Blackflame Release!

5/1/2017

EDIT: Sorry guys, I had fallen asleep for an hour. WHAT A FOOL I WAS: it's up!

EDIT 2: And here's a UK link!

The book has been shipped off to Amazon. And now we wait.

I'll post a link when it goes live, so let me know!

-Will

363 Comments

Ellija

5/1/2017 12:08:26 am

So excited will I set an alarm to wake up at midnight here hope the lack of sleep doesn't hurt you too much.

Jaden

5/16/2017 04:49:26 pm

You should make Black Flame Cloak like Super Saiyan where he can improve. BLACK FLAME CLOAK 2! Maybe work on the name but it was would be awesome

Dave Man McMan

5/1/2017 12:09:58 am

Hurry up Amazon!!

Dave Man Mcman

5/1/2017 12:15:05 am

Wow I have never been this hyped for a book before.
It must just push all the right buttons for me.
Funny characters and a an underdog training to be a god.
Kinda like Raistlin Majere but without the humor or awesome training scenes.

Enkidu

5/1/2017 12:16:48 am

Amazon is slow! I'm so stoked!

Red -path of the stumbling drunk

5/1/2017 12:17:43 am

Wait doesn't it take a few days to show up on Amazon once its submitted?

Ellija

5/1/2017 12:19:46 am

I think Will has said in a previous posts comments that it doesn't take too long once its submitted. I would guess it would be up before 1:00 AM PST

RED -PATH OF THE STUMBLING DRUNK

5/1/2017 12:20:49 am

Ok cool I was worried for a minute. Thanks for the info.

George

5/1/2017 12:39:40 am

If i recall correctly, then Will said it to be around 2 hours

Darryl

5/1/2017 12:20:29 am

Normally it's within the hour, sometimes it may be delayed a few hours due to higher bulk uploads on the first-hand.

lee marer

5/1/2017 12:21:37 am

I've been hitting refresh for 20 minutes! You're killing me smalls!

Darryl

5/1/2017 12:22:17 am

Same here

lee marer

5/1/2017 12:23:53 am

I'm sure our esteemed author is just as anxious

Evan

5/1/2017 12:30:04 am

No way. He already knows what happens.

Raisin, Master of the Path of Twin Sharts

5/1/2017 12:46:13 am

Maybe he is anxious to go to bed. Somebody let this man know when he can post the link and go to sleep.

Ruan

5/1/2017 12:29:48 am

The last 5 minutes have been worse than the last two months of waiting.

Darryl

5/1/2017 12:31:06 am

Agreed 💯

Enkidu

5/1/2017 12:31:37 am

It's so true!

Path of Greedy Pages

5/1/2017 12:41:14 am

Refresh, REFRESH, REFRESH!! ..refresh. refresh......re..fresh...
(cries along in corner) I need my fix...

Goodman

5/1/2017 12:43:24 am

test?

Goodman

5/1/2017 12:44:09 am

Oh I meant I want to read this book!

James

5/1/2017 12:45:49 am

I feel as if I'm dying inside a little more every time a refresh and nothing changes.

Evan

5/1/2017 12:47:48 am

The Death of the Thousand Refreshes. The Path of the Infinite Amazon's Ruler technique.

James

5/1/2017 12:51:10 am

I'm pretty sure between all of us over the last 43 minutes have refreshed well over 1000 times lol. Will is just trying to progress us in the path of readings discipline of patience....how many will make it without becoming patients?!

Evan

5/1/2017 12:55:03 am

1000? That seems low. I'm reasonably certain I've done that many on my own.

Ellija

5/1/2017 12:48:11 am

That's the excitement burning new madra channels into your body for when you get your iron body.

Evan

5/1/2017 12:52:00 am

This should take us all to Truegold.

Path of Never Give Up

5/1/2017 12:47:52 am

Well, young Irons and Coppers to the Path of Never Give Up! Don't give up on that refresh button. (LOL)

Path of Lost Time

5/1/2017 12:50:09 am

(two hours later...) maybe we should all just get a good nights sleep. It'll be there tomorrow morning.

nah

Path Of Never Give Up

5/1/2017 12:52:19 am

Well, young man, didn't Lindon ever teach you that sleep is for the weak?!?!?!

Path of Lost Time

5/1/2017 12:54:52 am

Maybe twas why Lindon had a heart attack, poor health habits took the boy too young. Alas.

Wiley

5/1/2017 12:50:01 am

just saw in the news that the steamboat delivering new books to Amazon HQ got attacked by crocodiles and dragged underwater

fingers crossed your book wasnt on that ship

damn crocodile book pirates, thats like the third Amazon steamboat this year already

Raisin, Master of the Path of Twin Sharts

5/1/2017 12:52:13 am

Looks like somebody is about to become a crocodile hunter!

Suriel

5/1/2017 12:53:35 am

It's ok. I went there and fixed things. No crocodiles will bother you mortals again.

The dark overlord

5/1/2017 12:55:57 am

I have hacked the packet in route to Amazon and will not be releasing it without confirmation of book 4 in the works! This is a random!

Ellija

5/1/2017 12:58:36 am

This sure does sound like a random haha.

Raisin, Master of the Path of Twin Sharts

5/1/2017 12:58:53 am

You!!! You have chosen poorly.
Return the book at once or smell thy feces!

... you meant to say ransom.. right?

Ruan

5/1/2017 01:00:09 am

No I believe he just picked a word at random.

The dark overlord

5/1/2017 01:01:29 am

Young raisin is correct, however it is a little known fact that the darkness of which I am the Lord over is in actuality a sewer! Your path of twin sharts has no affect on me!

