Hi everyone. First of all, today’s the day! Dark Sea’s End, the first book of a new (sequel) trilogy, drops today as an ebook. Go buy it here!
Paperback will follow in the next couple weeks, and I hope to do audio before the end of the year. This book (and series) will expand the Ash and Sand world considerably – bringing new characters, and even new continents, to the already chaotic landscape. Through the eyes of several new exciting characters, and at the side of a few old ones, come see what lies Beyond Ash and Sand…
Right, so what the hell am I working on now? Well, several things. My ‘strategy’ over the next year or two is to go back and forth between Ash and Sand, and then totally unrelated projects. Next up is a kind of ‘progression’ fantasy story about a young man descending into a demonic pit beneath his hometown to save his friends. It’s a bit comedy (yes, I make jokes), a bit fantasy horror, with a dash of Diablo (the video game) inspiration. Oh and there’s a talking sword and a baby dragon, as well as a six-legged horse demon. I’m sure it will all make perfect sense in the end.
After that, it’s back to Beyond Ash and Sand, with the next installment in the trilogy. I intend to release both books before the end of 2022.
As ever, thanks for all your support. If you like my work, share the book with friends and family, and go leave me a review on Amazon or Goodreads! I look forward to sharing the many stories yet to come…
YESS. I. LOVE. THIS.
I had discovered your series about a year and a half ago and counted myself lucky that the 2nd book was already out after finishing Kings of Paradise in a day. Then i wept as i tried finding another series to keep me entertained while waiting for Kings of Heaven to come out.
Ruka is my absolute favorite character in any medium ever and even though his journey is now over, the world you’ve built up is still amazing and I cannot wait what you do with it next.
Crossing my fingers for a mixture of cultures between the men of Ash and the rest of the world, but I’ll take anything at this point!
Cheers Hector, sorry for the delay and thanks for the kind words. We may know the very end of Ruka’s journey (and all our journies, yes?), but there is some territory yet unexplored in future books. Hope that comes as welcome news.
I went into Dark Seas End as blind as I could. I didn’t know what it’d actually be about and assumed it’d focus on some random pirates (I thought Ruka’s journey was over based on the KoH epilogue). My mind made up its own little stories as I impatiently waited for the release: it’d follow their adventures dealing with a still-destroyed Pyu and its growing piracy, a cropless Tong and the famine that follows, and an unstable Naran with their absent Son of Heaven and its political turmoil, all the while monsters from the sea start popping up because the boy god was dead and could no longer keep them from the isles. Suffice to say, I was completely wrong and I loved it!
Ruka’s reintroduction made me laugh hysterically because my mind immediately thought “These pirates are going to die”. I appreciate the way you handled his stepping back as a main character, wherein we don’t see from his perspective at all and we must guess what he’s thinking or plans to do based on what’s happened before, but no one can truly know what goes on in his head (Other than you, of course), especially with his new brother! Zaya was an absolute surprise and although she was mentioned a lot by Egil, I didn’t expect her to become a main but she worked really well. I especially liked her struggle of identity between being a teller of tales or a maker of them and also the clashes of culture she faced from being raised in a more conservative land to living in a more… loose one.
The entirely new civilization put me on edge as I recognized the inspiration you took from Aztec/Mayan culture and I didn’t know which aspects you’d pull from more, but that ending I enjoyed very much and has me wondering how Yacat’s son will be raised.
This one was way shorter than the books in the original trilogy, which caught me off guard and left me wanting more. I know you’ll be working on a different series for your next book, and I’d like to tell you to take your time and make is as great as you want it to be, but at the same time hurry up please!!
Seriously though, I very much enjoy your work and wish you the best of luck on your future projects. The fact that you produced this quality of work while being self published is already astounding, but what surprises me more is how you haven’t blown up yet. I genuinely believe this series and all of your other works deserve way more attention than they have (imo they deserve their own Netflix series too!).
Keep that pen moving Richard!
Well thanks very much for the kind words, and letting me know your reaction – it can be tough for writers to ever hear what readers are thinking! There will be more books in this series, so you can look forward to more in the world, as well as at least one new project next year. Let’s hope Netflix one day shares your enthusiasm.
Hiya Mr. Nell,
I’d like you to know that I put off reading the last few chapters of Dark Seas End because I couldn’t stomach the thought of it ending.
((Polished it off tonight though, couldn’t help myself— it was as irresistible as the little voice of the pizza calling you from the fridge at 2am))
Nevertheless, having plowed through the Ash & Sand trilogy I found myself positively enthralled by the story and I’m so happy that Ruka’s journey yet continues.
Very pleased to hear it, Scarlett, and thanks for letting me know. I know that 2am pizza call well. Hopefully it’s pleasing to hear that Ruka’s journey has a fair ways to go yet. I’ll be getting to Beyond Ash and Sand #2 in 2023 (after another side project book is released first).
I just finished the Ash and Sand trilogy. What a ride! thank you Mr. Nell for such a wonderful world and characters. I am so excited to see that Ruka’s journey continues, after reading the epilogue in Kings of Heaven I thought his story was over. I just purchased Dark Seas End and I am eager to begin. I also hope you can get Ralph Lister to do the audio, I usually buy both kindle version and audible version so I can keep “reading” know matter if I am driving, walking or at home. Thanks again and I hope these books keep selling well (I will do my part!) as I don’t want them to end anytime soon!