.livejournal.com
Hurrah! Such kind words. I amk blushing. :-)

Publishing order, fwiw, is: The Stone Mage & the Sea, The Sky Warden & the Sun, The Storm Weaver & the Sand, The Crooked Letter, The Blood Debt, The Hanging Mountains, The Devoured Earth, The Changeling, The Dust Devils, The Scarecrow, "Ungentle Fire", "The Spark (etc)".

Date: 2010-06-28 01:01 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kaelajael.livejournal.com
My only non-reader child (he's 14) discovered Ros and Adi 3 weeks ago. He started with Changeling and is now on the third book.

Comments so far include "This is the best book I've ever read!", "This is AWESOME!" and "They should make a movie out of this!"

So thank you :)

Date: 2010-06-28 01:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] seanwilliams.livejournal.com
*huge grin*

Anything that helps non-reading kids get a book in their hands is great in my book!

You can tell him that The series has come close to being optioned for TV a couple of times, but hasn't quite got there yet. Third time lucky, fingers crossed...

Date: 2010-06-28 01:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lotuseyes.livejournal.com
I'm waiting, with barely concealed anticipation, for this book to hit domestic shores (that is US). Actually I'd settle for UK shores. Shipping from Australia is prohibitive (at best) and despite my overwhelming wanting of this book I can't justify $60 ;-;

That all said, I can't wait to read to read The Spark!

Date: 2010-06-28 02:11 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] seanwilliams.livejournal.com
Ouch! That's steep. I hope it's worth the wait. :-)

Date: 2010-06-28 02:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] karenmiller.livejournal.com
Huge congrats!

Date: 2010-06-28 02:10 am (UTC)
(deleted comment)

Date: 2010-06-28 04:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] seanwilliams.livejournal.com
I agree! And they're MUCH easier to finish than a novel, on both ends of the manufacturing process. :-)

Date: 2010-06-28 04:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jesterjoker.livejournal.com
Wow, if I chance to happenstance these, I'll definitely notice them. Those covers /rule/.

With that being said, where did all these books come from?! I'm inundated!

Date: 2010-06-29 01:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] seanwilliams.livejournal.com
Too many books, too little time! I feel your pain.

Date: 2010-06-28 04:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mireille21.livejournal.com
It's been so long since i read The Change I can barely remember it :P

Date: 2010-06-29 01:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] seanwilliams.livejournal.com
It's getting a bit blurry to me too, to be utterly honest. One day I'll work up the courage to read them again. :-)

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