Raisin

5/1/2017 01:02:30 am

Alas I shall pay that random then

Raisin

5/1/2017 01:04:22 am

Do you accept crap or cheek?

The dark overlord

5/1/2017 01:05:44 am

The random has been paid I shall release the packet within the hour!

Raisin, master of the twin sharts

5/1/2017 01:15:50 am

You have honored your word.. the book is up.
The cracken remains locked up until further notice.
The day of eternal sharting has been avoided.

Evan

5/1/2017 01:00:52 am

Maybe it was a random "!".

A Little Bit closer

5/1/2017 01:01:26 am

A Little bit Closer to giving up that is..

Evan

5/1/2017 01:02:24 am

Keep the faith!

I refuse

5/1/2017 01:04:13 am

I refuse. Some Paths are shorter than others'

Lisa

5/1/2017 01:03:19 am

You know what is mean?! In Central Europe it is already 10:00 a. m.. Since I know Will lives in America I locigally knew it would be later, but hope dies last.

Evan

5/1/2017 01:04:23 am

Hope springs eternal.

Hope dying fast

5/1/2017 01:05:01 am

Well, I would tell you that this is the worst moment of my life. But I am very young.

Ruan

5/1/2017 01:05:53 am

The struggle continues here in Africa as well. At least we didn't have to sacrifice sleep.

Daniel young

5/1/2017 01:04:52 am

This is like watching anime where it's been four episodes of the main character shoating continuously and random flash backs

Kabaneri of Iron Fortress

5/1/2017 01:05:46 am

Nope, don't know what you are talking about

Evan

5/1/2017 01:06:52 am

So... The entirety of Naruto?

Samuel

8/29/2017 09:15:04 am

Shingeki no Kyojin

5/1/2017 01:08:24 am

Yes, Of course.

Darryl

5/1/2017 01:08:24 am

I Haven't sacrificed sleep! Sleep is for the weak, so I have merely sacrificed weakness for the blackflame!

5/1/2017 01:09:00 am

You won't be saying that sleep is for the weak after developing a heart condition....

Evan

5/1/2017 01:10:35 am

Fully functional hearts are also for the weak

Doc Shart

5/1/2017 01:10:57 am

Poor poor Lindon.. Had he only known, he may have been with us today..

Juts

5/1/2017 01:09:05 am

Between book 2 and now ive read all of coiling dragon and im super stoked to jump back in

Darryl

5/1/2017 01:09:46 am

ITS UP!!!!

Daniel young

5/1/2017 01:09:58 am

It's up!

Mat. the Mad

5/1/2017 01:10:09 am

Finally - got it

Mike

5/1/2017 01:11:02 am

It's showing up on my kindle store, but it won't let me buy it.

Good Job People

5/1/2017 01:12:20 am

Well, let's read. I really like this author and the book...

Ellija

5/1/2017 01:14:05 am

Only off by a few minutes so glad this community is so entertaining. Now to retreat to read the whole thing in one sitting.

Ruan

5/1/2017 01:14:23 am

"Due to copyright restrictions, the Kindle title you're trying to purchase is not available in your country"

That's not what I wanted to hear T_T

Ruan

5/1/2017 01:22:40 am

Apparently spam clicking the purchase button can overcome even copyright restrictions. See you guys in a few hours when book is done.

RED -path of the stumbling drunk

5/1/2017 01:15:19 am

Nooo it's not letting me buy it!

George

5/1/2017 01:17:37 am

I'm really curious, if Enkidu's very believable theory regarding Jai Long's sister is coming true.

For those, who have no idea, what I'm talking about.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Iteration110Cradle/comments/607a1l/jai_long_and_his_sister/

Adarsh

5/1/2017 09:06:02 pm

It was confirmed by Suriel herself at the end.

lisa

5/1/2017 01:18:05 am

There it is. :D

Doc Shartner

5/1/2017 01:19:42 am

Poor Poor souls..Maybe try Kindle Unlimted.. otherwise may Will have mercy on your souls...

Tom

5/1/2017 01:24:07 am

Its up in Australia now

George

5/1/2017 01:26:56 am

PLease, say you'RE kidding. I don'T want others to ahve the pleasure of reading it before I get the chance

Alex

5/1/2017 01:30:46 am

It's available in the UK

Corey

5/1/2017 01:38:59 am

If it's up, can someone post their link? I can't see it.

Corey

5/1/2017 01:46:28 am

Nevermind, didn't see Will update this post :)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0716GZ8QX/

Levi

5/1/2017 01:54:21 am

Will... after the weekend and day i have currently had...

i am wholeheartedly and sincerely grateful for your work!!!

Thankyou!!!

Paul Joy

5/1/2017 01:55:16 am

Bought it...

Champ

5/1/2017 02:30:37 am

Amazing book, woke up at 6 am just to read it, no regrets
I need sleep now

Will link

5/1/2017 02:36:04 am

I feel you. I need to sleep too.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Champ

5/1/2017 05:48:54 pm

I dont know if i should be more excited because you replied or for the amazing book i just read.
Im very interested in what lindon will be able to do in book four, but i dont know if i can wait that long.
Anyways, great book! Keep it up

Chris

5/1/2017 04:58:32 am

You sir, have impeccable timing. Just 5 minutes ago I finished the sorcerers path series and was getting ready to open my page that has the list of upcoming books to buy a new one, but decided to check my email first. Lo and behold I had an email from Hidden Gnome Publishing and blackflame was available! I thought I would have to settle for one of my less liked series of books, but it turns out I get to continue with one of the best series instead. Well done!

Will link

5/1/2017 06:17:14 am

I could sense that you were in need, Chris.

