No sane lord would feed chicken bones to his dogs. ;-)
Heh -- well, no sane modern lord would. That's actually one of the few historically accurate bits in the book, as bones from all sorts of dinners would have "gone to the dogs" at the end of meals.
Magical elves, spells, and intradimensional rings, not so true-to-life.
Finished yesterday & I must say excellent tale & I'm looking forward to further adventures from Howard in the Pathfinder world.
I think this one is probably my favorite book in the Tales line......so far. I felt like I connected with the characters more then the other books & such.
Again, thank you Howard for a enjoyable read. Thou, I now got nothing to read till Worldwound Gambit!!! ha ha
Thank you for reading, Haldir. I'm really pleased that you enjoyed it.
I am currently fished chapter 8(I think...its the one where they go to the temple)and am finding it hard to put down. There are times where I find my self litterly laughing out loud.
** spoiler omitted **I can't wait to go home and try to finish some more of this before my game tonight.
** spoiler omitted **
I'm glad that some of the humor's coming through. I can be a little dry with it, I know, so it's nice to hear that it works sometimes.
BTW Mr Jones, what does your next novel come out and what is it going to be about?
My next book is titled The Bones of the Old Ones, and it's a sequel to my Arabian fantasy, The Desert of Souls, just released about a month ago from a St. Martin's imprint. The sequel will be printed in about a year. They're both sword-and-sorcery romps. I've been lucky enough to receive a long list of positive reviews -- here's three of the most recent:
As to further adventures of Elyana, it's too soon to say. I have some more short story ideas, and I'm sure I could draft a number of novels, but I haven't discussed anything with the Paizo team yet.
Next time I am out, I will try and remember to swing by the book store and check it out.
Thanks for your interest and support! Let me know what you think.
Would us bugging the staff here on Paizo.com help? I would be really interested to see this get turned into a mini line kind of like their doing with the characters from Prince of Wolves.As to further adventures of Elyana, it's too soon to say. I have some more short story ideas, and I'm sure I could draft a number of novels, but I haven't discussed anything with the Paizo team yet.
That's very kind, and I'm actually touched by your sentiment. Thank you. But I didn't mean to imply any knock against the Paizo folks. They've been tremendously supportive. The book has just been released, and I'm sure that before anything else gets discussed sales figures will have to be looked over, as well as schedules. If you really enjoyed the characters, the best thing you could do to ensure more is to help spread the word.
Thanks again,
Howard
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Would us bugging the staff here on Paizo.com help? I would be really interested to see this get turned into a mini line kind of like their doing with the characters from Prince of Wolves.As to further adventures of Elyana, it's too soon to say. I have some more short story ideas, and I'm sure I could draft a number of novels, but I haven't discussed anything with the Paizo team yet.
That's very kind, and I'm actually touched by your sentiment. Thank you. But I didn't mean to imply any knock against the Paizo folks. They've been tremendously supportive. The book has just been released, and I'm sure that before anything else gets discussed sales figures will have to be looked over, as well as schedules. If you really enjoyed the characters, the best thing you could do to ensure more is to help spread the word.
Thanks again,
Howard
Yeah in the next coming weeks I plan to plan to put up a review of it up on Amazon like I did for Winter Witch.
I've already ordered a copy for a friend of mine and I might also circulate my copy amongst my gaming friends who like reading.
I didn't mean any knock against Paizo either, I just know the more we request something the more likely they are to make it.
I'm just sad I didn't get any reading done yesterday...maybe tonight if the world of accounting and statistics doesn't keep me chained to my desk for to long I can escape to the world of Elyana and see what adventures await them.
Hey, thanks for help spreading the word, and I hope you found time for some more reading.
I certainly didn't think YOU were knocking Paizo. I just didn't want anyone thinking that I was complaining. The book hasn't been available beyond the Paizo subscription, so far as I know, for more than a few weeks. Unless I had Patrick Rothfuss style numbers I can't imagine any publisher having enough data yet to decide whether they wanted another book from me.
Just so everyone knows, our decisions about what books to publish are based largely on fan feedback AND sales numbers, so telling us what you like here (and in product reviews on Paizo, Amazon, etc.) and helping spread the word so that a particular book sells well are by far the most effective ways to make a sequel happen.
