There will be a Redemption Four

I like to think the monastic figure in the foreground is Herfod skulking about outside the city of Durgven. This is more fan art by Ambra.

I’ve been doing some thinking and it involves the word counts of the books in The Soulstone Chronicles. As it stands now, the word counts (which include the title page material) are:

Bound in Stone
Vol 1 ~ 122,381
Vol 2 ~ 133,111
Vol 3 ~ 145,129
The Gryphon Taint
Vol 1 ~ 105,377
Vol 2 ~ 135,135
Vol 3 ~ 152,769
The Disposition of Ashes
Vol 1 ~ 126,825
Vol 2 ~ 126,657
Vol 3 ~ 125,085
The Redemption of Tehlm Sevet
Vol 1 ~ 159,178
Vol 2 ~ 169,653

As you can see the Redemptions are huge, but the last one, volume three, is too huge. I have a good spot right now, where I can cut the draft into two novels, and the new volume three will be roughly 134,910 words. I would then use the remaining parts of the old version of Redemption 3 to become Redemption 4.

I’m thinking as I write. The reason for this latest ramble is that I’ve had fans waiting years for the remaining volume in the Redemption set. I think they deserve to have something soon, definitely before Christmas, maybe even before Canadian Thanksgiving Day, and I know the draft I have now is going to be too large for a single volume if I keep it together as one book. It currently stands at 186,857 words and it’s going to be bigger. I still haven’t written certain scenes that are necessary to finishing this cycle of Herfod’s history.

So, for the first time, I am looking at four volumes in a book set. It may be the only time I do this. But then again, as you can see up there in that list, the Redemptions are the biggest books in the series so far. There is a lot to cover at this stage in the story, and if I rush it, I gyp myself and the reader. A volume four will allow me to cover all the subject matter without detracting from the story.

I think I’ve talked myself into a Redemption 4. I don’t have a concern with making a fourth volume large enough. At the worst, it’ll be as short as Gryphon 1 and I can lower the price. Chances are, it’ll be as big as one of the Dispositions. I already have 50,588 words in the cut portion to use as part of volume four.

Ok, that’s it. There will be a Redemption 4. I am setting up volume three for publication. Yep. I may have volume three on Smashwords very soon.