Ellija

5/1/2017 05:48:18 am

Just finished it Will and I have to say its the best one yet. It was so worth the wait.

Will link

5/1/2017 06:16:46 am

Hey, I'm glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for the review!

Lashan

5/1/2017 08:59:48 am

Will, the best one yet just finished reading at 1.12 am here in seoul. Have a drink and take a vacation! After a week I will start nagging for skysworn. How are the sales of this one stacking up?

Will link

5/1/2017 03:08:23 pm

Best sales ever!

...I'm serious, this is my best launch and my best day of sales ever.

George

5/1/2017 06:18:32 am

"The Path of Grasping Sky would allow him to grip Jai Long with a Ruler technique and then crush his windpipe as a Striker."
Reminds me strongly of Star Wars; especially Darth Vader comes to mind.
Well, instead of crushing his enemies windpipe, he just chokes him to death with his force.

Rhys

5/1/2017 06:29:05 am

Your best so far. Damn

Daniel young

5/1/2017 06:30:31 am

I Have no self control! But that was awesome! I'm going to go take a nap then go to work. That was really good! I read it on kindle and I'll buy it after work! And I'm rambling again!

Maahn

5/1/2017 08:08:32 am

Finished it! It took my entire work day almost, but I did it. Another amazing read, thanks Will. Congrats on the release, enjoy some well deserved rest!

George

5/1/2017 09:06:02 am

Will, after having read Blackflame I came to a little theory, which is hopefully not completely bogus.
Before I read Blackflame i read your side story "A Sword Unclean", and I was wondering how he could play a role in your main story.
Kal Itai is, as we know, the sole surviving member of his clan, after the Black Sky School destroyed it.
To achieve his revenge he learned a new Path during the events of the side story— a rather bloodthirsty one, which were Yerin's words to describe her 'unwelcomed guest'.
I think, Kal Itai managed to achieve his revenge, but during the training with his newfound path, he, too, became bloodthirsty. This led him to not just kill the leaders of the school, who sanctioned the attack, but everyone else as well, as the Black Sky School did with his clan. This would'nt have happened without the influence of the path, in my opinion, as he semed rather honorable before gaining it.
Yerin, unlike Kal Itai, has no one to take revenge upon, as Kal Itai, died during his attack, but managed to take the school with him before doing so.
When he died his Remnant left his body. After looking for new prey to feast on he saw Yerin. Maybe he saw that she is rather talented, and changed his plan, instead of eating he now wanted to take over her body to start cultivation over again, hoping to reach an even higher stage this time. Before he succeeded the Sword Sage came, to his misfortune. Unfortunately, the SAge couldn'T extract the Remnant without killing Yerin, thus his only way was to seal it inside of her.

Sorry for the Wall of Text

rast

5/1/2017 10:21:55 am

I like this. Never even though about connecting the short story like that.

Some name

5/2/2017 03:56:48 am

Spoilers

Except it is explicitly stated that it is a piece of Dreadgod.

George

5/2/2017 07:02:23 am

Kinda ruins the theory. :(
I wrote it, when I was at 60%, although I wrote "..after having read..", and it wasn't mentioned that it's a fragment at that point.
Seems that I was a bit hasty.

Riley

5/2/2017 07:09:21 am

What I want to know is how to see these side stories.... please....

George

5/2/2017 09:03:55 am

Someone posted this link on reddit.
http://us11.campaign-archive1.com/home/?u=ba4bf39fb09712a9c982f3bc8&id=9a4055d765
Click on Short Stories - Happy Halloween!; there you goign to find
A Sword Unclean

Kris Woodsman

5/1/2017 09:25:19 am

Just finished Blackflame with KU, in a few hours after I am sure it has properly synced the read to the server (and Will's bank account) I am going to buy it.

For the book itself I only have two words: Badass! MORE!!

Coldsteel

5/1/2017 09:27:32 am

Will, I hate to tell you, but your book cover is messed up. The text is obscured by the image. This is because the image layer is in front of the text layer in the image document. The good news is it's very easy to fix. Just move the text layer to the front. Simple as that. It takes 2 seconds.

Alpha reader

5/1/2017 10:49:57 am

Thats by design. Blackflame consumes all!

Will link

5/1/2017 03:09:48 pm

Yeah, the artist liked it, and I didn't care one way or the other.

Corey

5/1/2017 10:57:11 pm

I assumed it was on purpose. I rather liked it.

5/1/2017 09:53:43 am

Yay!

Since the introduction reminded me, I have a confession. When I first read about the Naru clan in Soulsmith, I miss read their description and thought their defining feature was their shining emerald *wigs*. It did conjure up some humorous thoughts of the Narus presiding over the Blackflame court while rocking funk-a-delic afro wigs.

I realized my mistake when I went back and reread it.

(I still kinda wish they did have emerald wigs though)

5/1/2017 09:57:39 am

So about book four....

Seriously though, this book was fantastic, just as expected. Get some rest and thanks for writing!

Gethel

5/1/2017 10:58:31 am

That was fun. When's Skysworn coming out? ;d

Aaron J.E.

5/1/2017 11:00:21 am

Amazon Unlimited rented and read, now purchased as well to give that extra sweet, sweet cash.

In terms of the actual book - it hit every single note I hoped it would hit, but none in the way I expected. That's pretty damn special. Great world building in this one, and I am really looking forward to the next. Take a break, enjoy the accolades, and best of luck diving into the next one.

rast

5/1/2017 11:25:08 am

Will your work is not done! you need to update the website with the new book info.

Aldric

5/1/2017 12:07:05 pm

The joy of diving in has be replaced by the pain of knowing it's going to be a while for the next book.

