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For those who would like a look at Chapter One, Editor has now given me a link to share, but it was 117 characters long, so I ran it through TinyURL for you. For reasons known only to the Secret Masters of Software NonAgreement, anything after it comes out in bold, too, so I’m saying what I need to say above it. I still don’t know when my blog entries will appear at Suvudu (the Del Rey SF/fantasy blogsite) but will let you know when I do:
http://tinyurl.com/49dzcbh
Comment by Rowan — February 28, 2011 @ 6:19 pm
Thanks so much for the snippet! It was a rotten Monday at work, and this is just what I needed to perk me up and get me through the end of the day. Poor Kieri 🙂
Comment by Jim DeWitt — February 28, 2011 @ 7:57 pm
Excellent first Chapter, Ms. Moon. Subtle, detailed but still moves right along. Twenty-two more days, I suppose. Sigh.
Comment by Kathleen — February 28, 2011 @ 8:02 pm
Oh I like it — many tantalizing tidbits dropped. Ditto on the sigh now that I have to wait for the rest…
Comment by RichardB — February 28, 2011 @ 10:03 pm
Outstanding: can’t wait.
Comment by Jill — March 1, 2011 @ 4:56 am
Oh… now i’m champing at the bit!
Comment by tuppenny — March 1, 2011 @ 2:22 pm
Just tried the link and it doesn’t work.
Comment by Kerry (aka Trouble) — March 1, 2011 @ 3:17 pm
tuppenny@5: You can’t just click on it – copy it and paste to your browser and it works fine.
So this book is starting roughly 3 months after the end of Oath? I don’t know what I’m going to do to get through the next 3 weeks now that you’ve primed the pump, so to speak.
Comment by Osi — March 1, 2011 @ 3:49 pm
I just read the first chapter …
Holy cow! I did not know that Kieri had and lost a daughter between the Oath and this one.
Comment by elizabeth — March 1, 2011 @ 4:52 pm
Kerry: thanks for giving others the hint on making the link work.
As for time between…OATH ended on Midsummer Day in Tsaia, with Dorrin…KINGS starts on Midsummer Day in Lyonya, with Kieri. There’s no gap.
Comment by elizabeth — March 1, 2011 @ 5:00 pm
Osi: No, no…Kieri’s daughter was killed years ago (book time)…before the beginning of DEED. His daughter would have been about Paks’s age had she not been killed,along with his wife and son (the son younger than his daughter.) This backstory is told in Oath of Gold, in DEED. Kieri had taken the whole Company south; his wife stayed in the north with the children and a small garrison at the stronghold. She rode out one day with the children; they were attacked and killed. Kieri has long suspected the Pargunese of instigating the attack (whether they were the actual killers or had a deal with orcs or bandists.) In Oath of Gold, he learned that his steward, Venneristimon, was a servant of Achrya and it was Venner who betrayed Tamarrion and the children, but he still does not know for sure who the killers were.
His marriage to Tamarrion was a love match; as a recruit, Paks reminds people who knew her of Tamar, and there’s some covert watching to see if Kieri will be attracted to her…he’s not, she’s the age his daughter would have been, and to him that makes her out of bounds, even before all the rest happens.
Comment by Jenn — March 1, 2011 @ 7:46 pm
This was a great sneak peak.
Thank you.
I am in the same camp as the previous impatient reader above.
well three weeks will pass quickly I hope.
continuing the sigh.
Comment by Kerry (aka Trouble) — March 1, 2011 @ 8:22 pm
Elizabeth: If the end of Oath and beginning of Kings are the same day, how does Kieri know about the attempt on Mikeli – surely that was the same day as his (Mikeli’s) coronation – or is Kieri referring to a different attempt?
Comment by Daniel Glover — March 1, 2011 @ 8:43 pm
Whichever reviewer thought that that chapter didn’t have action certainly was not very versed in the series. There’s more plot lines than I could count.
