The Justice of Kings
JoK is, as of late August, now out in mass market paperback. In the UK & ANZ this is the nice 5"x8" format (my personal favourite) but I think the US one is bigger, more like the big floppy trade format. So for those of you who have been holding off the hardback waiting for the more portable, readable format, it has arrived.
In terms of translations, I think the Czech version is out possibly in November this year, whilst the German versions of the first 2 books are coming out in 2023, possibly 6 months apart. As for all the other versions (Russian, Latin Spanish / Euro Spanish, Polish) I'm not sure...
The Tyranny of Faith
This is now done, as in, completely done. Written, edited, copy-edited, proofread, done. So well on track to be released in February 2023 as per the original plan. The copy, which has been sitting on my Hachette Book Group portal for months now, has finally been pulled through to Goodreads for all and sundry to read. I think it's really cool! (I didn't write it):
A Justice's work is never done.
The Battle of Galen's Vale is over, but the war for the Empire's future has just begun. Concerned by rumors that the Magistratum's authority is waning, Sir Konrad Vonvalt returns to Sova to find the capital city gripped by intrigue and whispers of rebellion. In the Senate, patricians speak openly against the Emperor, while fanatics preach holy vengeance on the streets.
Yet facing down these threats to the throne will have to wait, for the Emperor's grandson has been kidnapped - and Vonvalt is charged with rescuing the missing prince. His quest will lead him - and his allies Helena, Bressinger and Sir Radomir - to the southern frontier, where they will once again face the puritanical fury of Bartholomew Claver and his templar knights - and a dark power far more terrifying than they could have imagined.
"Richard Swan's sophisticated take on the fantasy genre will leave readers hungry for more." - Sebastien de Castell on The Justice of Kings
"A fantastic debut." - Peter McLean on The Justice of Kings
No sign of the cover yet, I have seen a few mockups which look great - another background statue type thing, this time with Helena on the front - but not sure what the timelines are for the big reveal!
Empire of the Wolf 3
First draft of this is done and my beta readers (at least, those who have managed to get to it) have read it. I'm now doing my edit and I'm about 12% of the way through that. I've given myself until the end of the year to finish this but the reality is I'll probably need about 8 weeks. When I finished it I was feeling pessimistic (a pretty standard part of the novel writing cycle for me) but having had about 3 weeks away from it and now reviewing with fresh eyes, I'm actually pretty happy with it (another pretty standard part of the novel writing cycle for me).
Other projects
In the 3 weeks I took off after the end of drafting EOTW3 I got about 40k words down on a political space opera I've been planning for a number of years now. I'm very excited about this project; it's a book I've wanted to write for ages, all about nation-building, diplomacy, warfare, and what it means to be a democracy in a galaxy dominated by an enormous totalitarian regime. At the moment it's taking a backseat to Empire of the Wolf edits (as Empire of the Wolf pays the bills) but I'm hoping that this one will one day see the light of day.
Separately I have pitched to Orbit a standalone trilogy set several centuries after Justice of Kings. It's still the Empire of the Wolf, but in time more analogous to the French and Indian Wars of the mid 18th Century. Unfortunately I'm unlikely to hear anything back on that until after The Tyranny of Faith is published!
Fantasy Fellowship Con
I'm thrilled to be a part of this. My Empire of the Wolf Q&A will be taking place at 11am BST this coming Sunday. Tickets for the event can be purchased from the Fantasy Fellowship website here: https://fantasy-fellowship.co.uk/con2022/
That's all for now!
Best
Rich