[ArchieVist]

On his Facebook page, Erikson has announced that he is ready to begin writing Walk in Shadow. Meanwhile the publishing date for The God is Not Willing has been pushed to 2021.

Quote

News Update: I was informed yesterday that it will be at least a year before The God is Not Willing is released. Normally, it's during the first year of the book's release that I write the next one in the series. Accordingly, by my albeit twisted logic, I have a free year starting about now. Time enough, I should think, to write Walk in Shadow. As it turns out, I wrote the prologue quite some time ago. I opened that document and read it over and was fine with it, so I include it here as a peek preview. Fortunately, it's short. One last thing: though this little prologue was written years ago (right after delivering the ms of Fall of Light), the topic seems ... timely.

Walk in Shadow
Prologue

There will be peace. There will be justice. There will be truth. Such laudable assertions. But consider the caveats. By this and with that, my conscience will be at peace. By this blade and by my righteousness, there will be justice. By my eye, by my will, by my fierce proclamation, there will be truth.
Vows are nothing without power. I am the tyrant of my own soul. You, dear friend, are the same. We rule from strength and we rule from weakness. We array our defenses. We launch our assaults. We stumble across a blasted landscape littered with the wailing mayhem of our thoughts, fears, hopes, desires and dreads. We walk a bounteous garden and feel no better than imposters, interlopers soon to be found out, driven away by our host of secret (not-so-secret) crimes.
Do you trust your inner world? You'd be a fool to do so. The voice in our head offers naught but an endless argument, employing every trick of debate – honorable and dishonorable – and sly misdirection, deflection and evasion. It is the master of the lie, the mistress of delusion, the lord and lady of pretend. It is the wounded child and the bitter old man. It is whatever it needs to be to win the argument.
But this voice. It does not belong to your soul. It escaped that blessed womb long ago, fled all familiarity, and would make of its new world something perfect. Something at peace. Something bright with justice. Something bold with truth.
If only the world would oblige.
The soul knows better.
But we stopped listening long ago and besides, its cry is less than faint with the distance between us.
When the last tyrant falls (the one within you), there will be peace. When the last army casts aside its weapons, there will be justice. When the last voice falls silent, there will be truth.
The soul knows this. It has always known this.


Now, let us watch a world tear itself apart, in search of a soul it never heeded in the first place.

[Aptorian]

Great. I hate an unfinished series.

[Andorion]

Aww I love this. Finally Kharkanas will be complete

[Traveller]

I'll give them another shot when its complete.

[QuickTidal]

Great news! I'm glad the trilogy will be finished. I didn't dislike the series, but I found it REALLY dense and bounced off some of it. But I have the other two in hardcover, so I'll give all three a go when this comes out.

[blackzoid]

Awesome! I was worried the trilogy would be uncompleted. While I did have my complaints about the series as is, I think seeing the full picture of it might alleviate a lot of them

[Abyss]

 blackzoid, on 23 July 2020 - 01:53 PM, said:

Awesome! I was worried the trilogy would be uncompleted. While I did have my complaints about the series as is, I think seeing the full picture of it might alleviate a lot of them

Same same.

[QuickTidal]

 Abyss, on 23 July 2020 - 06:51 PM, said:

 blackzoid, on 23 July 2020 - 01:53 PM, said:

Awesome! I was worried the trilogy would be uncompleted. While I did have my complaints about the series as is, I think seeing the full picture of it might alleviate a lot of them

Same same.

Agreed.

I mean, somewhere around TTH, and definitely into a portion of DoD I was like "What is going on now...where is this going?."....but TCG utterly made everything make sense and landed the finest ending to a fantasy series I can think of....so I have faith Steve will bring it home strong. That's always been his game. We just need patience and trust.

[nacht]

 Abyss, on 23 July 2020 - 06:51 PM, said:

 blackzoid, on 23 July 2020 - 01:53 PM, said:

Awesome! I was worried the trilogy would be uncompleted. While I did have my complaints about the series as is, I think seeing the full picture of it might alleviate a lot of them

Same same.

[ArchieVist]

Erikson's posted what he calls "a belligerent essay" to fire himself up for writing WiS, which he expects to see print in 2022 or early 2023. It's an interesting look at how he set about writing the Kharkanas books and how he feels about their reception as well as his legacy.

[Abyss]

 ArchieVist, on 28 July 2020 - 12:30 AM, said:

Erikson's posted what he calls "a belligerent essay" to fire himself up for writing WiS, which he expects to see print in 2022 or early 2023. It's an interesting look at how he set about writing the Kharkanas books and how he feels about their reception as well as his legacy.

Interesting read, thx for linking.

[Tsundoku]

Ditto, very interesting. And I think Rejoice is his best non-Malazan work. Even better than some of the Malazan stuff if I'm being completely honest.
For me it's like he got a few tips from Paul Kearney and that can only be a good thing.

[Aptorian]

Oh dear, sounds like I won't like Walk in Shadow. I haven't read Fall of light but my takeaway from this write up is that he's sticking to his formula, which is all well and good. It's just not a story that matches the myths I built in my mind during the early books.

