So, I’ve written tie-in fiction in Star Wars and the Forgotten Realms, two settings that I well and truly love in a way that’s probably illegal in a few of the southern states.  Those books have sold really well.  And there’s nothing that brings a pinpoint of feeble light to the otherwise dark pit of my soul more than having my stories read.  That said, it has come to the attention of management that some of you — not you in the hat, but you three, there in the back — have read my Star Wars work and my Forgotten Realms work but haven’t yet read my Tales of Egil and Nix.  Woe!  And also, curses!

Now, the Tales of Egil and Nix are sword and sorcery tales.  Ergo, there are swords.  And there is sorcery.  And Library Journal said of them, “Kemp delivers sword and sorcery at its rollicking best, after the fashion of Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.”

I actually had that quote tattooed somewhere on my skin that I can’t show you without losing a PG-13 rating.  That’s how much I lurves me some Leiber.

Anyway, to my Realms and Star Wars readers who have missed the Tales of Egil and Nix, I have penned the following:

Dear Star Wars and Forgotten Realms Readers:

So maybe you’ve read my Star Wars novels and enjoyed them, or maybe you’ve read my Erevis Cale novels in the Forgotten Realms and enjoyed them. If you did, you probably dug on the characters, the emotional beats, the pacing, the dialog, maybe even the action scenes (I do those pretty well, as you may already know :-)).

Well, here’s the thing: The Tales of Egil and Nix (The Hammer and the Blade and A Discourse in Steel) have all of the same kind of stuff in them, written by me, the exact same guy who wrote that other stuff you liked.  No, seriously.  The exact same guy.

So let me get right to it: If you’ve enjoyed what I’ve written in the Realms and the galaxy far, far way, you’re going to love Egil and Nix. I promise. Nay, I vow it to the Gods! And listen, Erevis Cale and Darth Malgus? They’re good with you trying other stories. They know things need spicing up in the reading room sometimes, and they understand you have an open relationship with them. So it’s not cheating to visit with Egil and Nix. It’s experimenting, and everyone is okay with experimenting.

So, give The Tales of Egil and Nix a whirl, would you?  Need reasons?  Igotcherreasons! Here are the Top Ten Reasons to Read The Hammer and the Blade.  And here are the Top Ten Reasons to Read A Discourse in Steel.   Dems sum reasons, not so?  But wait, you also want a sample of the book?  Well, here are the first fifty pages of Hammer.

And hey, there are (at least) two more Tales of Egil and Nix on the way (announcement here), so you can get invested in the boys from Dur Follin for the long haul.

And with that, I end the transmission.  Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.  🙂

Sincerely,

Paul

P.S. Riven is the jealous type, so don’t tell him that you’re trying Egil and Nix. He’s killed people for less.

P.P.S I did and do characterize the Egil and Nix stories as masculine in tone, which (a) elicited goodwill and sensible commentary all across the internet, and (b) created no end of amusement for me.

P.P.P.S.  Only (b) is true.  😉