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A Subtle Agency Omnibus
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A Subtle Agency Omnibus [Apr 1, 2020]
Hi All,I will support a buddy read of A Subtle Agency Omnibus throughout April and beyond if needed.
The book will be available for FREE for five consecutive days from 1st to the 5th of April inclusive and priced at $0.99 for the rest of April 2020 from Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085QG4RQP
From the Blurb...
Hunters and vampires are fighting a secret war for control of the fabric of reality. Whoever acquires mastery of the reality shifting powers of the Metaframe will become the new gods of the universe.
"Imagine if you could change the rules of the game, what rules would you choose?"
Witness to a brutal murder, 18 year old Anton Slayne is inducted by the mysterious Mr Wu into the secret society of vampire hunters, the Order of Thoth. He soon discovers that vicious local gangsters, determined Boston police detectives, and relentless Shadowstone operatives pale into insignificance as he is drawn into the machinations of the enigmatic vampire general, Chloe Armitage.
Thrust into a maelstrom of hidden conflicts, the truth is hard to find and trust all but non-existent. Anton must master a legacy of extraordinary powers or be swept aside by those who seek to shape all of reality to their dark desires. Will his new powers be enough to save the future? Or, will everything he loves be swept aside as if it had never existed?
"When mastery over your soul is at stake, survival is the least of your problems."
"Like Underworld on speed, it's got all the adrenaline and action-packing shots of entertainment you could want, wrapped up in a no-nonsense narrative." - Adam Smith, Cultured Vultures
If you have been curious about these books, now is the time to pick up a meteoric-iron katana, a 40mm grenade filled with silver flechettes, and board a helicopter gunship for a one-way trip into a near-future reality ruled by vampires that suck blood, don't sparkle, and practice power ruthlessly from the shadows. However, as strong as the vampires are, their rule is not unopposed...
See you in April.
Given there is interest in a MAY buddy read, I will also support a MAY buddy read with a new thread in this folder to assist with the avoidance of spoilers for the MAY readers.
I should be here for the first one at least ! :)
Mod
Hi Jenna,That's great. It looks like there is interest in a buddy read in May with Narilka, and Peggy. That may be better timing for you if April is a little crowded.
In any event, grab a copy of the Omnibus when it's free at the beginning of April.
Mod
That's great. It looks like there is interest in a buddy read in May with Narilka, and Peggy. That may be better timing for you if April is a little crowded.
In any event, grab a copy o..."
I'll be sure to do that! Thank you <3
Started a bit early (due to so many buddy reads this month). Loving it so far. I especially like the lore surrounding the Vampire Dominion, Order of Toth, and Red Empire. I am excited to learn more about these groups and their history. Graeme have your ever thought of writing a prequel to these novels? Just curious...
Thanks and i am back to reading now
Hi Brian,Glad you're enjoying the book.
The closest to a prequel under development is a novelette covering some events on the evening of April 1st 1945 within the city of Freiburg im Breisgau and beneath the Feldberg in the Black Forest, Southern Germany.
(2 weeks prior to the area being liberated by the allies).
Now FREE from all AMAZON for the next 5 days (link above). Grab a copy and lets start this buddy read.
Just got it! Need to finish a book before I dig into this one! Can't wait! It's not often I have a book at the same time as everyone else. I have a little library and even the online one is sad. Thanks for making it free!
Brian wrote: "Started a bit early (due to so many buddy reads this month). Loving it so far. I especially like the lore surrounding the Vampire Dominion, Order of Toth, and Red Empire. I am excited to learn more..."And done. How'd it go for you?
Graeme, I really enjoyed the Omnibus. It had most things I look for in a book. Action, action, good characters, and a plot that moves along and did I mention action!! I’m not usually into Vampire books but I am so happy I gave these a go. I already downloaded 4 and 5 and I will get to them after a few BRs I’m committed to. My only complaint is some of the techno talk and and dialog slowed it down for me a bit. But that’s just me personally as I am not a techy type person so it just be me.
I would ask for a prequel involving the split between the Order of Toth and Red Empire. Lots of good opportunities for stories (at least for me!). Overall I am happy I read this and thank you for your effort.
Hi Brian,Glad you enjoyed it. You'll find more of the same in the next two books and perhaps some surprises as well.
Cheers Graeme
I had planned to start it today but I was feeling poorly. No, not covid-19, more like trumpitis! I just needed a good long nap to recharge and get what little strength I have back. I will start it tomorrow!
Apparently the affliction can last up to 4 years. I hope you are feeling better soon.
Graeme wrote: "Apparently the affliction can last up to 4 years. I hope you are feeling better soon."😂, I usually feel better after a day of rest and no news for a week or longer!
Something to help with the prologue.
