So you see it’s not all Skyrim down my way, as I’ve finished a first draft of Part 3 of my latest book. Since there are five parts that means I’m well over half way through. Starting to come together now, I hope, but it’s been a bit of a struggle this time around, I must admit. Not absolutely sure why that is, in many ways it’s a much more simple story than the Heroes. Perhaps that’s the problem – there are only two central points of view so they each have to carry more weight than might have been the case in my other books, and one of them I’m continuing to have some problems with. It’s also the most organic, garden-y approach I’ve taken with a book so far and I may well be finding that it doesn’t suit me all that well. Though I’ve got rough ideas of the content and a sharp notion of the final scene, I still don’t have the precise sequence of events in the fourth and fifth parts worked out in any detail. Probably that’s the next task, just as soon as I’ve done a quick review of a short story I wrote at the start of the year for a forthcoming anthology…
37 comments so far
Oh! Any details on the short story? Who else will have stories in the anthology? When can we expect it?
Us fans are now Shivering with delight at the news. Frankly speaking, your books are quite big, comparable to any in the market these days, but you churn them out faster than most.
Except of course for Brandon Sanderson.
Something sharp in the final scene? Excellent.
Are we to expect a “vegetarian” story?
Organic and garden-y?
Arggg!
We wants our meat!
Another short story, sounds great! And over half way into the new book, sounds even better!
Excited about the short story, you hit the last one out of the park. Excited for the novel too, of course, but as that’s still in unfinished first draft mode I’m withholding proper levels of excitement until a later date.
Ah is this the dangerous women collection martins doing? 😛
Sounds great, Joe! Really looking forward to it – you are one of 4 authors on my “Buy Immediately” list.
It’s hard for me to hear that your stuggling with this one Joe. Makes me worry you are running out of material or ideas. Don’t think life would be right without my bi-yearly fix of your Circle of the World tales. I hope it’s as you say, just two characters to focus on. Those two being Logen and Ferro. Right? 🙂
Andy,
At the present moment I can neither confirm nor deny any such scurrilous rumour.
The Prophet and The Emperor!
Is the short story going to have characters from the up coming book? Either way love your work Joe. So stoked.
Anthology! Anthology! Anthology!
Can’t wait. It’ll plug the void in my longing for your next book for oh…about as long as it takes to read it. Smiley emoticon.
Just finished the Heroes. Your best yet, yadda yadda. Got me googling absurd things like “authors like Joe Abercrombie” and, of course, checking this blog on a regular basis again. Any more “movie guidance” as to the parts? I’d feel like Unforgiven would have to rear its head at some point.
Garden-y??? Where did I hear that one before? So your book´ll be out…..6 years from now??
Maybe Joe is following the advice of Logen (it might be Dogman??) after the fall of Bethod when he asks the men to maybe start growing things instead of fighting. Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he’s got some fruits.
[…] the original here: Part 3 | Joe Abercrombie Be Sociable, […]
Dogman <3 now there's a fella that deserves a book.
I’m hoping and praying that the novel, not the short story, will be based on Ferro and Logen.
But unfortunately I think it may be based on the Prophet and The Emperor of Gurkhal.
Which makes me sad. But at the same time I am overwhelmed with happiness to hear about your new projects.
I am dying for some details…
P.S. my exclamation point and parenthesis buttons on my keyboard are broke, else there would be plenty of exclamation points in the above sentences.
Michael, sounds like the book blurb might be:
“Amidst a war encompassing the whole world, only one man has the courage to say No to the bloodshed.
Logen Nine-fingers, the Bloody Nine, is on a quest. His goal: to win the Union Vegetable Society’s most coveted prize, awarded for possession of the largest plums in the world.
(A) Red Country follows his journey as he battles through the war-torn north for the finest fertiliser, travels to distant and dangerous Gurkhul for the magically enhanced Hoe of Plenty, and sails to the Old Empire in search of the legendary Plums of Power, the mightiest of their kind.
Dogged by enemies from his past and warring wizards, nothing will sway him from his path. But will he survive to present his plums to the UVS, or will they be pulverised by a jealous rival?”