Enjoy your couple days off Will, then get back to work *cracks the whip*

George

5/1/2017 12:34:06 pm

Will, why did you write at the end of the book
"Skysword Available soon!", when you posted days ago that you are going to take a break after having written this vol, and even after the break ou won'T start with vol 4 but with another series, be it Elder empire or Travelers gate.
You can't just kick a man when he's down.

Evan

5/1/2017 12:47:14 pm

It will still get here before Doors of Stone.

Soon is relative!

Evan

5/1/2017 12:48:01 pm

Well I just finished Blackflame. Time to read Blackflame.

Evan

5/1/2017 01:08:51 pm

I know it was a (half?) joke in the other post, but I enjoyed it so much I had to actually return my Unlimited copy so that I could buy it outright.

John

5/1/2017 01:03:36 pm

Awesome job Will. Too bad you don't have the next dozen done. Just left my review.

Will link

5/1/2017 03:11:50 pm

Thanks John! That was a great review, I really appreciate it!

Now how can I figure out how to write THREE books at the same time instead of only two...

Daniel young

5/1/2017 04:16:55 pm

Step 1: become a cyborg
Step 2: install a multiplex capable processor in your brain
Step 3: do three things at once.

John

5/1/2017 07:11:53 pm

What do you want to bet lindon does for yerrin what he did for jai Chen

Enkidu

5/2/2017 11:01:50 am

You could alway go all Sylar on Brandon Sanderson. I'm pretty sure that would work...

Axenos

5/1/2017 01:42:28 pm

Oh man. I almost wish you would get right into writing Cradle 4 because you're on a goddamn roll. Almost.

But really man, that was fantastic.

Will link

5/1/2017 03:12:41 pm

I actually wrote some scenes for Skysworn and I wish I could keep going.

Sean K

5/1/2017 04:10:24 pm

Just remember that all bodies need rest, and so does the spirit. You are not some crazy construct or remnant, so if you need a break, take it!

This book burns with awesomeness!!

Lashan

5/1/2017 06:49:03 pm

Will,
So how will you resolve a conflict of writing OKAK next vs continuing this awesome series and writing 5-6 next books this year. I swear I will not buy it read OKAK to motivate you a little bit ( I only read part of the first one it kinda died in me).
My wish for ya brother:
Charge me more and write an fasta! Love your humor and writing and your fantastic mind, shoot my wife is getting jealous.

Lashan

5/3/2017 01:30:26 am

You can keep going Will, mortgage is calling ( that's a good excuse to keep going, just don't tell em ( elder empire minor clan) and keep on righting. Or you can always say : ups I was writing ...something elder and and... and behold Skysworn...hmmm I think that might actually work

Julian

5/1/2017 01:48:43 pm

Damn that was a good read...although now I'm sad it's already over. I need more xD

Amazing book Will :)

Will link

5/1/2017 03:13:56 pm

Thanks, Julian! I just finished buying a house today too, so I'm sitting in my new house (in a camp chair because I haven't moved my furniture over yet) reading about how well the book is doing.

It's a great day!

Sharon

5/2/2017 06:45:50 am

Congratulations on the house and book. Love the book; well done. Now I can sleep lol

Azqa

5/2/2017 07:27:22 am

Congratulations on the house!

Squealing Fanboy

5/1/2017 01:59:15 pm

Will you GLORIOUS BASTARD i love this book so much I am having withdrawal symptoms for the next one already!

Seriously I loved the book, keep it up Will.

Will link

5/1/2017 03:14:43 pm

And the next one? Pure action. Wall-to-wall special effects.

Kris Woodsman

5/1/2017 02:00:29 pm

Hopefully Will will post how the book is doing tomorrow and at the end of the month. Currently it is ranked #57 in the Kindle paid section and

#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Coming of Age
#1 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Sword & Sorcery
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Myths & Legends > Asian

Will link

5/1/2017 03:15:55 pm

#54 overall right now. It's sold 1300+ copies, and previously my best full day for a single title was City of Light at 1260.

And the day isn't over...

Nocturniquet

5/2/2017 01:56:03 am

It's been 24 hours now what's the damage? I want to see how much you beat your own record.

Troublecat

5/1/2017 02:01:40 pm

Tremendous. I like your other stuff too Will but I was so excited to read this.

Will link

5/1/2017 03:16:27 pm

Thanks! I hope it lives up to the hype!

Troublecat

5/3/2017 12:23:15 pm

Oh, it did! I was writing from a place of knowledge since I pounded the book as fast as I could in the morning.

Garbagiel the Raccoon

5/1/2017 02:43:01 pm

Finished the book. Will does not disappoint!

Will link

5/1/2017 03:17:07 pm

How could I possibly disappoint Garbagiel, Lord of the Dumpster?

Sean K

5/1/2017 04:11:19 pm

He's the Abidan Judge no one mentions, or else!

Garbagiel the Raccoon

5/1/2017 07:01:36 pm

And that's why Will gets my five-star review.

But Will, I detected hints of romance in your novel. Your sister didn't get her hands on your computer, did she?

Tyler

5/1/2017 03:27:03 pm

Just finished and I am unashamed to admit a full blown addiction to your writing at this point. Thinking about the year (my guess) or so wait for Skysworn is literally giving me the shakes a little bit.

I wasn't ready for just how much you've managed to pack into this entry, the world building alone is staggering. I know you mentioned before that this series could be about 15 books? I'm not sure how far into the story you've dreamt up but I'd be okay with this being one of those never ending series.

