Ask the Author

[scalem X]

I bought The Eye of the World ages ago and still haven't had the courage to start the never ending story.

I think there's an interesting thread about that: "have you ever stopped reading the wheel of time?" in the Jordan section.
I stopped after book one .

Anyway without trying to hijack the thread, I find it an interesting topic to discuss. When is something a stand alone? Isn't every good novel of a series a stand alone? Maybe someone less lazy could start a thread about it.

 

[Mark Robson]

Isn't every good novel of a series a stand alone? Maybe someone less lazy could start a thread about it.

I've always tried to make every book I've written stand alone, but the closest I think I've ever come to breaking that rule was with Imperial Assassin, which still feels like book 2 part 1 to me ... though even with the cliff hangar ending I feel it's my best work in print.

As to whether it is always a good thing ... no, not necessarily. I wouldn't say that the Belgariad books particularly stand alone, though at the time of my first reading of them (back when they came out in the 1980s) I felt them as a whole to constitute one of the most enjoyable fantasy stories I'd read. My tastes have changed a lot since then, but I suppose LOTR will always be a case in point. The books do not stand alone, but together they are amazing.

 

[scalem X]

Lotr, maybe so. You do read the first part and then want to read the second, but isn't it just that you want more? You finish the last part and you still have the same feeling of wanting more Tolkien.
I actually stopped reading the belgariad at book four, I felt like I could predict the ending and didn't bother to see whether I was right.
Then again this is me speaking and I do tend to never finish things.

Maybe I formulated my expression wrong, I meant that every book should contain one isolated ending storyline. If you consider all other ones superfluous you should end up with a stand alone. Take Lord of the rings for example. Frodo goes to Rivendell, it is a cool journey and in the end he gets there, then he goes on to other adventures (ringquest thingie). It's not 100%, but you will get my point. Why do we read 'unfinished tales'? Isn't it because even though they are unfinished they contain closed storylines?

 

[Joel007]

I think LoTR was a special case, since it was written as a single book and then edited into 3, despite protests from Tolkien.

 

[Mark Robson]

The point I was trying to make was that you can pick up some series at any point and whichever book you pick up will have a story that stands alone. Reading The Two Towers, for example, without having read The Fellowship of the Ring, might prove somewhat confusing. The same applies with the Belgariad, though as the storyline there was more linear, it would be easier to pick up.

 

[Tomsayshi]

Hi this is my first post and I was just wondering when is imperial traitor coming out because my friend introduced me to the imperial series and I love them!

 

[Patrick Mahon]

Hi this is my first post and I was just wondering when is imperial traitor coming out because my friend introduced me to the imperial series and I love them!

Tomsayshi,
Mark can give you the detailed info, but I believe that Imperial Traitor is due out in September. Best source for up to the minute info, apart from here (of course ), is Mark's own website:

Mark Robson

I'd warmly recommend you go there and have a look around!

 

[Mark Robson]

Hello, Tomsayshi - great to see you here.

Yes, Patrick is right, Imperial Traitor is officially released on 3rd September, however, you might see it in the shops up to a couple of weeks before that. If you order from amazon, you will most certainly get it earlier than most. I hope you continue to enjoy my books.

 

[Threddy]

Just thought I'd add that I'm the friend Tomsayshi speaks of.
Ed - Threddy

 

[Mark Robson]

Well thank you for spreading the word, Threddy. I much appreciate that.

 

[Josh Mason]

Hi Mark, I started reading your books about 3 weeks ago, and they must be some of the best books i've ever read! I could'nt put them down! After 2 weeks of hardcore reading i read the entire Darkweaver Legacy and Imperial Spy and Assassin. I was wondering if Imperial Traitor had come out yet. I went into Oxford to have a hunt for it but unfortunately Borders and Waterstones said they didn't have any .
Thanks very much for writing such brilliant books, looking foward to reading the Imperial Traitor .

- Josh

 

[Mark Robson]

Thanks for your kind message, Josh, and welcome to Chronicles.

