Arcana Universalis: Danse Macabre

[Spectre-7]

Hey... you remember a really long time ago, I released some thingamajig about wizards in space? You gotta think way, waaaay back. Hmmm... doesn't ring a bell? We may need a schlocky hypnotist to perform some past life regression here.

You remember? Oh, outstanding! So kind of you to humor me...

So, anyway... yeah, the second part is finally out!

What's it about?

Welcome to Arcana Universalis, a world where mystical starships pierce the endless dark in service of a millennium-old dictator, and weird creatures live in hiding from the hegemony of mankind.

Enter Caleb Gedley, a bright but neurotic apprentice fresh from the academy who has a beautiful fiancee and a respectable career as a researcher waiting for him back home. The only obstacle standing between him and that cozy future is a six-month externship aboard the Imperial Dragonslayer Ashkalon, an ancient and powerful military starship patrolling the lesser spiral arm.

But now his plans have stumbled off course. After a disastrous mission on an uncharted planet, Caleb awakens back on the ship only to find his entire world turned upside down. His externship has become outright slavery, and everything he knows about the Imperium is suddenly called into question.

Can he somehow come to grips with this new order? Will he ever find his way back home?

Danse Macabre is the second volume of the upcoming fantasy novel, Arcana Universalis: The Hanged Man’s Revelation, currently slated for release in Summer 2012. This novella-length release is the second of five planned episodes that will together form the final novel.

Arcana Universalis: Danse Macabre is currently an Amazon exclusive for the bargain price of $0.99. If that's just too pricey for you, there will definitely be some free promotions in the not-too-distant future.

Cheers, and thanks for taking a look!

[BLeeP]

Keep meaning to pick up the first entry, which Amazon is so kind to remind me of as it is always in my recommendations. Congrats on another release!

[Vandabo]

This is good timing. I need a new book and I never did read the first, so I'll pick up the pair and have something to look forward to this weekend. Congrats on another publication!

[evilgoodwin]

Oh, you mean that 10 page thing? :P

Kidding. Gonna grab it ASAP.

[MagGnome]

Congrats on another release! I absolutely adore the title.

I've added this to my Amazon wishlist. I have about 6-7 books that I am reading for school, with several of your books in the queue when I am done with those.

[drobvice]

I boughteded it. Still have yet to read the first but like to support the cause. The title alone gets me.

[Xerxes]

This book has been collected.

[biosc1]

Honestly can't complain for a $. I still remember how surprised I was when the first one ended, only because I wanted more.

[Spectre-7]

Thanks fellas! I'm very glad to have another part out... but of course, that just means it's time to start chipping away at the next one.

Originally Posted by MagGnome

Congrats on another release! I absolutely adore the title.

Originally Posted by drobvice

The title alone gets me.

Yes, my market research is finally paying off!

Originally Posted by biosc1

Honestly can't complain for a $. I still remember how surprised I was when the first one ended, only because I wanted more.

Not-Really-Spoiler Alert: Expect another cliffhanger.

[biosc1]

Finished the second book last night. Really liked it. Of course, ended too soon. Initially, I wasn't sure I liked the "turn" the story took, but then I really got into it and the pages flew by.

Of course , that means the nagging begins anew for another installment

[Spectre-7]

Originally Posted by biosc1

Finished the second book last night. Really liked it. Of course, ended too soon. Initially, I wasn't sure I liked the "turn" the story took, but then I really got into it and the pages flew by.

Of course , that means the nagging begins anew for another installment

Probably wouldn't surprise you to hear I've been kinda terrified of how readers would react to that particular plot development... doubly so because absolutely no one laid eyes on it before release, and triply because yours is the first feedback I've gotten. Silence always makes me nervous.

It's intended to be a shock, of course (despite being explicitly foreshadowed in the first installment), and I've been curious whether it would turn out to be too big of a swerve. I'm very glad it didn't throw you off completely, and even more pleased that you liked the piece overall.

In other news, Danse Macabre is free today through Amazon! Hoping this boosts traffic a smidge.

[biosc1]

Originally Posted by Spectre-7

Probably wouldn't surprise you to hear I've been kinda terrified of how readers would react to that particular plot development... doubly so because absolutely no one laid eyes on it before release, and triply because yours is the first feedback I've gotten. Silence always makes me nervous.

It's intended to be a shock, of course (despite being explicitly foreshadowed in the first installment), and I've been curious whether it would turn out to be too big of a swerve. I'm very glad it didn't throw you off completely, and even more pleased that you liked the piece overall.

In other news, Danse Macabre is free today through Amazon! Hoping this boosts traffic a smidge.

I think the main issue for me was that I forgot some of the background stuff in the first "episode", so it took me a bit to remember the "flesh-bender" parts. I really did like the "swerve" though...and I've already begun thinking about how it'll turn out, etc..

[Spectre-7]

Originally Posted by biosc1

I think the main issue for me was that I forgot some of the background stuff in the first "episode", so it took me a bit to remember the "flesh-bender" parts. I really did like the "swerve" though...and I've already begun thinking about how it'll turn out, etc..

It's completely understandable that you might forget some bits, of course. The span of time between releases was (to put it bluntly) stupid.

Now, while the "flesh-bender" part does hint some, that wasn't what I was thinking about when I mentioned foreshadowing. What I had in mind was in the first few pages of Terminus, in the Commencement. Things were pretty clearly spelled out in the paragraph that starts, "This is the chronicle of how one age ends..."

No one really caught it, though. After the release of Terminus, I saw a lot of comments along the lines of, "Wow, what a cliffhanger! I have to know what's gonna happen to him."

And with a mischievous smirk, I kept thinking, "Uhhh... I kinda told you."

I'm marking it down as more evidence for my theory that people are largely immune to spoilers. It's a concept I'd also tested once before, in a story called The Shocking Death of Some Guy Named Bill.

[Vandabo]

Well I picked up both of these last week and finished them tonight. They were very entertaining. I wasn't sure about the premise at first, but it really pulled me in. Add me to the people waiting for the next part!

p.s. I put up some reviews on Amazon for both of them as well. Good luck getting the word out!

[Spectre-7]

Thank you, Vandabo! Consider yourself officially added to the list of people I'll apologize to when the next installment runs late.

[Vandabo]

Well, I caught the hints, so don't beat yourself up too much.

when the intro said it began the day he died, and later when he meets the fairy/pixie thing and she says she'll hold him to the promise, I was assuming the guy was going to be killed and brought back as something different. I was half expecting some kind of ghost or something. And I was waiting for the pixie to show up the whole second part.

[Spectre-7]

Originally Posted by Vandabo

Well, I caught the hints, so don't beat yourself up too much.

when the intro said it began the day he died, and later when he meets the fairy/pixie thing and she says she'll hold him to the promise, I was assuming the guy was going to be killed and brought back as something different. I was half expecting some kind of ghost or something. And I was waiting for the pixie to show up the whole second part.

Ahh, maybe it works better when you've got them both right there. I think at this point, there are a lot of memory atrophy issues going on, and I'll just have to work harder to get installments out in a timely manner.

And your ghost thought is really interesting. I could see how someone might expect Alia to bring him back, and that could've been a fun alternate way to go. As for my intent... I like that feeling of realization you get sometimes, when a bunch of little seemingly insignificant pieces suddenly snap together, and this book is kind of a test-bed for those sorts of revelations. I basically wanted there to be enough breadcrumbs for the reader to have that "Ohhhh"-moment, but not enough for them to precisely guess it ahead of time. It's something I expect I'll still be fine-tuning after all the pieces are finished and I have to edit them into a single book.