I told you I’ve been busy.
LADY BLACK concludes this set of Blackwood Marauders standalones. So while these books refer to each other and have the same set of characters, they’re all entirely self-contained and wrap up the plot by the end of each book. My other trilogies are not–the plot builds up on the last book for a grand finale.
I’ve been asked where the Blackwood Marauders fits in the overall timeline of the Agos-agan novels, so I thought I’d mention it here, too. The answer to that isn’t simple, because this series closely follows the events of the Agartes Epilogues / Legacy of the Lost Mage. In fact, the plot of each individual novel of that first series functions as the catalyst for the events in Blackwood Marauders, so you can see how it plays out from other angles. So both Jaeth’s Eye and Blackwood Marauders (the first book, that is) are on the same timeline. As well, Aina’s Breath and Daughters of the Wolves happen concurrently (and gives the backstory on the conflict in the Chronicles of the Bitch Queen because it tells you how Warlord Yeshin acquired Giggles, the beast that tore through two major cities of Jin-Sayeng, in the first place and made the Ikessars and the Orenar REALLY HATE EACH OTHER). Sapphire’s Flight and Lady Black are even closer–the events there are overlapping. It’s my take on the idea that “everyone is a hero of their own story,” which I’m endlessly fascinated with.
In terms of my recommended reading order, I say start with whatever speaks to you! As an unhinged pervador of chaos, I’m not one to judge. If you don’t mind slight spoilers, the more accessible route is to start with Blackwood Marauders and follow the familiar adventures of our good-natured farmboy Luc, work your way through all three books until Lady Black, and then see the bigger picture by going back in time to Jaeth’s Eye. This allows the complex background plot to just sort of creep up on you. Since the Blackwood Marauders is low fantasy where the only high stakes are personal, it means you can just kind of turn your brain off and enjoy the action and banter. By the end of the three novels, of course, you’ll be a bit more familiar with the plot, which means Legacy of the Lost Mage–which starts out almost as a slice-of-life spread out between three characters before it becomes epic–will make much more sense. However, if you’re the kind of person who prefers it the other way around–that is, you like seeing the bigger picture before you get into the details–then start with Jaeth’s Eye, Aina’s Breath, and Sapphire’s Flight, and then finish it up with Blackwood Marauders, Daughter of the Wolves, and Lady Black.
The events of these six novels shake up the world of Agos-agan quite a bit, and so we’re dealing with the aftermath in the next two trilogies. Chronologically, The Dageian Puppetmaster (Outlaw Mage, Blood Mage, Shattered Mage) happens a few years after the end of Sapphire’s Flight, with Chronicles of the Bitch Queen (The Wolf of Oren-yaro, The Ikessar Falcon, The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng) set another few years after.
This concludes my debt to my readers, finishing up all outstanding novels in my existing series. 🙂 But of course, SO AS LONG AS THE HORRORS PERSIST, SO DO MY BOOKS. I’ve got two finished book one drafts for two different series that are set in new worlds that I’m still trying to find homes for. I’m also working on two new novels for two more series, also new worlds. So that’s four books. Anyway. My point is, we’re not running out of stories any time soon, and as long as I live and breathe, I’ll deliver the t̶r̶a̶u̶m̶a̶ fun somehow…
