I’m pleased to announce that I’ve sold two more Egil and Nix novels, A Conversation in Blood and Ass Kicking Sword and Sorcery IV: This Time it’s Personal (not the actual title; but really, shouldn’t it be?) to Del Rey. Here’s the link to the announcement. As you can see, I’ll be working with the most excellent Frank Parisi, with whom I’ve had several gun duels and two whiskey-drinking contests. Oh, and he also edited my Old Republic Star Wars novel, Deceived.
The first two Egil and Nix novels, The Hammer and the Blade and A Discourse in Steel, were very well-received, both commercially and by critics. Hell, Library Journal was kind enough to say that “Kemp delivers sword and sorcery at its rollicking best, after the fashion of Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.”
Oh, Library Journal, you so cray-cray. But I love you for that quote.
Anyway, I plan to continue just so with A Conversation in Blood and AKS&S IV:TTIP.
As I’ve mentioned before, I try to write the Egil and Nix novels the same way a lot of classic sword and sorcery was written — each book might reference the events from previous books, but each novel is a standalone. A reader can jump into the series anywhere along the way.
So, if you haven’t yet read The Hammer and the Blade and A Discourse in Steel, I hope you’ll consider it. And for those of you who’ve been reading right along with the Boys from Dur Follin, I can’t wait to spring A Conversation in Blood on you.
Oh, and also too: Huzzah!
Congratulations!
Thank you, Anita. 🙂
Amazon is now showing the book as unavailable whereas I had pre-ordered it with a release date of this June. Any chance both new books will come out this year? You don’t really need to spend time with your family 😉
Ha! But, no. 🙂
Really glad to hear that you have a new two book deal with Del Rey. I can’t wait to read the next adventure of Egil and Nix — they’ve become two of my favorite characters to read so I’m already jonzing for my next fix!. Also, from your tweets, glad to hear that there wasn’t a problem with Angry Robot Books as I really do enjoy the books they’ve been publishing, a nice line of books by authors I wasn’t familiar with. Fun reading.
Also, belatedly, thanks for mailing out The Godborn book I won. Really appreciate the chance and you sending it out so quickly.
Thanks and you bet, Blake. Hope you enjoy THE GODBORN.
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Congratulations Paul. The Egil and Nix books are fun reads. This might be a dumb question or two but where did the Egil and Nix characters come from along with their universe and have others written about them in the past? I know you said in the past there are far less rules to follow making them much easier to write than SW or FR. I was just interested in their background. Regardless I will be looking forward to them coming out anxiously!
I posted this in the wrong place and wanted to make sure you saw it. Sorry for the double post. The other ended up behind one of your replies. Again, apologies.
Jamie,
The Egil and Nix stories are my characters set in my world — so no one has ever written about them or the world before. 🙂
Congratulations, Paul! I can’t wait to read more Egil and Nix and hopefully the pomegranate eating key will make a return appearance (it was my favorite of Nix’s gee-gaws 🙂 ).
Thanks, Stefan!
Congrats Paul, Looking forward to it. Hope you started on your next Cale Book also. That last one took 3 years 🙁
Excellent series so far. I just finished Discourse in Steel and it was riveting from start to finish. The series has a whole reminds me fondly of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, or Gotrek and Felix, but with a style and twist that is (obviously) all it’s own. I cannot sing the praises of this series enough and eagerly await more!
Thanks, Marcus. Much appreciated.
Dear Mr Kemp,
I bought the audiobook versions of both Egil & Nix books and I have to say I have never laughed so much on the train ride home (weird looks from other passengers notwithstanding). Here’s to more nincompoopery from two of my favourite fantasy characters! Congratulations!
Regards,
Stan
Ha! That’s awesome. Thanks, Stan, and I’m delighted that you’ve enjoyed so far.
Wow, been too long since I visited your page, and am rewarded with the most excellent news of more E&N! A little bummed that there won’t be a new installment this summer, but the guarantee of 2 more than makes up for it.
Looking forward to the the duo back in action…and congrats on your family addition – excellent name choice as well. Enjoy your time with them before you sneak off to Dur Follin…
Rock on and welcome back! 🙂
Some of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy authors are Tolkien, Piers, Salvatore, Weis & Hickman, and dare I say, Kemp. I started with Godborn (admittedly feeling slighted that it was not entirely a Drizzt series!), but came away from that series liking your installment almost as much as Salvatore’s. So from there I read all of your books in a backwards fashion, which involved revisiting the Godborn for a second time. I have ended my Kemp Readathon with the two Egil and Nix novels and I am very pleased to see that you are doing two more as I thoroughly enjoyed the witty banter and serious ass kicking that took place in those books. I was wondering, in your opinion, what makes for successful character development? It seems that a lot of hour characters live with a certain amount of emotional baggage.
“It seems that a lot of your characters live with a certain amount of emotional baggage.”
True. But then don’t we all? 🙂
I love your characters, I was just wondering if the emotional baggage is something you feel makes a compelling character? I,to be clear, think it does. Keep up the great writing and drop that fakking lawyer gig.
Any time frame nailed down for the new Egil and Nix novels yet? I’m guessing 2015/16?
David,
I think the goal is to have both come out next year (first half of year and second).
Mr. Kemp,
I have hundreds upon hundreds of old sword & sorcery, D&D and sci-fi books from when I was younger so I’ve read and own some of your previous books. Over the last few years life has allowed me to become a voracious reader once again and now reading digital books, I’ve caught up on all you’ve written (excluding the Star Wars novels). I’m left wondering how I missed what a wonderfully entertaining author you are so long ago.
Egil and Nix are my new favorite characters! I believe you’ve successfully brought that gritty, adventurous and humor filled writing style to today’s day and age. I can’t wait for the next book. Thank you for sharing your gift with us.
Scott
Rock on. Thank you, Scott.
I am happy to hear about the two new novels. And hopefully a couple more to follow that; not that I am being greedy :). When I read one of your reviews and the mentioned the kinship the novels have to the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books I had to smile. After reading your first two books about Egil and Nix I went on to amazon and re-purchases all the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser novels for my kindle 🙂
You chose…wisely. 🙂
Do you have a release date for the new books?
Any updates on the release dates for the two books? As 2015 is nearly half over, I’m starting to fear we’re not going to see the new Egil and Nix in 2015 as earlier announced.