Amazing work (you already got my 5 star review) and I hope you're taking an incredibly well deserved rest today, but not tomorrow cause back to work ;)

Will link

5/1/2017 03:30:26 pm

I saw your review, Tyler, thanks! I could definitely see this being 15 books, yeah: I like writing it, and there's a lot of room for expansion.

Now, as for that year wait on Skysworn...

...maybe not QUITE so long.

Alpha reader

5/1/2017 03:47:05 pm

It WON'T be that long. *cracks whip*

Tyler

5/1/2017 03:50:48 pm

(Okay, he replied back. Don't blow this.) I love you. (Damn it!)

I love my kindle Library (hard to carry hundreds of books all the time), BUT any chance of your series becoming Hardcover collections? I know that can eat into the publishing finances though...One can dream though! And I'm dreaming of a bookshelf full of Will Wight Books.

Diego link

5/3/2017 05:29:00 pm

Okay. I finished reading Blackflame for what must be the 4-5th time already.
Question1: If you were born at the peak of cultivation (just before ascending) as a human whats your life expectancy?
Question2: Does Ethan have a Goldsign?
Question3: Can sacred beasts assume human form if they advance far enough?
Question4: If Dreadgods come from Dreadbeasts? Do Sacredgods come from Sacredbeasts?
Question5: Can u believe my hunger for more of your works only grows the more i read? O.o its weird. Amazing work as always.

James A

5/1/2017 03:48:35 pm

I love the part when Lindon learns to stabilize the rasengan with shadow clones. Or something.

Tyler

5/1/2017 03:56:47 pm

Okay, thank god I wasn't the only one making that connection. Just thinking about that similar balloon trick made me smile when I got there

Devin

5/1/2017 03:59:13 pm

Fantastic read! Now back to wild speculation on what The Three Musketeers (Madrateers?) will do next!

Tacroy

5/1/2017 04:10:50 pm

Hah, you found a use for Silverlord after all!

PASSTHEPOTATOES

5/1/2017 04:13:47 pm

Amazon needs to add some additional stars, five just wasn't enough for me. Well done.

Now, do you see those shackles there at the base of your desk? Ahh Good, please be kind enough to put those on and crank out book 4. The Key? Nope don't have one. Good luck!

#Blackflameislife

5/1/2017 08:31:32 pm

I honestly hope that Will pulls a Sanderson and says "oops, I accidentally wrote two books instead of one because I was in the zone when writing this"
My only evidence for this would be that he cut 60k words from the story and mentioned in a blog reply that he cut out a huge swath of scenes relating to exploring the city/world in general. I would cry actual tears of joy.

Shane

5/4/2017 08:56:25 am

That would make me so happy!!!! The thoughts of having to wait for months for the next book is crippling! I guess my only option is to find other books to distract myself with until the next book comes out.

Adarsh

5/1/2017 05:46:44 pm

I NEED MORE!!!!
Cant wait for the next book.
10/5 if possible.

Only downside is that there appears to be turbulence on the Lindon+Yerin ship.

Keith

5/1/2017 06:57:15 pm

Incredible! I stayed up far too late finishing. I've posted a review on Australian Amazon. Get some rest and I look forwood to your next book whatever world it's in!

Keith

5/1/2017 08:19:51 pm

Also loved the forward to the nameless minions 😂

Tacroy

5/1/2017 06:58:15 pm

Minor gripe with the very end of the book:

A character who's never talked to Lindon or Yerin recognizes the "Void Dragon's Dance"; however, that's a name that Lindon and Yerin came up with independently.

Either everyone decides to rename Blackflame techniques and happens to stumble on the same names (which wouldn't surprise me), or it was done for narrative clarity.

Garbagiel the Raccoon

5/1/2017 07:12:01 pm

I thought the turtle told Lindon the name before the trials.

Adarsh

5/1/2017 07:37:42 pm

Void Dragon's Dance was its actual name, according to the Turtle. Lindon just remembered the turtle telling him that.

Evan

5/1/2017 09:17:52 pm

Yea, it's in chapter 11.

Emily

5/1/2017 07:06:56 pm

Yay! You'll finally work on Kings and Killers! (Hopefully)... and I'm also excited to read Blackflame,

Emily

5/5/2017 10:40:15 pm

And now that I finished it I can honestly say it was awesome. This series is continuously getting better as the world and characters are expanded and fleshed out. I didn't really like the first book but I'm glad I stuck with it as I enjoyed the second and loved the third

David Frost

5/1/2017 07:49:11 pm

Wow Will that was a fun read. I've bought the book twice in appreciation.
So ETA on Skysworn?

Raisin, Path of Twin Sharts

5/1/2017 07:52:29 pm

Yeah hopefully another one before the year is over!

David Frost

5/1/2017 08:06:44 pm

Wow Blackflame is currently ranked #1 in Epic Fantasys,
#1 in Sword & Sorcery, and #1 in Asian SciFi in the Kindle Store!!

Cradle addict

5/1/2017 08:26:20 pm

The only complaint I have against this fact is that it isn't at the top of more lists. I just finished it and I have to say that it blew me out of the water. I read it on and off all day (even at work in bits and pieces) I just could not put it down. 10/5 would recommend

Aaron

5/1/2017 08:51:30 pm

Great book!

Cover? Not so much. All I see is a ballsack. Anyone else? Just me? Hmmm. Ok.

Pat

5/1/2017 09:23:48 pm

Loved it! The wait for the next one may or may not kill me.

Maybe in a few months we can hope for the opportunity to purchase an anthology of the short stories/world builder stuff to tide us over?

I've been reading that the mailing list gets some stuff like that, but the enthusiastic and appreciative public who maybe aren't as networking minded would love it to I'm sure!

