The Long Price Quartet in Paperback (At Last)
Well, today’s the day.
To those of you who’ve followed my long and storied career may remember that a few years back, I suffered something of a setback. My first series of books was a four book story called the Long Price Quartet. The sales were decent. I earned out my contract. And the reviews were great.
The Price of War: Volumes 3 & 4 of the Long Price Quartet
“I listed these among the best books of the last decade in the poll, and I really think they are. I recommend them very highly.” — Hugo winning author and generally admirable person Jo Walton on Tor.com.
“As time has helped these novels grow in the modern genre canon, it turns out the story Daniel Abraham wanted to tell in The Long Price Quartet is something readers are wanting to read. Though firmly entrenched in the fantasy genre, Abraham’s story didn’t quite take the ball and run with expectations. Rather, he shunned expectations told a rich and rewarding story despite that.” — your friends and mine at sffworld.com
“Besides, I’m looking at the series as a whole now, and I think it is a monumental achievement. Abraham has produced four fine books, each of which works well on its own, but which in sequence add up to something much more. He has crafted gripping plots, and a group of fascinating characters whom we grow to know and care for, if perhaps not identify with because in Abraham’s world no one is a fantasy archetype. Then, after four books, you finally get to the end, emotionally drained once more by what Abraham has put you through. You close The Price of Spring, and there, at the top of the blurbs on the back cover, you find this:
‘Will keep you turning pages and break your heart in the bargain’ — George R.R. Martin
Nothing more needs to be said.” — the inimitable Cheryl Morgan
But one thing led to another led to nothing very good, and not only did Tor decide not to pick up The Dagger and the Coin series or the Expanse books, they also chose not to put the last book, The Price of Spring, out in paperback. And so, Price of Spring — the concluding book in a project that I spent a good solid half decade working on and of which I am really quite proud — has only been available in print as a difficult to track and expensive hardback. Until now.
Tor has re-released the series in two omnibus editions. The first, Shadow and Betrayal, came out earlier this year. The second, The Price of War, is out today. It is the first time that Price of Spring has been in paperback, and that the full quartet can be had in matching editions.
One of the unfortunate facts of modern publishing is that print editions have a shelf life. I don’t know how long the Quartet will be in the stores, but the chances are good that once these editions fall out of print, they won’t come back in for a nice long time. Ebooks’ll be there as long as there’s a seller, of course.
So if you were wanting a copy for your collection, or have someone who wants a completed fantasy for the midwinter solstice celebration of your choice, or just wanted to see what happens when I actually get to write a great big story from start to finish, here’s your chance.
Shadow and Betrayal ( Amazon | BN | Indiebound )
Price of War ( Amazon | BN | Indiebound )