Thaddeus,
That actually sounds quite a lot better than what I’ve written.
Bloody hell, you work scary-quick. Keep it up, you keyboard demon.
I’m probably a scarcity among your readers in that I’d be -thrilled- if you were writing a book about the Emperor and the Prophet. I’d like to see more of Gurkhul, but I’d be interested to see how you could string a full book out of it.
Hopes and conjecture aside, whatever you’re writing, I can’t wait.
I won’t debate that Logen or Glokta maybe by far the most beloved heroes from all your novels Joe, but I think you seriously underestimate Nicomo.Drunk balance between being an angel or a devil,Erol Flynn-esque composure,a fighter of love,rash and timely appearances…I mean what more could you ask of a character?Can’t you see that the possibilities are endless?If you can write a novel around Monza,you surely can write tomes around him!
I’m really looking forward to this book. I love that you’re writing these brilliant, satisfying single-story books rather than trilogies (or tetralogies, etc.) that almost always get worse with each succeeding book — GRRM and First Law excepted.
Glad to hear that you are able to finish your work even with Skyrim being out. I’m also glad to hear that you’ll be coming to Sweden again next fall. Wanna grab a cup of coffe and catch up?
@Ian. I agree – Cosca is responsible for my favourite lines of dialogue.
That said – and while I’d love to find out what happened to Ninefingers – I’m up for new characters as well. I’m kind of curious to see which broken excuses for human beings Joe will introduce to us next…
@Ian
I definitely agree…Nicomo is actually my favourite character of Joe’s.
But I think there may not be much left to explore with the character, take out the drinking and he’s very static. And he’s stopped drinking. He has no real inner conflict and he’s completely content with who he is. His personality makes for a fantastic side character, but I think what I just mentioned makes him unsuitable as a main character now. Joe writes his best POV’s when the character has some sort of struggle, and are developing as people. This is what made Glokta, Logen, Shivers and Jezal so fantastic to see. Their shift over the course of the books they featured in was just as great to see unfold as the story itself.
For some reason, I would just love to read a short story about Captain Lasmark, but then, you always manage to make even minor characters fascinating, but I found myself wanting to know more about him! 🙂 Too bad he met such a bad end 😀
@James
Hmmm…you’ve got a point there.
What about pairing him up with Friendly again?
There’s a relationship that could be further elaborated.
Any spoilers/hints/wink of an eye as to returning characters in the new book Joe?
Joe: Not for nothing, but you should totally watch the J-splatter classics HARD REVENGE MILLY and its sequel BLOODY BATTLE.
I’d love nothing more than an Abercrombie equivalent of the amazing Miki Mizuno in a future tome.
@Ian.
I agree that Cosca is a great character – second only to Glokta, although I’m rereading Best Served Cold atm and I find Morveer pretty amusing. Interesting that I also thought of Erol Flynn in relation to Cosca – though slightly darker featured.
@James
Perhaps the inner conflict surfaces when he stops drinking, that being why he drinks?
@GeraldHarnack
As I recall, with the defeat of the invasion of the Union, Ferro was off to seek further revenge, so I would expect any story concerning the Prophet/Emperor post-The First Law will probably include Ferro at some stage.
As for JA’s progress – it’s more important to get it right than to get it done ‘before Christmas’, so to speak – something that some of GRRM’s fans should learn.
I am a bit surprised at the absence of Shenkt from the comments. Only ’cause he is AWESOME, he’s seen every kind of death and every motive and he dreams of being a good man.
@Fantasist
BS may churn out books faster than JA, but… err.. shall we say that one doesn’t find it to be to Mr Sanderson’s advantage? 😉
I don’t suppose I can lift that quote and misleadingly use it to promote my future book, can I, Mr. Abercrombie? 😀
Logen Greenfingers?
I only ask that you make the new book less entertaining, I’m really not giving other fantasy authors enough of a chance after your other books. I couldn’t even get into the Lies of Locke Lamora, though 6 months ago it would probably have thrilled me.
WOOT Can’t wait! almost done with the last two I purchased.