Practically bouncing with excitement for Thursday now. I read the first book on holiday as a kid. I’d borrowed it from the library and thus began a 28 year love affair. Found a photo from that holiday where I think the book is just to the left of me. Dang I look young here!
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“Song of the Mysteries” arrived! I’m so excited.
But then… Waterstone’s packaging was open and both the dust cover and book binding were a bit damaged by Royal Mail’s rough handling and water. That’s not happened with previous deliveries. Waterstones has offered to replace it.
If they don’t request a return of the damaged copy, I’ll donate it to my local library in Brighton.
But anyway… it’s here!
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Ps: Also, the helpline person said they had more books in stock, so if Amazon’s out, download the app or go to a local branch and order it.
Waterstones Brighton is a lovely place to browse, buy and have a read of a rainy afternoon, in their café. I ordered it through a bookshop because I want to keep them open.
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I remember cracking open the giant hardcover of Ships of Merior in a backyard hammock during the summer of '94. No pictures that far back, but I do have this one of my cat disrupting a Peril’s Gate readthrough in the early 2000s!
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Gorgeous eyes.
Speaking of eyes, really noticing reading is trickier, didn’t think twice about near vision in ‘97 when I discovered the first few books on a friend’s bookshelf. And I could definitely hold up these hefty tomes for longer…!
I had initially ordered a UK copy from Blackwell’s when the date issue was still confuzzled, and just got the initial email that it is on its way. I have a batch of other copies from a local store forthcoming though, so will go pick those up next week(probably, unless I get a notice on Thursday from them).
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My kindle version has arrived, now if only I had a real kindle and could retire to bed with the book for the rest of the night. I will just sit here at the PC with a coffee and read it all night on the PC. 
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Annette is not going to come up for air!!!
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It absolutely hits the ground running and ties to things that were first mentioned way back in Curse of the Mistwraith. An utterly perfect capstone to the series! Will post a review to Amazon as soon as I can(isn’t letting me right now due to being in preorder status, lol)
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Three decades later, the final volume arrives on my Kindle. Can’t wait to find out how that initial prophecy plays out (I reread that bit every time a new volume arrives). Other books I’m reading are going on the backburner for a bit
Janny, thank you for this amazing feat of creativity!
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Just the line “The season is late winter, Third Age 5926” alone gave me shivers. Almost don’t want to turn the page!
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It has taken me just under 15 hours. My knees hurt from being sat so still for so long. But my heart is full and happy.
Janny, thank you a much for this epic story. It’s spanned so much of my life and I imagine I will continue to re-read it for the rest of my life to come.
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Any news on why Australia and New Zealand were not included in the world wide release date of May 23rd? The actual physical book is not released till September 4th in AU and NZ. My hardback order from the UK will arrive next week, but if I had realized I would have to wait for so long for the trade paperback from my local bookstore I would have ordered it from the UK as well. I prefer a real book to the kindle or audio book.
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Does anyone know if the trade paperback is still being released later today (4th September) in Australia, I have it pre-ordered from my local bookshop, yet there has been no news about when I can pick it up and the online books shops do not have it available, the store I ordered it from does not even have a page up for Song of the Mysteries. Or are they just not going to release a trade paperback version now?
No book release today, not only could they not release the trade paperback on the same day as the hard cover, they could not even manage to get it released months later on they day they said it would be released. I will ring again tomorrow in case they meant the 4th September in some other part of the world. I have never before seen the Australian bookshops treated so shabbily with a WoLaS release.
EDIT
I rang Harper Collins Australia, they have not received any stock from the UK and will not be getting it now till the next shipment in late October, so the book has been delayed by at least a month in Australia and New Zealand, possibly longer. I still think they might just cancel it altogether since they have not bothered to actually tell anyone when they are going to have the books ready. I will cancel my pre-order and just wait for the mass market paperback to be published, presumably they will actually manage to get that to Australia when they publish it, but if not at least I can order it from the UK who will get it.
I had similar problems in South Africa where the release date of the paperback was delayed but at least my copy of Song arrived about 3 weeks ago. I hope you get yours soon
I got my hardcover from the UK fast enough, and the kindle and audio versions day of release, I read the book a long time ago, but I usually read the paperback version because of trouble I have reading or listening to the kindle, audio or hardback versions, in the end I brought a kindle to read SotM in comfort, could not sit at the computer long enough to read it on the PC.
