Pathfinder Tales: Plague of Shadows

If I remember I will try and put a review together when I get some free time after the ones I am already working on. So maybe in 2-3 weeks are so. You might need to remind me though. :)

If I remember I will try and put a review together when I get some free time after the ones I am already working on. So maybe in 2-3 weeks are so. You might need to remind me though. :)

I'm writing in to remind you -- I sure would appreciate a kind word on Amazon.

And that goes for everyone here that's enjoyed the book and written in either this thread or in the official review section. There aren't that many Amazon reviews, and the percentage of lukewarm meh reviews is a heckuva lot higher over there.

Dark_Mistress wrote:

If I remember I will try and put a review together when I get some free time after the ones I am already working on. So maybe in 2-3 weeks are so. You might need to remind me though. :)

I'm writing in to remind you -- I sure would appreciate a kind word on Amazon.

And that goes for everyone here that's enjoyed the book and written in either this thread or in the official review section. There aren't that many Amazon reviews, and the percentage of lukewarm meh reviews is a heckuva lot higher over there.

Oh yeah.. I did forget. I will try and get that up this week. If you don't see it with in two weeks remind me again. :)

Reviewed here and on Amazon.

Reviewed here and on Amazon.

And I am grateful. Thank you for your help spreading the word. I remain delighted that you enjoyed it.

Sincerely,
Howard

your welcome. Just hopefully people like the review. i really have no clue how to review a novel. :)

i really have no clue how to review a novel. :)

Oh, it's simple! You just go to the Product Reviews tab and click "Write a review..."

(What? That's not what you meant?)

Dark_Mistress wrote:

i really have no clue how to review a novel. :)

Oh, it's simple! You just go to the Product Reviews tab and click "Write a review..."

(What? That's not what you meant?)

Hey thats my job to be a smart ass...

Vic Wertz wrote:

Dark_Mistress wrote:

i really have no clue how to review a novel. :)

Oh, it's simple! You just go to the Product Reviews tab and click "Write a review..."

(What? That's not what you meant?)

Hey thats my job to be a smart ass...

Heh, person after my own heart

I finally had a chance to start reading this, and I like it so far. The writing is good, and the story has me interested right from the get go.

I was fortunate enough to get to sit in on a lecture Mr. Jones gave at my university on his research process for his other novel, The Desert of Souls, for a Medieval Studies lecture series. The lecture was great, and I bought the book and read it that night. Its a faced paced action bonanza and impossible to put down. I recommend it highly. I will probably be picking up Plague of Shadows soon simply because Desert was so good.

I know that there has not been a lot of activity here lately (and that I STILL need to get my butt in gear and start writing reviews), but this is (still) my favorite of the Tales. I would love to see more of Elyana and Drelm.

Also, I have been giving the Tales to my wife to read. She does not have any gaming background (not for a lack of trying on my part). She had no problem getting into the world for any of the stories. That speaks highly of the quality of writers that Paizo is courting.

-Aaron

"I know that there has not been a lot of activity here lately (and that I STILL need to get my butt in gear and start writing reviews), but this is (still) my favorite of the Tales. I would love to see more of Elyana and Drelm."

Aaron, thanks for the kind words. I have signed on to write another Elyana and Drelm book, so more will be coming your way!

I just have to finish a little more work in old Arabia first for my other series, and then I should be able to get started.

Howard

SWEET this just made my day. So any idea on release year for this new book. Think they might try to squeeze you in towards the end of 2012 or are we going to have to wait until 2013?

Excellent news, Mr. Jones! Plague of Shadows remains one of my favorite Tales novels! Can't wait!

I'm mightily pleased that this news made you happy. At this point it's not about Paizo squeezing the book into the schedule, but about me not having written it yet. I DO have a thorough outline, though, so when I sit down I won't be starting from scratch.

I'm supposed to turn it in Jan 2013. I will try to finish it sooner, but I'm also contracted to write a few more Arabian historical fantasies for St. Martin's, so whether or not I can get Elyana and Drelm in sooner depends on whether or not the muses are kind to me!

Howard

I'm so excited about this. Congratulations on getting a sequel.

I just added Desert of Souls to my Amazon Wish List and will drop STRONG hints to DW that this is a good birthday present. DW will like that it costs less than a rulebook. I enjoyed the sample that was on Amazon. I look forward to reading the whole novel!

Howard, Wayfinder is currently accepting submissions. Might you be interested in submitting a short story?

Glossary: DW = Dear Wife

Disclaimer: I am not associated, nor have any financial interest in Wayfinder Magazine.