Though of course, sometimes we commission books specifically because *we* want to see what comes next. :)
Just finished reading the book last night, so I have now written a review.
Pretty good book indeed.
Now back to reading my backlog of Pathfinder issues...
"The Desert of Souls" has arrived at my house. :)
Will get a review of Plague of Shadows up in the next few days...
Thanks for your support, Captain. I hope you enjoy it.
And I'll look forward to seeing your review of Plague of Shadows!
Just so everyone knows, our decisions about what books to publish are based largely on fan feedback AND sales numbers, so telling us what you like here (and in product reviews on Paizo, Amazon, etc.) and helping spread the word so that a particular book sells well are by far the most effective ways to make a sequel happen.
Though of course, sometimes we commission books specifically because *we* want to see what comes next. :)
This is definitely the most enjoyable of the three Pathfinder Tales and I have enjoyed all so far. Keep up the good work. I definitely would not mind seeing more of Elyana and Drelm.
Please post your reviews to amazon.com as well as here on Paizo. We want to spread word of these books as far as humanly possible.
Done.
I just finished the book last night, and really liked it. It was nice to see the Zelazny reference, also. :)
Glad you enjoyed it -- and the little tip of the hat to a favorite author.
I just finished the book last night, and really liked it. It was nice to see the Zelazny reference, also. :)
Care to enlighten us?
Also: I finished the books a couple of days ago, and i liked it very much. Being a compulsive statter I can't help but statting out Elyana and other characters in it. So a question that has me stumpe to the author or other readers:
Being a Pathfinder ranger what favoured enemies would Elyana have?
I have a question for the author. I have several people in mind that I want to have read this but some of them are not familiar with the world of Golorian and there is a lot of world specific humor and references that I feel will be lost on someone who doesn't know the world. How would you best remedy this?
Hi Mathpro18. I tried to design it so that any background material would be explained or could be inferred. I really wanted friends and fans who've come over from my non-Golarion short stories (and The Desert of Souls novel) to be able to enjoy it without having to read a rule book first. I actually tested it on some readers who were completely unfamiliar with Golarion, and they rolled with it just fine, so your friends might be okay.
I certainly appreciate your interest in spreading the word about the book.
Your question makes me curious, though. What's the consensus of other readers -- do you think that it can be enjoyed by non-Golarion readers?
Director of Brand Strategy
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I have a question for the author. I have several people in mind that I want to have read this but some of them are not familiar with the world of Golorian and there is a lot of world specific humor and references that I feel will be lost on someone who doesn't know the world. How would you best remedy this?
I'd recommend you let your friends know about PathfinderWiki, which is a non-crunch database of setting canon. While they won't need most of what's there to understand the novel, and can probably still enjoy the book without any external material at all, they can do a search on any topic they might want more info on supplement what the novel and the included glossary provide.
Your question makes me curious, though. What's the consensus of other readers -- do you think that it can be enjoyed by non-Golarion readers?
I think it does the best of the three books so far in that regard. It certainly makes more sense if you're familiar with Golarion, but I doubt it's a requirement.
And don't forget that they've been putting that glossary at the back of all the books.
I just finished the book last night, and really liked it. It was nice to see the Zelazny reference, also. :)Care to enlighten us?
Also: I finished the books a couple of days ago, and i liked it very much. Being a compulsive statter I can't help but statting out Elyana and other characters in it. So a question that has me stumpe to the author or other readers:
Being a Pathfinder ranger what favoured enemies would Elyana have?
Hi Thanael,
I was tempted to say that her favored enemy was shadow dragons, but it's been undead and humans.
As for the Zelazny Easter egg, it will shoot right by someone unless they've read The Chronicles of Amber. A name is mentioned in passing, and it's connected with shadow manipulation.
Incidentally, I'd be curious to see how you have them statted when you're through, if you'd like to share.
What's the consensus of other readers -- do you think that it can be enjoyed by non-Golarion readers?I'm not that familiar with Golarion yet and I enjoyed it.
Also, thanks for participating in this thread. It's pretty cool to chat with the author.