The Temple of Thoth is the scene of the Prologue for A Subtle Agency, it was designed by Ahknaton and constructed over a twenty year timeframe.
Key Points.
[1] The entrance to the lower levels is via an archway into an antechamber within the body of the main temple.
[2] A descending hall leads from the antechamber to the first landing.
[3] Another descending hall (a switchback) leads from the first landing to the second landing.
[4] The second landing gives access to a descending spiral staircase to the Halls of the Gods.
[5] The Halls of the Gods, is a terrifying maze of horrific and lethal traps - you need ramp abilities and knowledge to navigate the maze safely.
[6] A descending hall leads from the exit of the Halls of the Gods to the third landing.
[7] The third landing has a secret and locked door in the floor, to open it you need to press a series of flagstones in the correct sequence. Only Ahknaton knew the sequence and the door resets after a set period of time (also unknown).
[8] The third landing secret door provides access to a spiral staircase leading to the Chamber of Worlds.
[9] The Chamber of Worlds is an inverted, empty, pyramid, with some specific properties.
[9.1] It is coated with a substance that induces vertigo. Only Ramp capable people or vampires (as it turns out) are able to control the vertigo.
[9.2] There are a series of levels on the inside of the pyramid approx ten feet wide, ten feet high each and descending down to the inverted apex of the pyramid.
[10] At the bottom of the Chamber of Worlds is an open doorway into a descending, curving hall that leads to Anknaton's tomb chamber.
[11] Ahknaton's tomb chamber has a secret door that is only opened by "Ahknaton's Key," the same device that is used to provide full access to the Metaframe.
[12] The secret door leads along a flat corridor to the Chamber of the Metaframe - which is located directly beneath the inverted pyramid.
I hope this helps readers visualize the events in the prologue.
I'm 25-ish% through and liking it so far. The writing style is not always cliking with me but the plot and the world are very intriguing.
Elinor Master of Gifs wrote: "I'm 25-ish% through and liking it so far. The writing style is not always cliking with me but the plot and the world are very intriguing."Cool. If you have any specific impressions regarding the style I'd love to hear them. Feedback is always useful.
Hi GraemeWhat made you decide to write thriller books that contain lethal vampires and secret organizations?
I finished, man is it long 😅.A Subtle Agency Omnibus by Graeme Rodaughan is a Goodreads pick for a buddy read. It is certainly full of action! I didn't know it was about vampires and powered up humans until I was trying to pick a book. The cover made me think it was a political intrigue book. It does have that too but with vampire politics! It has three books so it's pretty long and I started to get bored in places so I had to take breaks.
For the most part it was interesting and enjoyable
Glad you enjoyed it Montzalee. Looks like you powered through the stories.
Marie wrote: "Hi GraemeWhat made you decide to write thriller books that contain lethal vampires and secret organizations?"
[1] I believe the thriller genre is my natural home, and that the vast majority of the stories I think about are thriller stories.
The thriller genre for me is essentially a story where something really bad is going to happen, and the protagonist is trying to stop it. The setting could be sci-fi, fantasy, real world drama, horror, depending on how the author dresses it up.
I don't think in terms of romances, or mysteries, etc, so I didn't go down those paths. While there is a certain amount of 'mystery,' in my stories as the reader doesn't know everything about how the world of the Metaframe war hangs together - mystery is not the main theme. Thrills, action, danger, daring heroes and powerful villains are my stock in trade.
[2] From a young age, any 'wake in fright,' nightmare I had, has malign horrific vampires in it lurking in the shadows. They haunt my imagination - hence I write about them. In fact two of the core books within the vampire canon influenced me heavily, although the Carmilla impact was atypical - as per the dream I talk about there.
(a) Salem's Lot: REF: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
(b) Carmilla: REF: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I was also heavily influenced by the first two Blade movies and the Underworld movies. So vampires with guns and swords makes sense to me. REF: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120611/ and https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0320691/
[3] Secret Organizations? Because I'm a paranoid believer in conspiracies ... just kidding. I loved the movie "The Matrix," and the concept of a secret world that exists alongside the world we generally accept is a long standing fantasy trope that I happen to love.
The secret war for the Metaframe is simply my take on this popular fantasy concept. I also liked the idea of having more than two opposed groups - as you never run out of bad guys that way - and also it mimics the increasingly multi-polar world that we live in.
Graeme wrote: "Elinor Master of Gifs wrote: "I'm 25-ish% through and liking it so far. The writing style is not always cliking with me but the plot and the world are very intriguing."Cool. If you have any speci..."
I don't really know ? Something about the sentences but I can't really pinpoint what it is. But english is not my first language so it may very well be a me problem and not a book problem.
