[QuickTidal]

I saw nowhere else to announce this. We don't seem to have a dedicated GGK thread, but I know a fair few of us like his work.

New book is in the same universe as the rest of his historical fiction fantasy work and will be titled ALL THE SEAS OF THE WORLD.

Exciting! I still have not read my copy of A BRIGHTNESS LONG AGO, so I'll need to read that before this comes out. Seems like this was his Pandemic written book.

I heard rumours (could be wrong) that this one focuses on Brittany/Northern France area...

[D'rek]

Tigana isn't. That was sort of the prototype work and is its own thing.

Sarantine Mosaic, Lord of Emperors, Last Light of the Sun, Lions of Al-Rassan, and Children of Earth and Sky are all the ones in his consistent alt-world.

Under Heaven/River of Stars are *plausibly* in that alt-world, too, aside from a couple teeny differences, but IIRC there's no actual connections to the other books the way the above ones have.

[QuickTidal]

D, on 02 June 2021 - 05:09 PM, said:

Tigana isn't. That was sort of the prototype work and is its own thing.

Sarantine Mosaic, Lord of Emperors, Last Light of the Sun, Lions of Al-Rassan, and Children of Earth and Sky are all the ones in his consistent alt-world.

Under Heaven/River of Stars are *plausibly* in that alt-world, too, aside from a couple teeny differences, but IIRC there's no actual connections to the other books the way the above ones have.

Just adding in SONG FOR ARBONNE and A BRIGHTNESS LONG AGO both being part of that world too....the latter being a prequel to CHILDREN OF EARTH AND SKY.

[D'rek]

I did a quick search and can't find any announcements/news about ALL THE SEAS OF THE WORLD though... got a link or any details, QT? Brittany/Normandy seems like an odd fit for that title - with a name like that I'd have thought alt-Columbus or age of sail or alt-Zheng He or something like that.

[D'rek]

Ah, found the tweet: https://twitter.com/...103277535141888

Quote

I don't really do fanfares and hautboys, but I know a few people have been awaiting word of this.

My publishers have just announced: ALL THE SEAS OF THE WORLD is the new novel, and it is now 'official' for next spring.

A long effort, as usual for me. I'll hope you enjoy.

Official in quotes so I interpret that as target release date but possible it'll be later than that. Still, excellent news.

[QuickTidal]

D, on 02 June 2021 - 05:13 PM, said:

? Brittany/Normandy seems like an odd fit for that title - with a name like that I'd have thought alt-Columbus or age of sail or alt-Zheng He or something like that.

Yeah it's just the rumour that's been shuffling around social media about his work for where this one might take place. I have no idea how they came to that notion.

Since France and Britain were both large sailing powers, perhaps that's why?

But yeah, with no plot released and GGK pretty tight lipped about his work as he's working on it, it could be anything.

I'm not on twitter, what does his timeline look like there? Is it possible he mentioned some research things that led people to believe this would be where it was set?

I know he was IN Dubrovnik on Vacation when he came up with a portion of CHILDREN OF EARTH AND SKY.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 02 June 2021 - 06:20 PM

[D'rek]

The Twitter replies are most frequently guessing alt-Venice, actually, which would make sense too.

[QuickTidal]

D, on 02 June 2021 - 07:34 PM, said:

The Twitter replies are most frequently guessing alt-Venice, actually, which would make sense too.

Since the last two books were that, it’s a good guess.

[Morgoth]

I would perhaps guess an alt Portugal for that title. A Brightness Long Ago is partially alt Venice after all, and Venice doesn't quite fit with the title I think. It was the shift of European power away from the Mediterranean and to the Atlantic that caused the decline of Serene Republic (amongst other factors).

[End of Disc One]

Briar King, on 02 June 2021 - 08:27 PM, said:

D, on 02 June 2021 - 05:09 PM, said:

Tigana isn't. That was sort of the prototype work and is its own thing.