George

5/2/2017 12:13:28 am

What do you think is the reason for Lindon 'going off the script'.
Suriel mentioned that what happened to him in this book shouldn't have happened.

The only oddity I can think of is the Sylvan Riverseed. It has been mentioned by Eithan that the seed should have taken his look after having feeded it, but it took, to his surprise, a female appearance.
I think it's going to take the look of Suriel.
It had been shown that imagination is an important factor in the cultivation training. So, by imagining Suriel, an all powerful immortal, out of Lindon's perspective, while feeding the Sylvan, might give her unprecedented power. She might get, or already has, similar powers as Suriel, on a much smaller scale of course.

What are your thoughts?

Darren

5/2/2017 12:29:19 am

I'm fairly sure eithan is the off script element. Remember he pulled out the black marble similar to Lindon's. I'll assume it was ozriel who created that one, but I'm sure we'll find out eventually

Kris Woodsman

5/2/2017 03:39:17 am

I think it is the combination of Eithan and Lindon. Either one by themselves would have had caused minimal change in the planet's fate after their celestial encounter but the two of them interacting and talking about their encounters will knock the train right off the rails.

I am starting to wonder if the Dreadgod that destroys the Scared Valley is the one with a piece bound to Yerrin. Maybe leaving the valley with her to get stronger isn't the only part of how he is going to stop the Dreadgod. Maybe keeping Yerrin moving forward along her path and resolving some of her issues is how he prevents the dreadgod from coming back in the first place.

George

5/2/2017 04:02:37 am

THat would be interesting, if it were a fragment of the same Dreadgod.
I was wondering, while reading the book, why the Remnant didn't kill all people in the Sacred Valley, after Yerin died in the 1st timeline. There is no doubt that it's stronger than any Sacred Artist in the Valley.
But, if it is indeed a part of the Dreadgod, which might be sleeping/being sealed in the cave, yerin and Lindon were fighting during the final scene of book 1— then it could have simply different priorities;instead of going on a killingspree, it went to the sleeping/sealed dreadgod in order to free it. Given that it was only a small fragment, therefore has only limited power, it took long time for it to succeed, which is why 30 whole years went by till the Dreadgod was in the outside world again.
Without the help of the fragment it might take more than the 20-30 years Suriel predicted for it to free istelf fro mthe seal or awake from the ,probably, forced sleeping.
Otherwise I don't see why else the Remnant didn'T kill the countless people in the valley.

Cecil

5/2/2017 12:18:17 am

Man it went my tooooooo fast can't wait for the next one! Very sad it ended..... 😢

Garbagiel the raccoon

5/2/2017 05:04:50 am

Hmm... How long would it be appropriate to wait before grilling Will for information? I'm dying to glean a few nuggets of information about our newly-revealed faction(s?)

Path of the angry irritable ravenous irritable aggressive indefatigable Raccoon's wrath

5/2/2017 06:00:22 am

For arguably the most gentle and soft-hearted character in the series, Lindon really does seem to be fated to look as menacing as possible. With a goldsign like that, people everywhere are going to think him some sort of dark lord.

Enkidu

5/2/2017 11:09:21 am

"Someone is creating a monster."

Daniel young

5/3/2017 12:26:36 pm

Intimidation is a great tactic when people only respect power. Also the skysworn are apparently not that great at soul scanning because I don't think it was mentioned anywhere that Lindon can veil his soul.

Enkidu

5/3/2017 05:04:02 pm

He switched cores. She said he was so good that it felt like his core was pure madra. From the distance she was at, she could only sense him cycling his pure core. She clearly detected his blackflame core when he switched.

Daniel young

5/3/2017 06:17:36 pm

Yeah but she got within like 20 ft of him at the end their and still thought it was "a clever disguise"

Shutin

5/4/2017 08:50:44 am

Maybe because it's unheard of to have two cores ,people assume it's a veiling technique and the thought he has two different types of mandra never crossed there mind

Jay W.

5/4/2017 10:39:06 am

Ding Ding Ding, that's right, it would be unheard of for people to have two cores. One reoccurring theme is that people are way overconfident in their own abilities. I'm sure that the skysworn just saw what she wanted to see.

Lindon is really coming into his own now. With his new cycling technique he was able to grow his cores. I think that he could theoretically divide them again, then further grow the cores so that he can hold even more power.

Jeremiah

5/2/2017 06:00:53 am

Will, sir, you have done a great job with this one. Your writing seems to me to get better and better. I'm thrilled to see the progress of skill and the success of these books. Now if only Elder Empire did as well...

5/2/2017 06:58:44 am

Will good read. Fun with action and info. Qs...
What is above overlords? Is it skylords? And then is it sage?
Also since Lindon used blackflame for those grenade balls...does that mean we can expect forger technique in next book?
Can't wait for next book. Hopefully September.

Azqa

5/2/2017 12:58:16 pm

Per an earlier blog post, the Lord realm consists of Underlord, Overlord, and (presumably still) Archlord. That last one could possibly still change, but it seemed like a pretty solid probability.

That post came about when Will was curious for reader feedback about an alternative to Overlord. Although there were some suggestions he liked, the final decision was that Overlord fit the scheme best and that he'd use other suggestions elsewhere. There's another Lord name mentioned once at the end of the book...

I'm curious about Forger techniques too, and I put up a Reddit thread about it. While the original Blackflame sacred artists (and presumably the dragons) had no need for it and found Blackflame madra too difficult to Forge...Lindon has wanted to be a Soulsmith for pretty much his entire life and he's got a crafty brain, so I suspect we'll see him figure something out.

Daniel young

5/3/2017 12:28:04 pm

Link to thread?

