Fall Update: The Dragon's Banker & Where Vultures Dare

A Hot Minute

Well it's been some time since I've made a blog post, and the good news is that it's because I've been extremely busy!

Both my personal, professional, and in between (where writing lies) have been absolutely swamped! In short, I went to Iraq for 6 months, came home, got married, went Back to Iraq, and now I've got two books that will release before I find my way home again.

The Dragon's Banker

My next book, and my favorite that I've written so far, is releasing September 25th. This is my take on a slice-of-life adventure about a hero that would be in the background of any other fantasy novel. He doesn't know magic, he can't swing a sword, but he has a great handle on numbers. I worried a lot while writing it that it was too technical, too wordy, and had too many meetings. I worried the theme was too niche, that it wouldn't appeal to a wider fantasy audience. But pre-release reviews have assuaged that fear and then some. Most of the reviewers have said that the book is an incredible amount of fun, with a very fresh take on the fantasy genre in a story they'd never imagined with unusual characters they genuinely enjoyed getting to know.

Where Vultures Dare

This is a big one. Where Vultures Dare is the culmination of a series I first put pencil to paper for in Christmas 2013. When Vick's Vultures hit the indie sci-fi scene in 2015 I was blown away by the reception and it has since gone on to sell more than 10,000 copies. I wrote it as a stand-alone novel but it wasn't hard to convince me to follow up by writing two additional installments. Now with Where Vultures Dare, I'm tying off the thread of my first three book trilogy. In the first book, Victoria took readers on an adventure across the Orion Spur. In the second book readers were exposed to some of the in-fighting within Union Earth factions. I still consider To Fall Among Vultures to be the best book I've written, though it came at the cost of making some readers unhappy. In Where Vultures Dare readers can expect to explore the ramifications from the second book, and see Victoria fight tooth and nail for humanity's future.

So What Gives?

Both books came about with some measure of turbulence. I agonized on whether I should self-publish or traditionally publish Dragon's Banker, and eventually decided to self-publish it though it meant more work and likely less profit for me. I'm OK with that, money isn't the primary reason that I write. Where Vultures Dare ended up a bit rushed in the first draft, a result of long hours and hot days in the Yuma desert. It required a lot of work in the editing process, much more than any of my others. But all the love and care from the people who had a hand in its trimming helped make Where Vultures Dare a leaner, meaner entry in the Union Earth Saga.

I'm not sure what the future will bring. Standing on the precipice of two back-to-back launches I'm well aware that the next few weeks and months will play a major role in defining who I am as an author. Whether people love them, hate them, or something in between I have always told nothing more or less than the stories I wanted to tell. Will there be more? Probably. I make no promises. I have a few unfinished manuscripts on the back burner that I'll tackle once I'm home with my new wife. But for now, I'm watching to see how these next two novels are received.

A Review of Monstress Vol 1-3 by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

Put simply: Monstress is the type of dark fantasy story I wish I could tell, and the type of art I wish I could draw.

As an author and and artist, both of those statements in regards to one single work offers the highest of praise. While not without its faults, Monstress packs so much character, beauty, pain, and terror into its pages that I would put it squarely as my favorite original work that I've read in the past year. Seeing as the first issue was published in 2015 by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda this praise may be late, but I felt compelled to give it all the same.

Set in a world that blends Victorian, Asian, and Art Deco aesthetics, Monstress follows the story of Maika Halfwolf (a half-breed with wolf blood who can pass for human) as she attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding her mother, a city-shattering war crime, and the tentacled creature inhabiting her body that infuses her with endless hunger.

The story is unrelentingly oppressive at times, with the weight of a looming world war and threat of constant pursuit stacked against Maika and her companions. It's a violent story of a war between humans and half-breeds with animal traits. Magic, mutilation, betrayal, and and worse are common in the world of Monstress and yet the artist never fails to capture the austere and sometimes brutal beauty. That darkness is juxtaposed by periods of light and characters with genuine charm and noble intent. There is love here, all the more vivid because of the evil and pain it endures. This is dark fantasy in its purest form, and each new deadly trial and harrowing stop on the journey peels back the mystery layer by layer while adding depth and new characters to the world. Progress is made only at great cost and by the inner strength of Maika and her companions.

All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend Monstress to anyone who would describe themselves as a fan of contemporary dark fantasy. Fans of dismal, oppressive worlds like Dark Souls and the Broken Empire trilogy who also like a side of bad-ass monster fighting a'la Hellboy will find themselves at home here.

Those with squeamish stomachs who are negatively affected by graphic depictions of violence and dismemberment should consider passing this one up.

Thanks for stopping by
-Scott Warren