Finished Desert of Souls on the way back from Prescott a few days ago. It took me a while to read, but was great. Definitely will be buying the next few pieces of fiction that HA Jones writes. Thanks for a great tale.

Just went to Amazon and noticed "The Waters of Eternity". Reading through the description it is not fully clear if there is content not in "The Desert of Souls". I'll acquire it if there is, just not clear at this point.

I just added Desert of Souls to my Amazon Wish List and will drop STRONG hints to DW that this is a good birthday present. DW will like that it costs less than a rulebook. I enjoyed the sample that was on Amazon. I look forward to reading the whole novel!

Howard, Wayfinder is currently accepting submissions. Might you be interested in submitting a short story?

Glossary: DW = Dear Wife

Disclaimer: I am not associated, nor have any financial interest in Wayfinder Magazine.

Itchy, I have my hands SO FULL with other deadlines right now I dare not try submitting to anything else right now, but I thank you for the info. I'll have to check out the magazine.

best,
Howard

Finished Desert of Souls on the way back from Prescott a few days ago. It took me a while to read, but was great. Definitely will be buying the next few pieces of fiction that HA Jones writes. Thanks for a great tale.

Just went to Amazon and noticed "The Waters of Eternity". Reading through the description it is not fully clear if there is content not in "The Desert of Souls". I'll acquire it if there is, just not clear at this point.

Hey, I'm really delighted that you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know.

"Waters of Eternity" is the same characters, but entirely different stories about them. Thanks for letting me know the description isn't clear. I'll drop the publishers a line and see about getting the write-up changed.

Thanks for the interest and support.

Warm Regards,
Howard

I just added Desert of Souls to my Amazon Wish List and will drop STRONG hints to DW that this is a good birthday present. DW will like that it costs less than a rulebook. I enjoyed the sample that was on Amazon. I look forward to reading the whole novel!

Howard, Wayfinder is currently accepting submissions. Might you be interested in submitting a short story?

Glossary: DW = Dear Wife

Disclaimer: I am not associated, nor have any financial interest in Wayfinder Magazine.

...and many, many thanks for putting more Howard Andrew Jones fiction on your birthday list, by the way!

I thought you'd be interested to know that I looked at Wayfinder this morning and I'm pretty impressed. I had somehow completely missed its existence. But then I've been buried in historical research for my Arabian series so deeply I haven't even been able to game.

When I started work on the first chapters of the next Elyana and Drelm adventure last week, I was surrounded by Golarion references and a couple of rulebooks, with nothing on Arabia in reach. Kind of a nice change. And I've started gaming again!

best,
Howard

I thought you'd be interested to know that I looked at Wayfinder this morning and I'm pretty impressed. I had somehow completely missed its existence. But then I've been buried in historical research for my Arabian series so deeply I haven't even been able to game.

When I started work on the first chapters of the next Elyana and Drelm adventure last week, I was surrounded by Golarion references and a couple of rulebooks, with nothing on Arabia in reach. Kind of a nice change. And I've started gaming again!

best,
Howard

Wayfinder is incredible, given that it is a free electronic magazine! I thought that Wayfinder 6 was the best yet. There are some incredible stories in there, and it's all volunteer.

I was excited to hear that you have started work on Elyana and Drelm's story! I know it will be a while before it sees print, but I'm looking forward to it. Once I finish Lord of the Rings, I'm thinking that I'll reread Plague of Shadows. If you are looking for a quick break from work, check out Shadowsfall Legends: Pawn, Deception, and Sacrifice—Valdia's Tale. It's only 99 cents. I found it an enjoyable story that takes place in Shadowsfall, a Plane of Shadows campaign setting that is being developed.

I am also glad to hear that you are gaming again! It's such fun. I am excited for the time when I can start teaching the game to my kids. That's a few years away yet.

Once I finish Lord of the Rings, I'm thinking that I'll reread Plague of Shadows. If you are looking for a quick break from work, check out Shadowsfall Legends: Pawn, Deception, and Sacrifice—Valdia's Tale. It's only 99 cents. I found it an enjoyable story that takes place in Shadowsfall, a Plane of Shadows campaign setting that is being developed.

I am also glad to hear that you are gaming again! It's such fun. I am excited for the time when I can start teaching the game to my kids. That's a few years away yet.

I'm thrilled that you liked Plague so well you're thinking about reading it again. You have just officially made my day.

I may have to check out the Plane of Shadows campaign -- thanks for the tip.

My kids are both old enough to play now, but they both seem to have a whole lot more homework than I had as an early teenager. They almost never have time to play. We got a few short scenarios in over the summer and two or three over Christmas break.