[QuickTidal]

 Abyss, on 28 July 2020 - 02:26 AM, said:

 ArchieVist, on 28 July 2020 - 12:30 AM, said:

Erikson's posted what he calls "a belligerent essay" to fire himself up for writing WiS, which he expects to see print in 2022 or early 2023. It's an interesting look at how he set about writing the Kharkanas books and how he feels about their reception as well as his legacy.

Interesting read, thx for linking.

Super interesting read, and I didn't find it that belligerent to be honest. He has every right to lash out a bit at some of the industry nonsense, as well as the slow uptake from us and others on him challenging himself as an author with Kharkanas. I think that's only natural, and it would be hard not to be affected by it were I him.

Also, I had no idea REJOICE didn't sell well...I really liked that book a lot. Still Steve's voice, but in a different milieu.

Oh, and the potshots at young (hot shot) authors...I enjoyed that. I don't even care who he's talking about. I felt him when he said that, because back when I was doing book reviews I ran into more than one author that just seemed to care more about his brand than his art, and it got exhausting.

Also, who knew Steve moved back to Canada (Victoria; where my grandfather lived)? That's awesome. One of our best minds returns home.

Every time someone here in Toronto crows about Margaret damned Atwood being some SFF revelation, I ask if they've ever read a certain homegrown Steven Erikson instead. Doing my bit to spread the word.

[Andorion]

That latest FB essay was a really refreshing read.

I admire Steve's direct honesty and clarity. I don't know about anyone else, but when WiS comes out, I am getting it immediately. After the gigantic labour, that is the MBotF I think SE has earned a lifetime of credibility from his fans to experiment however he wishes and chooses.

FoD and FoL are dense, yes definitely, but you can also see the intricate thinking and planning that went into them. Also, in this age of profusion of fantasy I think the Kharkanas trilogy brought some much needed originality of style and voice to the table.

[QuickTidal]

 Andorion, on 28 July 2020 - 02:13 PM, said:

That latest FB essay was a really refreshing read.

I admire Steve's direct honesty and clarity. I don't know about anyone else, but when WiS comes out, I am getting it immediately. After the gigantic labour, that is the MBotF I think SE has earned a lifetime of credibility from his fans to experiment however he wishes and chooses.

Yep. I'll pre-order it hardcover (if they do it as a hardcover), without question.

 Andorion, on 28 July 2020 - 02:13 PM, said:

Also, in this age of profusion of fantasy I think the Kharkanas trilogy brought some much needed originality of style and voice to the table.

Agreed.

[Abyss]

 Tsundoku, on 28 July 2020 - 08:39 AM, said:

Ditto, very interesting. And I think Rejoice is his best non-Malazan work. ...

I enjoyed the hell out of REJOICE, but it's very much old school sf... little action, much introspection.
I fear that type of writing has less market now.

 Aptorian, on 28 July 2020 - 09:27 AM, said:

Oh dear, sounds like I won't like Walk in Shadow ... It's just not a story that matches the myths I built in my mind during the early books.

It won't, but aren't you curious 'why'?
For me that's the crux of the KT... the explanation re why what we learn is so very different from what we thought we knew.

 QuickTidal, on 28 July 2020 - 12:05 PM, said:

...

Also, who knew Steve moved back to Canada (Victoria; where my grandfather lived)? That's awesome. One of our best minds returns home.

Every time someone here in Toronto crows about Margaret damned Atwood being some SFF revelation, I ask if they've ever read a certain homegrown Steven Erikson instead. Doing my bit to spread the word.

I did but i can't remember whose brainz i ate where i learned that, other than it was a while ago.

Atwood is famous for a variety of reasons, some valid, some not so much, but i agree that it's ridiculous how overlooked so many other insanely talented Canadian sff writers are.

 QuickTidal, on 28 July 2020 - 02:31 PM, said:

...

 Andorion, on 28 July 2020 - 02:13 PM, said:

Also, in this age of profusion of fantasy I think the Kharkanas trilogy brought some much needed originality of style and voice to the table.

Agreed.

And agreed.
I have my likes and dislikes about the series, but would rather have it than not.

[Aptorian]

@Abyss - I do want to finish the trilogy eventually but I don't expect to enjoy it. For me it's like invisioning the highest of high fantasy in elemental realms and instead getting something approaching low fantasy on proto-Quon Tali.

[Cyphon]

I didnt mind that. It's sort of the how a story became myth and then legend.

Interesting read. While the Kharakanas Trilogy was a tougher read I wanted to finish it to see how it all comes together, and what strings are left loose still.

It's a shame that the trilogy and rejoice didnt do as well. I'd back him to try and expand his writing. That said I hadnt got and read rejoice yet as I'm tight. I have a voucher to subsidise it so I'll get that to become the 64th reader of the book.

[Aptorian]

I've got rejoice and his other space books sitting in my Kindle. I'm planning to read them when the Malaz re-read is over.

This post has been edited by Aptorian: 29 July 2020 - 11:42 AM