Azqa

5/3/2017 01:01:18 pm

The other blog post about the Lord realm was http://www.willwight.com/a-blog-of-dubious-intent/poll-help-me-make-up-a-word

The reddit thread is https://www.reddit.com/r/Iteration110Cradle/comments/68vai9/potential_forger_techniques_for_the_blackflame/

Daniel young

5/3/2017 06:18:31 pm

Thanks

Jeff

5/5/2017 12:22:39 pm

I think it will be a variation on the simple launcher he was working on in the beginning of the book.

PoShui

5/20/2017 09:14:58 am

I like the idea of a forger ability with his blackflame core but why would he forge a launcher? He didnt even want to make the first one he made and it is a low grade constuct. I would think he would look more into creating a wall of destruction like they have in the second trial or a way to make the warriors in the first trial. But I don't see those happening quickly as he need to first get better at what abilities he has already learned.

Chris N

5/20/2017 10:35:31 am

Yeah, I'm really curious about the Blackflame forger techniques as well, and noticed how the book made a point of mentioning that it was too difficult to forge. What I'm wondering is if Lindon will be able to overcome that by combining his pure madra techniques with blackflame to add control in the beginning of the forging process. Lindon did that to help learn how to do the Dragon's Breadth technique by using the pure madra as a shell to help contain and control the Blackflame madra while he gathered and condensed it. It was stated that once it was dense that it was much easier to control. Seems like exactly the answer to being able to create enough control over Blackflame madra in order to forge it. It also seems like Will's way of foreshadowing the solution.

As far as type of forged item, I would guess a type of spear. That's been hinted at already with Lindon's background. It could be used to gather and store Blackflame madra for ease in technique use, such as for Dragon's Breadth directly from the spear, or to help the ruler technique by lessening or eliminating the time up front to have to gather it.

George

5/2/2017 07:12:25 am

Will, did you consider contacting RWX, the owner of Wuxiaworld as far as I know. Maybe he would advertise the Cradle Series there, given that it's exactly the genre they are focusing on.
Especially, given that you are the only, professional, author, who currently writes Xianxia's.
It's Global Rank among the Websites is an amazing 1,060 (http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/wuxiaworld.com), with 294,598 daily visitors. I could easily imagine you getting a few thousand new fans; not everybody on this site is probably that fortunate to have found the Cradle Series,

ALPHA Reader

5/2/2017 07:45:20 pm

We actually did a short ad run on Wuxiaworld when Cradle first started. At the time, ad clicks we're kinda broken, what with bots and such, and so the "run" was quickly used up without any "real" noticeable impact on sales. Honestly the real issue is the lack of ability to track properly how those clicks impact sales when they DO happen.

I think Will would be interested in a more permanent and visible ad that didn't involve "ad clicks" or some form of promotion via his posts. But, I think it may be a while before i'm able to convince him of trying the general "ad click" promotion deal again.

George

5/3/2017 12:43:47 am

I wasn't thinking of ad'S, which tend to get ignored, but of listing it under the "announcement" section; those certainly get more attention.
Maybe the owner of the site is a fan of Will'S work, which I think is qutie likely, thus doesn'T need much convincing to help you out.

An insolent racoon being punished for his insolence during the battle of serpent's grave

5/2/2017 08:42:30 am

Where's Skysworn?

Garbagiel the raccoon

5/2/2017 09:04:19 am

Being withheld for your insolence. You know what you did.

Family of Raccoons

5/2/2017 09:15:44 am

This is going to hurt your ranking, you understand.

A Man With A Wild Theory

5/2/2017 10:10:17 am

Will,
Wild thought here. Could Ozriel have given Eithan the marble he has, then had the forsoght to manipulate into changing Lindon's path so that it would eventually come to pass that he will take over as Ozriels's heir/successor?

A Man With A Wild Theory

5/2/2017 10:50:22 am

Any speculations

Nitin

5/2/2017 01:17:18 pm

I have made the same wild guess. Who else could have done it. No wonder Lindon's future is so uncertain. It was not a chance that Eithan came looking for "recruits" in back end of nowhere.

Alpha reader

5/2/2017 07:48:58 pm

Speculation is awesome, but Will probably won't respond to this kind of question. Answering a question like this kind of borders on spoiler territory no matter how you spin it. Great thought though! I'm sure this will get answered sooner or later via the books.

Garbagiel the Raccoon

5/4/2017 08:02:46 am

I suspect that Ozriel's goal is to throw the Abidan court into chaos in order to bring about change. Incriminating Suriel with something like messing up fate could lead to the judges going to war against each other. Makiel would likely use the charges as an excuse to replace Suriel with someone more compliant. Suriel would naturally oppose him, and I could easily see the other judges taking sides as things escalate.

Some would side with Suriel, bristling under Makiel's attempts to control - I'd imagine that the Razael would be firmly in Suriel's corner, given her unit's pride in being from 'wild'' iterations (who would detest more oversight from the Abidan), and maybe the Fox, though who knows what she would do.

Others would side with Makiel, obviously Gadreal, and I'd also guess the spider, who seems like the type to give up responsibility.

I don't really know what the Ghost would do, because we don't really know enough about her character. Regardless, the aftermath of such a conflict would weaken the Abidan severely, allowing Ozriel to step in and take over. We know that he doesn't like to share power, and that he wants to change many aspects of the Abidan. It doesn't seem impossible to think that if properly motivated, he might do something like this.

(sorry about any spelling errors, typed this on my phone in a hurry)

Shane

5/2/2017 04:39:32 pm

You know, that could be possible! I had also thought that Ozriel had given the marble to Eithan, but in the same way Suriel had given the marble to Lindon i.e. he had potential so he wanted to keep an eye on him.