What I’m curious about now is the elves continued reticence concerning the human occupation of the Kolobia fortress when the dwarves and gnomes don’t seem to have as much of a problem (though it does appear to be close to the “fallen” elves enclave) and the Prologue to Liar’s Oath takes on more meaning with the mixing of Paks “magic” from the High Lord and Kieri’s Taig sense and “magelord” ability hinted at here. I’m sure we’ll never get “the whole story” but there is plenty of angle for the plot daemon to work with. 🙂
Comment by Kamil — March 1, 2011 @ 9:47 pm
Eee, now I really am psyched. I’ve been rereading everything, in its entirety (began with Surrender None and have proceeded onward) and I should, if I time it right, finish OoF the night of the 21st.
The trick will be drawing it out that long, as these are books that draw you onward, even if you already know what happens. =D
@Kerry (aka Trouble) Kieri was told about the first attempt on Mikeli’s life (Duke Verrakai’s attempt) by Juris, when Juris comes in Mikeli’s place (as Envoy of Tasia) for Kieri’s coronation.
Comment by Diana — March 1, 2011 @ 9:48 pm
Tried copy & paste but results went to Paksworld. Using firefox. Ideas? I’m drooling!
Comment by Kamil — March 1, 2011 @ 9:49 pm
*Tsaia. See? I do know how to spell it. x.x
Comment by june — March 1, 2011 @ 10:45 pm
Having trouble with link as well. Keep getting a transplant from Aussie to Germany when I do searches. Otherwise just gives search links back to here.
Comment by Xanify — March 2, 2011 @ 4:56 am
YAY!!
… that is all. Can’t WAIT. 😀 😀 😀
Comment by PocketGoddess — March 2, 2011 @ 9:53 am
I treated myself to the snippet at lunch yesterday and I was having a great time until it ended. Just can’t wait for the book, I hope B&N has it available for the nook soon!!
One question/comment: I was confused about the reference to Arianya’s children. I thought it was Alyanya at first, until I went back and re-read the line.
Maybe it’s a saint I’ve forgotten? The only previous use of that name was for the Marshal-General, unless I’m remembering wrong.
Comment by Linda — March 2, 2011 @ 6:20 pm
Thank you, thank you! Sunshine on a cloudy day! (make that a very cold and cloudy day … they say eight below tonight) It made me smile, thinking about a barefoot king walking on the grass at midsummer.
I got the url to work by retyping it into my browser … if that helps anyone, because I too got tossed back to Paksworld when I tried copying and pasting it.
Comment by june — March 2, 2011 @ 8:35 pm
got it thank you.
Comment by Neil — March 2, 2011 @ 9:56 pm
Thanks for the tidbit… time to get my homework done for my seminary course so I can spend the day/night reading Kings when it comes out 🙂
Comment by Adam Baker — March 3, 2011 @ 7:14 am
Thank you very much for the snippet!
Waiting excitedly for release day. I kinda wish that release day was a Friday, instead of a Tuesday, that way I’d have the whole weekend to sit & read the book.
Comment by elizabeth — March 3, 2011 @ 8:39 am
Kerry: He’s talking about the assassination attempt earlier in the year….early in Oath.
Comment by elizabeth — March 3, 2011 @ 9:27 am
Daniel: glad you saw all that. Because yes, there are plot lines laid down there.
Comment by elizabeth — March 3, 2011 @ 9:56 am
I don’t know why tinyURL links work for some and not others…sorry, but it’s not my area of expertise. However, here’s the original very long link from Editor; you will have to copy/paste the whole thing into your browser:
http://a1018.g.akamai.net/f/1018/19022/1d/randomhouse1.download.akamai.com/19022/pdf/KINGS_OF_THE_NORTH_Chapter_1.pdf
Comment by elizabeth — March 3, 2011 @ 9:58 am
Here’s the full link from Editor. You’ll need to copy-paste the whole thing:
http://a1018.g.akamai.net/f/1018/19022/1d/randomhouse1.download.akamai.com/19022/pdf/KINGS_OF_THE_NORTH_Chapter_1.pdf
Comment by elizabeth — March 3, 2011 @ 9:59 am
Try this–it’s the original long link Editor sent.
