[nicba]

Hi

I just finished "The Road to Kotaishi" by Kevin Radthorne. And it was a very great book, one of the very best I have ever read (and I've read plenty already....).

It had likeable characters, believable villians, an intriguing plot and losts of mystery in all the right places. At times it had an almost King Arthur-like theme, yet it was situated in a sort of ancient eastern japanese/chineese setting, giving it a fresh, original feel that set it apart from so many other fantasy books. In short, it was a very, very good book, one I can easily recommend to others :).

Now, I know that Kevin Radthorne once frequented the sffworld forums. Are you still out there? If so, I would very much like to know how the sequel mentioned at the end of the book is coming along? The book had a kind of a closed ending. The current threads were tied up nicely, but the overall problem was not really solved. I would love to read more about it. So when will the next one be out? Are you still working on it?

Regards

Nicolai

[Giroth]

hey I heard of that. I think I sent him a private message about it.:D

[Radthorne]

Now that certainly makes a person's day! :) :) :) :) You've got me all a-blushing over here.

Many thanks, Nicolai, for your very kind words. Yes, I'm still here on the boards; I hang around the Fantasy and Writing sections, and try to offer up helpful thoughts whenever the subject warrants.

I am indeed working on the sequel, ;) but the more immediate news is that the first book is being re-released with a new publisher. In January I hooked up with Windstorm Creative, an independent press with a catalog of SF and Fantasy titles. Since then I have been re-editing The Road to Kotaishi, making a few minor improvements, and adding some new touches, such as a map and a character & place name glossary. If all goes according to plan, Windstorm should have the new edition out before the end of August. It will now be available in brick and mortar bookstores as well as from the online sellers, and that should help the distribution considerably.

As a side note, Windstorm elected to split the book into two volumes, a Part 1 and a Part 2. The initial publication as one volume was almost 700 pages, which for a publisher is quite a handful (both physically and financially). The new Part One will have the same cover, and Part Two will use the same imagery but with sunset colors.

As for the sequel, The Sands of Sabakushi should be out in the first half of next year. :p It will be the final book of that particular series, and will wrap everything up in a very big and exciting way, I hope! But I anticipate further books in the "Tales of Tonogato" series to follow them, set perhaps in different times and places of the same world.

Thanks again - it's always great to have people enjoy one's creative work!

Kevin Radthorne
www.kevinradthorne.com

P.S. - And thank you, too, Giroth!

[nicba]

Thanks for the prompt reply, Radthorne.

I think the thing I liked best about "The Road to Kotaishi" was that the main character was not just another warrior or magician but a Deshi novice, dedicated to knowledge and enlightment. And he didn't survive his trials and win the "final confrontation" (if you could call it that) because he had grown into a meaner fighting machine than everybody else, or because he had aquried some legendary magical sword, or even just because he was destinied to. He won mainly because he used his head. I liked that.

So, keep up the good work and I'll keep me eyes and ears open for anything new by you.

[Giroth]

Ah, I'd love to have people read The Dragonking's Sword....:)

[Warewolf]

I have this book on my wish list at Amazon, but there's no way I'm paying $34 for a book. Any chance it'll ever be published in a mass market paperback?

[Radthorne]

I agree with you completely, Warewolf. I think the price for the single-volume trade paperback edition of the book has been a definite hinderance (not something I get to control, unfortunately!) That's one of the reasons why my new publisher, Windstorm Creative, is splitting it into two volumes, so that each part will be rather more affordable. They will still both be the larger-size trade paperback rather than mass market size, so the price won't be quite down into the mass market range (mass market pricing is a reflection of volume rather than just production method, hence the "mass"; as Windstorm is not as big as Random House, they won't be able to get that same volume and thus achieve the low unit price that one can get with mass market paperbacks).

As soon as the new edition is out, and I have a firm word on price, I'll let folks know. Also, I'm looking forward to an official SFFWorld review in the near future, as soon as Windstorm can get a review copy off to one our friendly local reviewers, who requested one.

And thanks for putting me on a wish list! ;) I sure hope we're able to make that particular wish come true in short order!

Kevin Radthorne