The Spriggan Mirror
This is a really cool idea. A little backstory: for months (maybe years) I had a book in my possession called The Misenchanted Sword, by Lawrence Watt-Evans. It almost seemed farcical, and things like Robert Asprin's "Myth" series and Piers Anthony's "Xanth" just don't do anything for me. They're funny for a little bit, then they peter out and I put the book down and go do something else. Contrast this with Monty Python movies, which, no matter how often I watch, I still find them funny.Anyway, when I finally picked up The Misenchanted Sword, I loved it. I couldn't put it down. I went and searched for other books in the Ethshar series and bought up the old (out of print books). As new Ethshar books came out, such as The Spell of the Black Dagger and Night of Madness, I eagerly devoured them, as well. They're wonderful, light-hearted, character-driven stories, with strange obstacles standing in the protagonist's way and a logical but unexpected climax.
Well, I know there are doubtless other fans who buy his stuff as well. Sadly, his Ethshar series doesn't sell as well as his more serious fantasy. So, after his new publishing house was disappointed with the sales of his last two Ethshar novels, they refused to publish any more. But, along with mine, there are many voices clamoring for a new Ethshar novel...
So here's the deal: Watt-Evans obviously needs money in order to eat. Fair enough. So, if he's going to bang out another Ethshar novel, he needs money. He is conducting an experiment: for every $100 he receives in donations, he will write another chapter of his new novel, The Spriggan Mirror, and post it online, for moochers to read for free. He has it paid up through July, so far, and probably the money keeps pouring in. $15 is what it takes to receive a copy of the novel; if he gets paid enough to finish it, he'll have it printed through a small publisher. It looks as if he will finish.
So, I guess what I'm saying is: Donate! Even better, if you have the funds, donate in my name so I can get a copy of the novel for free. I mean, I can always read it online (and have been), but there's nothing that can quite compare to turning the pages in a real book, smelling that newly printed smell.
If you're tired of dozen-book epics like the Waste of Time series; if you're tired of evil dark lord Sauron rip-offs and cocksure epic heroes; if you haven't experienced Lawrence Watt-Evans yet, give The Spriggan Mirror a try. You owe it to yourself.
posted by ERW @ 7:37 PM
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