I accepted the delayed release of the trade paperback and pre-ordered it at my usual bookshop, but the publisher could not even make that date, and never told the bookshops it would not be arriving as expected, if they send them in late November the local bookshops would not likely have them for sale till December. If they ran out of stock I do not see Harper Collins doing a second print run when the mass market version is supposedly due in April next year. I pre-ordered it already, from the UK, no point trusting the Australian bookshops will get it.
EDIT
The latest from Australia, Amazon.au now has a hardback version being released in Australia on 29th January 2025, going cheap. I best not say too much. Yes Song of the Mysteries was highly anticipated back in May 2024. I will see if my local library has managed to keep their copy , they might need another by that time.
I have written in complaint to my editor at HC Voyager UK - as there are e book hitches (no listing for e books in Canada)
I have no explanation for the lack of connect in distribution, other than neglect stemming from ??? This sort of post hurts my spirits every time I see it, because NO amount of yelling on my part seems to fix the problem entirely. It may get fixed, only to fall apart again down the line.
Here is what I see: PRESSURE FROM READERS is what makes a difference. My voice is just brushed off as ‘discontented author’ and honestly, the folks are overburdened at their desks, they can’t do any more overtime than they already are, and MY TITLES ARE BACK-LIST at this point, they have no incentive to push for anything.
What I see: support and comment on the series is falling off since release - (which is predictable and natural) there was a contingent of voices on major forums piping up in recommendation threads or making threads about the series that outside readers would see. This is diminishing and so are the stats…I get summer slows and I get life demands. I can’t fix the pull on peoples’ time - enthusiasm has to build naturally, it cannot be forced.
A lot of readers now are giving the new book high ranks for stars - but NO COMMENT on for review where even one sentence saying WHY a book pleased you would reinforce the title. Many readers say they ‘discount’ a 5 star rating because anyone could just leave that, no effort - it takes a comment to make it stick or matter…I can’t force this either. People have to do what they will on their own.
I am already at the limit of what I can do as an author - my comments won’t convince many people because Every author is behind their own stuff…what will move the needle is readership speaking up. Some of you do that here already - when I see a comment about bad distribution I ALWAYS respond to my agent and editorial…reader pressure will do far more, in that regard as you guys are customers and you guys mean revenue lost if you are not satisfied…way of the corporate…I was meshed into that system, and I had to follow through where I was, to keep any sort of continuity.
Readership deserves the accolade for pressuring HC UK VOYAGER to create the audio book for vol 1…what I see now: many will not START IT until they have the whole series available…so - what was done before must be done AGAIN to get this series into audio format - and THAT will make it accessible to a whole lot more people, everywhere.
Why these posts hurt: because I have NEVER stopped advocating for this series, and ALWAYS I’ve done the max that I could…it only needs to be VISIBLE to the right sort of reader - ones with maturity and depth of focus and curiosity to handle it…that’s all. The right audience has to see it. And here, the booktube community is doing it proud (this will continue but will be a SLOW BUILD).
further: I am working on Athera short fiction RIGHT NOW to help keep the series going…the research into back-history to make these bits fit into the main continuity - is huge - far FAR easier to write something totally new, believe it or not!! I spend enjoyable months at a time fitting a character arc into a time period setting - as ALL of the big picture is affected. I have to know where all the pieces and factions connect. – often back hundreds of years! How much of this sort of time I can spend…bills have to be paid, fact of life we all recognize.
SO: whoever wants better distribution, those who want this series to be remembered and read - if you have NOT reviewed or put up a comment or participated in a group read ongoing (at GoodReads, at various booktube channels, in Discord groups/where I could get you an invite if you want to join…then you can do all these things as you wish. Every single voice helps. Every single thread comment - every single blog, mention, social media recommend -I SEE THE RESULTS and I also see the results of the silence.
Wars of Light and Shadows IS building readership. But it does not have the support of the other major series - mostly because of lack of editorial continuity. You people have done a magnificent job of taking up the slack. The story is FINISHED because you achieved that! Never forget my gratitude.
The future is a blank page. I will write the stories, up to the readership to participate in what happens.
My focus: a standalone novel has five chapters under submission (NOT Athera connected) and now: two works of short fiction IN ATHERA are underway while I wait to see what becomes of the new novel. You will have those stories to read when I have them ready.
Thank you all for your interest and enthusiasm - it has made the difference in the past. What happens going forward is for me to make the material.
Let’s GO!
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