http://a1018.g.akamai.net/f/1018/19022/1d/randomhouse1.download.akamai.com/19022/pdf/KINGS_OF_THE_NORTH_Chapter_1.pdf
Comment by Jenn — March 3, 2011 @ 3:43 pm
Just re-read the snippet (I’ll probably have it memorized for by the release date!!) and was I reading wrong or is Kieri left handed?
Comment by PocketGoddess — March 3, 2011 @ 4:48 pm
Jenn–do you mean the bit where the “sword hand” and “heart hand” are mentioned?
I always took that to mean the sword hand is the right hand, though I wonder how that would work if someone really is left-handed and they hold their sword in their left–the terminology wouldn’t work.
If that’s not what you’re talking about, I’m not sure what would make you think he’s left-handed. I’ll have to read it again too–you’re right, we’ll probably both have it memorized within the next 18 days. . . .
Comment by elizabeth — March 3, 2011 @ 5:37 pm
By convention, “sword hand” is the right hand (but swords hang on the left hip, not the right, for several reasons.) “Heart hand” is the left hand.
And to help me out, if you have questions about something, please give the page number (or email me with it.) This miserable whatever-it-is I’m sick with makes staring at the screen unpleasant, and has fuzzed my memory of what’s where. OK?
Comment by Amanda — March 4, 2011 @ 12:56 am
I was so happy to read this…then I came to the end!
I am glad I took a vacation day and paid extra to get the book delivered the day it is released!
I am certainly going to be sitting waiting eagerly for the mailman on the 22nd!
Comment by Jenn — March 4, 2011 @ 11:34 am
this is what I was looking at from page 5:
he felt something—a warmth on his right cheek, a coolness on his left. Something of his father—the merest hint of a man’s firm, warm hand on his sword- side, the merest hint of a woman’s softer, cooler hand on his heart- side.
I assumed that sword side (right side) was where his sword would be carried. Perhaps I need to read it as sword hand.
I hope you’re feeling better soon. You seem to have had a lot of annoying illness this season.
Comment by Bernardette — March 5, 2011 @ 2:22 am
Thank you for this. I had the most horrible day today (parents just told me they are separating) and to get this chapter AND a second chapter of s.m. stirling’s new emberverse novel has helped tremendously tonight.
thank you, thank you.
Comment by elizabeth — March 5, 2011 @ 7:03 am
Bernadette: So sorry for your horrible day, but glad that you found some solace in books, including mine. Tough time.
Comment by Richard — March 5, 2011 @ 3:08 pm
Got it (thank you). tinyURL worked for me when I did as Kerry (aka Trouble) wrote above, but only after I remembered to DELETE this blog page URL from my URL box before pasting the tinyURL in its place. Otherwise I have the one inserted onto the front of the other so of course it goes astray.
To anyone who gets a “file is irrepairably damaged” error message from eg Adobe (Acrobat) Reader 8 (as I did), you should go to the Adobe site for the latest release (X).
Comment by Nay — March 6, 2011 @ 1:43 am
That was a wonderful snippet. I’m still working on convincing my folks to just get the preorder. People are arguing about whether we get it on a kindle or a paperback. :/
Comment by Sully — March 14, 2011 @ 3:37 pm
I don’t suppose you’d like to tease us poor people desperate for your book with another snippet?
Please?
Comment by elizabeth — March 14, 2011 @ 11:57 pm
Publisher originally said they’d release several chapters, but only gave me the link to one–I can’t release a BIG snippet, but will put out another (in another post.)
Comment by Sully — March 15, 2011 @ 7:50 pm
Thank you for the other two snippets. I hope you”re feeling better!