Graeme wrote: "I also liked the idea of having more than two opposed groups - as you never run out of bad guys that way - and also it mimics the increasingly multi-polar world that we live in."
I really like that aspect as well, it's way more interesting !
I'm nearly halfway through the first book and we are doing combat training yeah ! I usually really like combat training ^^
I'm intrigued by Chloe. (view spoiler)
My first language is dairy farm boy and trying to nail down English is a challenge.... :-).Chloe is as you describe her.
Just finished A Subtle Agency ! This was a fun read, I really liked how action packed it was. Anton annoyed me sometimes but I'm really intrigued by Chloe. The world and the plot and all were really interesting as well. I did not really connect with the writing tho as I've already said.I will definitly read the rest of the series later !
Hi Graeme,There are so many different weapons, techy gadgets, and military based vehicles that you use throughout the books. How much time do you spend researching everything that you use within the books?
Marie wrote: "Hi Graeme,There are so many different weapons, techy gadgets, and military based vehicles that you use throughout the books. How much time do you spend researching everything that you use within ..."
Most of my research is done on wiki and youtube, it's not super deep. I research just enough to do what I want to do and not more (time constraint, and rapid research to a sufficient depth to solve a problem is a personal skill of mine).
Nearly everything is an extrapolation of current technology.
Occasionally I'll make something up, like the quantum encrypted smartphones. While something like that may well happen, I haven't researched quantum communications very much at all. Although I'm aware of quantum computing and it's very much a 'thing,' now, and underpins my idea of the Panopticon.
All the guns are based on current weapons. The Mirovar team often use the FN P90 which suits a modern vampire hunter with it's compact style that can be hidden beneath a long coat... REF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd3-v... you'll also see this weapon used in the Stargate TV show or any show looking for a near-term futuristic look and feel.
The railguns are a thing. REF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i737r... This video is very 'rah rah,' but it captures the concept well.
Neural implants are evolving rapidly, along with understanding of the machine/nerve interface. It's barely sci-fi what I do with implants.
Panopticon = 'a pervasive surveillance state,' = almost current reality. The only thing lacking are the AI elements, but people are working on those technologies, and I'm sure they'll come into existence sooner rather than later.
The small flying bots in the storm drains are based one of the more depressing uses of advanced technology - micro-kill-bots - not kidding, and probably quite easy to build.
REF: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLQUD...
In general, I position the tech at about 10 to 15 years ahead of where we are now, but in a world that is recognizably like our own.
Graeme wrote: "Marie wrote: "Hi Graeme,There are so many different weapons, techy gadgets, and military based vehicles that you use throughout the books. How much time do you spend researching everything that y..."
I got a chuckle out of this "Occasionally I'll make something up". :)
I do love all the different weapons (almost like reading a weapons manual - lol) as they come into play throughout the books! The detail of the weapons is impeccable and I love seeing the action with the usage of them. :)
Graeme wrote: "Thanks, Marie."You are welcome, Graeme. :)
Hi Graeme,On your blog post in 2016, you were expecting to write a 15 book series, but now you have shortened the series to nine. Is the rest of the series going to be condensed down making the books longer?
Marie wrote: "Hi Graeme,On your blog post in 2016, you were expecting to write a 15 book series, but now you have shortened the series to nine. Is the rest of the series going to be condensed down making the b..."
Hi Marie,
At the time I wrote my first book, A Subtle Agency, the whole Metaframe War series was (and still is) structured into five parts.
1. A Subtle Agency
2. The Crane War
3. The Red Ghost
4. The Key of Ahknaton
5. The Metaframe Adept
Part 1, became three published books, A Subtle Agency, A Traitor's War, and The Dragon's Den.
Each part of the series ends on a major and dramatic turning point, and I use those big, dramatic endings as markers for the ending of the parts, and the series as a whole.
The number one reason I published A Subtle Agency as the first act of the first part, was because I wanted to get the story into the market and in front of readers, and I didn't have the patience to spend another eighteen months writing The Traitor's War, and The Dragon's Den, and then publishing all three books in one hit as a single volume.
I'm glad I went down the path I did, as I started to learn so much more about writing, story-telling, and marketing from getting feedback for A Subtle Agency that I would have missed out on if I'd waited.
Part 2, was originally three books, The Day Guard, The Panopticon, and The Crane War. The Day Guard, has been published, 'as is,' the other two books have been condensed into a larger volume, titled The Crane War.
The number one reason for consolidating is that the combined book is simply a better story, as the The Crane War ending is very dramatic, as befits a series level turning point. The original The Panopticon ending while also dramatic, is not as strong and has become a viable Act II turning point in The Crane War volume.