When my friends who game (I seem to have more and more of them these days, must be the local college) ask me about Pathfinder or, more specifically, Golarion, one of the things I always do is hand over my Tales books, and Plague is definitely the most popular among the east Texas crowd. Very glad to see you're working on another adventure!

When my friends who game (I seem to have more and more of them these days, must be the local college) ask me about Pathfinder or, more specifically, Golarion, one of the things I always do is hand over my Tales books, and Plague is definitely the most popular among the east Texas crowd. Very glad to see you're working on another adventure!

Thanks for letting me know. These are the kind of things it's good to revisit on the days when you stumble across a snarky review...

Here's hoping you never have trouble finding friends to game with. I am very fortunate to have retained a good group into my 40s. One of our group has to telecommute via Skype, but it works because we don't bother with combat grids.

Kata. the ..... wrote:

Finished Desert of Souls on the way back from Prescott a few days ago. It took me a while to read, but was great. Definitely will be buying the next few pieces of fiction that HA Jones writes. Thanks for a great tale.

Just went to Amazon and noticed "The Waters of Eternity". Reading through the description it is not fully clear if there is content not in "The Desert of Souls". I'll acquire it if there is, just not clear at this point.

Hey, I'm really delighted that you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know.

"Waters of Eternity" is the same characters, but entirely different stories about them. Thanks for letting me know the description isn't clear. I'll drop the publishers a line and see about getting the write-up changed.

Thanks for the interest and support.

Warm Regards,
Howard

Ordered! I hope they give you at least 3 bucks for it. :) But given the Kindle price was $2.99, that is probably optimistic. I'll try to read it soon. I have some chance given I am on a 3 day weekend. My 4 minute bus ride to work has been killing my reading opportunities.

Ordered! I hope they give you at least 3 bucks for it. :) But given the Kindle price was $2.99, that is probably optimistic. I'll try to read it soon. I have some chance given I am on a 3 day weekend. My 4 minute bus ride to work has been killing my reading opportunities.

Thanks, Kata. I hope you enjoy them!

I hear you about short commutes. On the one hand, you're lucky work is so close. On the other hand, without dead time it's easier to fill up the days with stuff that NEEDS to be done rather than grabbing some to to escape a little.

I'm actually in the process of Rereading this. I liked it so much the first time that I just had to give it a second read. It will be interesting to see, now that I know where things are headed, what details I missed the first time.

I'm actually in the process of Rereading this. I liked it so much the first time that I just had to give it a second read. It will be interesting to see, now that I know where things are headed, what details I missed the first time.

See if you notice anything distinctive about the way the bard speaks when he's working a spell. So far no one's commented on it.

I'll be curious to hear what else pops up. Hope you enjoy the read!

mathpro18 wrote:

I'm actually in the process of Rereading this. I liked it so much the first time that I just had to give it a second read. It will be interesting to see, now that I know where things are headed, what details I missed the first time.

See if you notice anything distinctive about the way the bard speaks when he's working a spell. So far no one's commented on it.

I'll be curious to hear what else pops up. Hope you enjoy the read!

Oh, he speaks in verse. I thought it was a nice touch and appropriate for a bard.

I was going to read this after I finished The Return of the King. However, I have set both aside to read The Desert of Souls. I just finished Chapter 2 on my walk home. I had to put the book out of sight when I got home so that I was not tempted to pick it up and read instead of spending time with the children.

I was going to read this after I finished The Return of the King. However, I have set both aside to read The Desert of Souls. I just finished Chapter 2 on my walk home. I had to put the book out of sight when I got home so that I was not tempted to pick it up and read instead of spending time with the children.

** spoiler omitted **

Glad you're enjoying it. When I first outlined the book, Hamil was only in that first scene, but he was so much fun that I kept dropping him back in.

I finished Desert of Souls this weekend. I really enjoyed it! I'm trying to formulate my thoughts to put a review up on Amazon. I also started a thread to discuss the book on the books section of the messageboards.

Is there a way to get the PDF onto my kindle? I thought there was a way to view any PDF on a kindle but I can't find it in the user manual.

While there are ways to view PDFs on your Kindle, for Pathfinder Tales novels, the ePub edition is a much better choice. As for getting ePubs onto your Kindle, many people have good things to say about Calibre.

James Sutter wrote:

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.

Woohoo! I am reading more of Elyana and Drelm right now, or more accurately about an hour ago. Half way through Stalking the Beast.

The characters and setting were believable, time for action, reflection and suspense, non one-dimensionable characters.. an enjoyable read, really!