The Brightest Shadow Beta (Patreon)

UPDATE

Originally I was going to upload a new version of the book with reported typos fixed and a few changes based on feedback, but I've just been too deep in TLS work. While I kept not getting that done, a third person reported that they didn't get a notification about this post, so I decided not to delay anymore. Hopefully this will reach those who weren't notified about the first time.

ORIGINAL POST

It's time to open up The Brightest Shadow to all $10 backers! I'm still not sure when I'll publish it, but I've committed to stop sitting on this project and put it out either late 2019 or early 2020. It might depend on book seasons, as releasing in December competes both with Christmas and the biggest fantasy releases.

What to say about this? It's the first volume in an epic fantasy series. Though I know it won't appeal to everyone, what I can say is that I feel it's the most similar to TLS in scope and that I believe in it as a story I want to tell. As I said a while back, this is sort of a path not taken when it comes to TLS, with a "the hero is the villain" premise played straight instead of for comedy.

Anyway, enough prelude. Here is the book in PDF, epub, and mobi:

https://mega.nz/#!69FQBaJb!DEqBQ8PhAcsthhnqUdMbg8ykFtWiDNzYbvrm0HZu9Sg 

Changes 

If you got a chance to read the book before, here is a list of the changes:

1) Each chapter now has an epigraph from in-universe documents, totaling >4000 words over the course of the entire book.

2) There's a new, more beginner-friendly first chapter.

3) Some descriptions have been changed due to new worldbuilding. These changes are mostly minor.

4) Changes, tweaks, and additions throughout. It's still fundamentally the same story but there are some new conversations and new details that alter character arcs or might have a subtle impact on future books.

Rambling/Grousing

I know that this book is going to turn off some readers in the same way that TLS turns off a large percentage of players. It's still a story I want to tell, and thanks to all of you I can tell it, but I admit to a certain degree of ambivalence about this. Though I'm committed to finishing this one, I suspect that it will be less commercially successful than some of my other books.

This is somewhat confirmed by the response I've gotten from authors - I've tapped everyone I have a professional relationship with to see if I couldn't get some positive blurbs. Some of them have been enthusiastic and I got the following kind blurb from a more successful author:

"The Brightest Shadow blends epic fantasy and wuxia to brilliant effect. It’s simultaneously a love letter and a challenge to the fantasy genre, and you don’t want to miss it."

So that's nice. But I also got one piece of advice that strikes me as more like "The prologue of TLS is a bad idea. The game would be more appealing if Kai was the protagonist." This may be true and obviously I thanked any author who gave me their professional time, but it makes me a grumpy Sierra.

Am I just being a petulant artist here? Yeah, probably. It will make me very happy to write the series over the coming years, but TLS has spoiled me and I want to find the audience that will care about this story in the same way.

Stuff For Readers 

The images above this post are four different possible covers (thanks to Lamsey for helping me out with the text). I intend to eventually let different groups vote on which one they like best, but feel free to give your opinions. I also considered trying to get something in traditional Chinese inking, but never pulled the trigger on that.

The most valuable thing you can give me is your feedback, however works best for you! But if you have an Amazon.com account and think the book is worth a good review, please let me know so I can get a rough estimate of launch reviews. Regardless of if you can/want to review, if you give me feedback, let me know a name/pseudonym and I'll put you in the book's acknowledgements.

Wait on this paragraph until after reading: there's one element of the book that I think may be flawed but I haven't decided what to do with it - the prelude. Part of me strongly wants it, but in writing it's important to kill your darlings if they don't work. I wanted to kick off the story with a different tone, but I may not have the range to write that style, it may not be an effective hook, or it may just be flawed in general. I'm not sure, but it's an element that I'm seriously considering changing.

Finally, if you like what you've read or just want a taste of the world, check out the following worldbuilding posts:

• Introduction: https://thebrightestshadow.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-brightest-shadow-introduction.html
• Coran Culture: https://thebrightestshadow.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-brightest-shadow-corans.html
• Magic System: https://thebrightestshadow.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-brightest-shadow-sein.html
• Rhen Culture: https://thebrightestshadow.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-brightest-shadow-rhen.html
• Mansthein Species/Culture: https://thebrightestshadow.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-brightest-shadow-mansthein.html
• Oken Culture: https://thebrightestshadow.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-brightest-shadow-oken.html
• Maps: https://thebrightestshadow.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-brightest-shadow-three-cultures.html
• Final: https://thebrightestshadow.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-brightest-shadow-beyond-chorhan.html

They have a bunch of art, additional info, and other fun stuff. ^-^ Feel free to mention if you have any questions/comments on those too, since I intend to make them public posts eventually. Thanks again to everyone who supports me!