Snobi, it's my pleasure to be here. Maybe if everyone hated the book I'd be hiding in a cave some place, but I have felt pretty welcome.
Incidentally, I'd be curious to see how you have them statted when you're through, if you'd like to share.
Will do. It could be a while though until I finish it.
Where the creation process began to differ from preparing for a Dabir and Asim novel was when I statted out my main characters. I’ve never done that for my fiction before. I didn’t use any kind of point buy system to create the characters for Plague of Shadows; I just figured this character would be at about this level with these attributes so that she could do these kinds of things, and this magic user would have to be at THIS level to throw THAT spell. I kept the rule book handy so that my spell descriptions would match, as closely as possible, what the Paizo maestros had created (and I have to say that a lot of those spell write-ups in the core rulebook are pretty spiffy).
I tried to keep all that background stuff incidental to telling the tale, though. There’s a great story about Gene Roddenberry explaining to the Star Trek writers in the original series that when a policeman picks up a gun he doesn’t stop to lecture about chambering a round or the chemicals or the speed of propulsion — he just uses it. In the original Star Trek, that was the approach to the use of technology — it’s virtually info dump free. If Kirk needs to use a communicator or a phaser, he just uses it, and the viewer infers what the item is for. That’s how I wanted the system specific stuff to turn out in Plague of Shadows. The story worked with the rules, but the rules wouldn’t be forefront. I didn’t refer to any spells by name, and people certainly didn’t talk about levels or hit points, but the actions matched up with what was possible with the rules if anyone wanted to peer behind the curtain. I tried keeping to existing monsters, too, although Paizo didn’t mind me slipping in a few critters of my own invention. They were also a big help in coming up with a few fixes and suggesting alternatives when what I’d described was too powerful, or not powerful enough.
So you did stat them yourself did you, huh. We can compare notes then. :-)
Oh and seeing that you wrote an Arabian Fantasy novel, any chance that you might write further novels in the Pathfinder "arabian" lands?
Oh and seeing that you wrote an Arabian Fantasy novel, any chance that you might write further novels in the Pathfinder "arabian" lands?
Probably not, Thanael. I'm fairly well versed in the research of the region, so I debated pitching some Arabian ideas when I was first tossing character and story concepts to James. In the end I thought it best if I keep my Arabian work at St. Martin's so I didn't sound like a one-note Charlie, only able to write in one milieu. More importantly, I'd like to save my Arabian themed ideas for the other series -- I'd be afraid that I'd be stealing from one to make the other work.
I wouldn't rule it out, if the Pathfinder novel line gets bigger and if I get more and more contracts, but right now if you want some Arabian adventures from me, you should check out The Desert of Souls.
Waitaminute:
...
That's why I'd be very curious to see what you came up with. I roughed mine out; I didn't go through the whole process, because I figured I'd have to make some changes as I went. It sounds like you're going to go the whole distance.
Which of the characters are you statting out? I drew up Elyana, the two wizards, and the bard. Drelm and Renar were straight forward fighters and even easier to guess about, so I just jotted a few notes about their approximate level and abilities.
I just finished this book last night and while it ended completly different than the way I thought it would, I really really enjoyed it. I have posted a review in the review section(my first review...please be kind).
** spoiler omitted **
Are you at all surprised by the general reception the book is getting or did you know the second you sent it off that you had written a hit?
First, I loved the review (thanks!) and hope that you'll post it on Amazon as well so that folks outside the Paizo stable will see your comments. I'd be grateful for any help spreading the word about the book!
Second, I hoped for a good reception, but I'm not seasoned enough to know anything for sure. I knew I was pretty pleased with the tale myself, and my wife liked it, which gave me hope. Now I know there's a popular joke about the author claiming it's great because his mom or his dog or his girlfriend enjoyed it, but my wife is so particular and demanding of her fiction, I always know if I draft something that she enjoys, it might be okay. If I write something she doesn't like, she's never shy about telling me.
Yeah, this was a twisty book, and I liked it.
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I just finished this book last night and while it ended completly different than the way I thought it would, I really really enjoyed it. I have posted a review in the review section(my first review...please be kind).