Sarantine Mosaic, Lord of Emperors, Last Light of the Sun, Lions of Al-Rassan, and Children of Earth and Sky are all the ones in his consistent alt-world.

Under Heaven/River of Stars are *plausibly* in that alt-world, too, aside from a couple teeny differences, but IIRC there's no actual connections to the other books the way the above ones have.

Shit. I got excited for a bit there.

Tigana is set in the same multiverse as the Fionavar Tapestry and A Song for Arbonne. If you read Tigana, you would have read about a callback to the Fionavar world. That's the only connection.

[D'rek]

End of Disc One, on 03 June 2021 - 01:22 PM, said:

Briar King, on 02 June 2021 - 08:27 PM, said:

D, on 02 June 2021 - 05:09 PM, said:

Tigana isn't. That was sort of the prototype work and is its own thing.

Sarantine Mosaic, Lord of Emperors, Last Light of the Sun, Lions of Al-Rassan, and Children of Earth and Sky are all the ones in his consistent alt-world.

Under Heaven/River of Stars are *plausibly* in that alt-world, too, aside from a couple teeny differences, but IIRC there's no actual connections to the other books the way the above ones have.

Shit. I got excited for a bit there.

Tigana is set in the same multiverse as the Fionavar Tapestry and A Song for Arbonne. If you read Tigana, you would have read about a callback to the Fionavar world. That's the only connection.

Well sure, in the same way that all the Stephen King books are part of the Dark Tower multiverse, but eeeehhhhh

[QuickTidal]

He makes a concerted effort in the connected ones to mention the trio of religions, doesn't he?

That's the biggest connecter for me for the lesser known ones, but then the CHILDREN also very definitively features

Spoiler

the last remaining royal from the Sarantium line

begun in SAILING TO SARANTIUM in a fairly hefty role.

So YMMV.

Now I feel like I'd need to re-read ARBONNE to be sure that it's in-universe...

[D'rek]

QuickTidal, on 03 June 2021 - 04:04 PM, said:

He makes a concerted effort in the connected ones to mention the trio of religions, doesn't he?

That's the biggest connecter for me for the lesser known ones, but then the CHILDREN also very definitively features

Spoiler

the last remaining royal from the Sarantium line

begun in SAILING TO SARANTIUM in a fairly hefty role.

So YMMV.

Now I feel like I'd need to re-read ARBONNE to be sure that it's in-universe...

For sure, Sarantine/Lions/Last Light/Earth & Sky/Brightness are all quite intentionally connected/shared world.

It's the "Fionavar multiverse" thing where the different unconnected settings (Tigana world, Fionavar world, the Sarantine+others world) are all part of some mystical multi-universe thing based on one or two vague lines in Fionavar and Arbonne that is pretty... meh. Feels like more of an audience invention than anything GGK actually intends/cares about too much.

[QuickTidal]

Yeah, you're probably spot on.

[Abyss]

Fionavar is referenced in TIGANA and i think ARBONNE or LAST LIGHT as being some sort of dreamed off other world.

[polishgenius]

QuickTidal, on 03 June 2021 - 04:04 PM, said:

Now I feel like I'd need to re-read ARBONNE to be sure that it's in-universe...

90% sure it's not. Different religions, and the magic doesn't quite fit though you could probably make it.



Under Heaven/River of Stars could easily be since iirc there are mentions of Kitai by name somewhere in his 'main' 'verse novels, except he makes a point of having a rap battle poetry slam in Under Heaven where they emphasise how cool it would be to have a second moon, so having just one is deliberate not a mistake or ommission.



On the Fionavar references etc: Kay's always mentioned that he thinks of those references more like 'grace notes', which he's helpfully translated to modernspeak as Easter Eggs, rather than a genuine attempt to build a shared multiverse. Hell, he doesn't even really think of Under Heaven/River of Stars as being directly connected to each other, and puts references back to Sarantium in Earth and Sky as equally grace note/easter eggy.

[pat5150]

Really looking forward to this one!

Always a treat when GGK releases a new novel!