My experience with writing The Crane War has convinced me that the best option going forward is to write The Red Ghost, The Key of Ahknaton, and The Metaframe Adept as two books, and take advantage of the series level turning points to produce fabulous endings - and you know how much I love a great ending.
So where does The Enforcer fit in with this scheme? The Enforcer is a new, almost stand-alone novelette (approx. 25K words) with Chloe Armitage as the main character, set in the final weeks of the second world war. It provides an extended prologue for the events in part 4, The Key of Ahknaton, and provides deeper context and understanding for the motivations of Chloe and Cornelius Crane, while also illuminating the nature of The Metaframe.
So our final structure (as of now) is as follows.
1. A Subtle Agency (as three books, A Subtle Agency, A Traitor's War, and The Dragon's Den).
2. The Crane War (as two books, The Day Guard, and The Crane War).
3. The Enforcer, The Red Ghost and The Key of Ahknaton (as one book - The Key of Ahknaton)
5. The Metaframe Adept (as one book).
Planned publish dates are,
Published:
A Subtle Agency - 2016
A Traitor's War - 2017
The Dragon's Den - 2018
The Day Guard - 2018
The Crane War - December 2019
Planned:
The Key of Ahknaton - December 2021
The Metaframe Adept - December 2023
So, hopefully all finished, wrapped up and delivered with a bow by the end of 2023. (Three and a half years to go to complete the story).
And, yes. The books from The Crane War forward are longer format. (140K+ words).
I hope that answers your question.
Thank you Graeme! Lots to look forward in the next three years! :)
Hi GraemeIn 2016 you wrote a blog post that you had been thinking of having eight or more organizations in the beginning of the books, but you decided on just three. Are we now seeing some of those eight make their appearance in the rest of the series?
Marie wrote: "Hi GraemeIn 2016 you wrote a blog post that you had been thinking of having eight or more organizations in the beginning of the books, but you decided on just three. Are we now seeing some of tho..."
Great question. My original vision was of a number of groups vying to collect the three artifacts of the Metaframe, and hence the power to access it. Lots of mutually opposed factions allows for a tournament structure where the strongest knock out the weakest until the winner is left standing.
Such a structure lends itself to lots of battles with ever increasing difficulty and stakes. This is a concept exploited by the movie Highlander and the GoT series, as well as a whole lot of real world sports. (Tennis comes to mind).
I settled on three (the Order of Thoth, the Red Empire, and the Vampire Dominion) as a matter of economy and 'doability.' There is only so much complexity my poor brain can handle.
That being said, new factions have erupted into the story with book #4, The Day Guard. So, now we have 6 (counting Louise Wesson, who continues to grow as a force to be reckoned with).
The tournament is still alive, with many skilled and powerful players. Who will win? It remains to be seen.
Thank you for the cool answer, Graeme! :-)
Started Chapter 4!I am foreseeing (view spoiler)
It is an interesting idea with (view spoiler)
Getting a lot out of this!
Jeffrey wrote: "Started Chapter 4!I am foreseeing [spoilers removed]
It is an interesting idea with [spoilers removed]
Getting a lot out of this!"
Hi Jeffrey, glad you're enjoying it.
Regarding 'listening,' and the Ramp: (view spoiler)
P.s. Action begins to kick into gear in Chapter 4.
Enjoy.
Hi Graeme,In all of the books, there are high emotions running rampant throughout the series as something is always happening.
How hard is it to write the things that happen within the course of the books and the emotions that you have to express as you write the books conveyed toward the reader for them to feel what you feel?
Marie wrote: "Hi Graeme,In all of the books, there are high emotions running rampant throughout the series as something is always happening.
How hard is it to write the things that happen within the course of..."
I often feel what the characters are feeling as events unfold. I attempt to capture those emotions and communicate them to the reader through vivid portrayals of events.
As an author, I live for those moments when I can capture the most dramatic and moving episodes of my character's lives.
For me, if the characters are worth caring about and operate authentically, then the events they pass through will generate the right emotional responses.
My job as an author is to write characters we can all care about, then arrange dramatic events. The emotions will follow for both author and reader.
I can promise you that the most moving and dramatic moments in The Metaframe War are still to come in the forthcoming (and last) two books of the series.
Graeme wrote: "Marie wrote: "Hi Graeme,In all of the books, there are high emotions running rampant throughout the series as something is always happening.
How hard is it to write the things that happen within..."
Thank you, Graeme! I love that answer! Perfect! Looking forward to the last two books too! I have a feeling that they are going to be "epic"! :-)
Fantasy Buddy Reads
Books mentioned in this topic
A Subtle Agency Omnibus (other topics)A Subtle Agency Omnibus (other topics)
April 1, 2020.
Requested by Graeme.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085QG4RQP