** spoiler omitted **
Are you at all surprised by the general reception the book is getting or did you know the second you sent it off that you had written a hit?
First, I loved the review (thanks!) and hope that you'll post it on Amazon as well so that folks outside the Paizo stable will see your comments. I'd be grateful for any help spreading the word about the book!
Second, I hoped for a good reception, but I'm not seasoned enough to know anything for sure. I knew I was pretty pleased with the tale myself, and my wife liked it, which gave me hope. Now I know there's a popular joke about the author claiming it's great because his mom or his dog or his girlfriend enjoyed it, but my wife is so particular and demanding of her fiction, I always know if I draft something that she enjoys, it might be okay. If I write something she doesn't like, she's never shy about telling me.
Always nice having a second half the is truly critical.
Plus like other have said thank you for posting!
You say it feels no e to be welcomed bit for me it's nice, like Pazio personnel as well, spend their precious time with their customers. ( I know some would probably like to ring certain people's neck, but are still polite.)
Thanks Pazio, thanks Howard A. jones.
Always nice having a second half the is truly critical.
Plus like other have said thank you for posting!
You say it feels no e to be welcomed bit for me it's nice, like Pazio personnel as well, spend their precious time with their customers. ( I know some would probably like to ring certain people's neck, but are still polite.)
Thanks Pazio, thanks Howard A. jones.
Thank YOU for reading.
A well-crafted tale that hits all the right notes, brings in just enough canon to ground it firmly in Golarion without being overly burdened, and a fun read to boot. Well done, Mr Jones!
Thank you, Greg. That's exactly what I wanted to have readers find within the text.
Yeah, this was a twisty book, and I liked it.
Glad to hear you liked it, thanks!
That's why I'd be very curious to see what you came up with. I roughed mine out; I didn't go through the whole process, because I figured I'd have to make some changes as I went. It sounds like you're going to go the whole distance.
Which of the characters are you statting out? I drew up Elyana, the two wizards, and the bard. Drelm and Renar were straight forward fighters and even easier to guess about, so I just jotted a few notes about their approximate level and abilities.
I kept mentally statting Elyana mainly and will do her statblock completely. I will have to give the wizards more attention on the second read.
Drelm is a fairly straight Halforc Fighter that I'll probably stat too, since the two of them are now roaming and thus could be an interesting encounter.
But I can see Renar as a Cavalier or Cavalier/Fighter multiclass (not so dissimilar to his old man).
I kept mentally statting Elyana mainly and will do her statblock completely. I will have to give the wizards more attention on the second read.
Drelm is a fairly straight Halforc Fighter that I'll probably stat too, since the two of them are now roaming and thus could be an interesting encounter.
But I can see Renar as a Cavalier or Cavalier/Fighter multiclass (not so dissimilar to his old man).
I like the idea of Renar as a Cavalier. When I rolled him up, that class didn't exist (except maybe in playtest, which I didn't have time to follow), but it might be a good call for both he and Stelan. Drelm -- absolutely. Straight forward fighter character. No multi-classing, no prestige classes. Not a barbarian, either.
Yeah, this was a twisty book, and I liked it.Glad to hear you liked it, thanks!
Howard,
You should hit up Amazon for royalties. Desert of Souls' availability on Kindle was what pushed me over the hump to getting a Kindle. I enjoyed this Pathfinder Tales offering that much. I will keep an eye out for any future Pathfinder (or other) offerings you write.
In addition to trying to read Hunt the Space Witch on my bus trips, I am sneaking in snippets of Desert of Souls and enjoying it as well.
Yeah, this was a twisty book, and I liked it.Glad to hear you liked it, thanks!Howard,
You should hit up Amazon for royalties.
Hah! Wish I could. They keep those Kindle numbers so super secret I don't even know how many I'm selling. Hopefully I'll find out come royalty payment time.
Thank you for the kind words, and the support. I sincerely appreciate it.
Best,
Howard
Incidentally, if any of you who liked the book have the time, I'd love it if you could drop by Amazon and give the book a shout out. There are only four reviews up, and one of them didn't much care for the book.
Thanks,
Howard