Imperial Traitor is currently with the typesetters. It is due for release on 3rd September, so you've not got too long to wait. I should also finish drafting the first in my new series by Friday. I've had a great week of writing so far, but am slowing down due to a nasty repetitive strain injury in my right forearm that's causing me considerable discomfort. My hand position on the keyboard must be bad, or something, but typing is agony at the moment, so I'll keep this short.

Great to see you here. I hope to see you around the boards.

 

[Josh Mason]

Hi Mark, thanks for your fast reply

Sorry to hear about your arm, I hope it heals fast. Great news about your new series, i had a quick read of the prologue post and it looks great.

 

[Mark Robson]

Have now been to the doctor and discovered that I've got tennis elbow! I haven't had that in over 20 years. It seems I've developed it through messing about swinging my two year old little boy around and all the typing I've been doing recently has caused the pain to spread forward from the elbow along the arm and into the back of my hand. It's not pleasant, but at least I know what I'm dealing with now.

Thanks for your good wishes. More news of the new series about to be posted.

 

[Balinor]

Hi Mark.

Just wanted to say if your ever in need of a proof reader I have a lot of spare time and not much to do. Let me know if you would like me to help whenever and I can send you my e-mail address (that is, if it's not on chronicles somewhere).

Also, are you planning on any signings to Slough/Windsor/Salisbury in the near future?

 

[Mark Robson]

Hi Mark.

Just wanted to say if your ever in need of a proof reader I have a lot of spare time and not much to do. Let me know if you would like me to help whenever and I can send you my e-mail address (that is, if it's not on chronicles somewhere).

Also, are you planning on any signings to Slough/Windsor/Salisbury in the near future?

If I'm honest, Balinor, I have a rather large number of volunteers to be proof readers right now, but send me your email address and I'll be sure to send you something to scan for me.

No plans at the moment to come to your area for a signing. I'm in Rickmansworth tomorrow for an event ... signing in Chorleywood bookshop on Saturday, which is not that far away as well, but nothing planned in Slough, Windsor, or Salisbury in the diary.

 

[Jordan Kirk]

Hi Mark

I just wanted to ask how you come up with the names for your characters. Sorry if this has already been asked in some other post, but I haven't been browsing the forum a lot recently so I wouldn't know if it has. I think it would be a great help to me and other aspiring authors to know how to come up with a good fantasy sounding name. You seem to do it so well so I thought you would be the best person to ask.

Two more things, if you would be so kind. Firstly will you be doing any signings anywhere near great yarmouth or norwich? And secondly could you possiby try and persuade your publishers to release Imperial Traitor earlier because I think I speak for all of your fans when I say, I can't wait til september.

Many thanks in advance

Jordan

 

[Mark Robson]

Jordan, I get names from all over the place -people I meet at booksignings, a big book of 80 000 baby names, (!) maps, even really odd places eg. Akhdar sounds like a magician to me - I actually saw the name in Oman where it is a brand name for bottled water!

Signings near Norwich - none planned at the moment, but I may look to rectify that before the end of the year.

As for Imperial Traitor, I suspect you will see it on the shelves in the latter half of August, rather than September. It will certainly be released to the bookshops then.

 

[Nesacat]

I asked this in the Book Hauls thread and Allegra suggested I ask it here. Today I found Imperial Assassin in the book store.

This is the first time I've seen any of your books here and this was the only copy of the only title they had.

I know it is part of a set of books and it's not the first. Could I read it and not be totally lost, even if I don't have the first book?

I don't know if I'll be able to find the others until I get to the UK for Eastercon next year.

 

[Mark Robson]

I asked this in the Book Hauls thread and Allegra suggested I ask it here. Today I found Imperial Assassin in the book store.

This is the first time I've seen any of your books here and this was the only copy of the only title they had.

I know it is part of a set of books and it's not the first. Could I read it and not be totally lost, even if I don't have the first book?

I don't know if I'll be able to find the others until I get to the UK for Eastercon next year.

Yes, Nesa, you can read it out of sequence. I deliberately wrote it such that you could pick up the story at that point. If you subsequently manage to find a copy of Imperial Spy, you can treat it like a prequel.