However, we know that Ozriel is/was really, really, REALLY good at reading fate. At least as good as Makiel, if not better, due to the whole Limit thing, which Makiel didn't anticipate (and he's the judge in charge of reading Fate). Ozriel also isn't happy with the way things are run atm.

Suriel went to Cradle in the first place, where she found Lindon and set him on his path, because Ozriel went missing. Then Eithan shows up out of nowhere, which Suriel didn't anticipate because it wasn't the line of fate that was supposed to occur, and changes Lindon's path even further. He conveniently has a marble too. Could Ozriel have set up a series of deviations that results in the status quo changing to what he wants? Was Ozriel responsible for setting up Li Markath to come to the Sacred Valley in the first place, thus ensuring Suriel saw Lindon and helped him? Did he anticipate how Suriel would react, both in terms of how she would look for him (supported by him knowing she'd go to Limit and try and save as many people as possible) and how she would act after seeing what was happening? Maybe he'll use Lindon, Eithan and Yerin (and maybe more) as the agents to change how things are run?

A lot of "ifs and buts" but it kind of matches the way he set up things on Limit and it would be a really clever way for Ozriel to change how things are done. The next question I would have is if Ozriel is actually "good" or "bad"? Has he been manipulating Suriel all this time just to make her trust him and therefore ensure things progress as he wants? Suriel certainly doesn't trust him 100%, as seen with how she questioned the convenience of the body, rents in space etc. on Limit.

Lashan

5/2/2017 06:01:05 pm

Sure seems that Path of Black Flame is a one of the paths of Chaos and unnatural vs all other cradle schools. Question is how does Eithan know so much about it. And how does Eithan travel so fast ( to T Ruins before everyone else from blackflame- and without his cloud?)

Deadnettle

5/2/2017 09:11:44 pm

This is just my two cents, but I don't think that Ozriel is setting up a successor, I thing he's trying to gather powerful and promising individuals to help him change the Abidan. People who would share similar values to him and wouldn't be content with the status quo. I agree largely with Shane as to how he set it all up.

john

5/2/2017 11:30:26 am

Seems like a reasonable speculation. I was thinking that Yerrin's "Unwelcome Guest" bears a lot of resemblance to Jai Chen's core, which is also alive. I bet Lindon uses the riverseed to align Yerrin's remnant with her madra.

John

5/2/2017 12:00:29 pm

BTW Will. At the end of the book it says Skysworn with be available soon. Does that mean you really finished it and will be releasing it on June 1st? DOES IT!?!?! Because that would be WONDERFUL!!!!

Nitin

5/2/2017 01:15:27 pm

They all say that. Took blackfame 7 months;) Though I admit 2nd had been released 3 months after first one so I am expecting Skysworn this year, sometimes during fall..

John

5/2/2017 02:07:57 pm

I was kidding. Still, probably smart to keep in mind Will has said the elder empire is next. It is probably a tough decision for him though since he clearly makes way more off Cradle and they take less time.

Alpha reader

5/2/2017 07:50:41 pm

Do you have a quote of will saying Elder is next? I hadn't seen that.

Mikey D

5/2/2017 02:08:28 pm

Will, I can't even say I'm surprised anymore by the consistent quality of everything you put out but wow...you really outdid yourself this time. Loved everything about Blackflame and I'm about to start reading it again!
I did however see something that caught my attention. As the two Skysworn were observing Lindon he revealed his Blackflame madra which changes his eyes, the female Skysworn thought something along the lines of "that wasn't the goldsign from the Blackflame path that she remembered." I was wondering what the the original Goldsign was, and if Lindons differs because he got his power through the contract instead of taking a remnant?

Alpha Reader

5/2/2017 07:52:38 pm

I can't go into detail about the original. But Lindon's does differ because of his contract.

Deadnettle

5/2/2017 09:05:55 pm

I expect answers like this from Infinitepool, how do we know that you are the real deal? (this is a shameless attempt to extort details out of you)

InfiniteDeceit

5/2/2017 10:22:49 pm

I'm not sure who this infinitepool person is, but he sounds super handsome, and is probably the best at everything, especially at deceit.

Madeline

5/2/2017 03:24:55 pm

I'm now really curious to see one of the deathmatch stories placing Lindon against some of his adversaries and acquaintances from Sacred Valley. Not because I have any doubt as to what the outcome would be, but because he is now at the outer edge of the Sacred Valley residents' comprehension. Once he finally returns to Sacred Valley to save it he'll be so far ahead they won't have any basis for comparison, and I'm curious to see what their reactions now would be.

Jordan

5/2/2017 05:05:32 pm

Ok... I'm gonna need you to go faster on the next one please =)

Chris

5/2/2017 05:10:30 pm

Hey, just finished Blackflame, really loved it! Reading it again...

You mentioned in a previous blog post that you decided to try an experiment with outlining EE while writing Blackflame? I was wondering how that went and if you'd write a blog post summarizing what the experiment was like (if you ended up sticking with it)?

Also, are you planning to outline Skysworn while writing EE?

Thanks,
Chris

Long time reader firs time commenting

5/2/2017 06:25:04 pm

Love the latest installment of one of my favorite series of books. The travelers gate series has been my favorite series for years and now I get the same feeling with Lindon that I have missed from Simon for so long. The determination burning away his insecurities. I love the slow and focused character development and build up with your books. I have to be honest that I haven't enjoyed the elder empire books as much as these. Maybe it is my simple tastes but the elder empire books seem more unfocused and confusing. Maybe it is you making the character personalities more complex and realistic but I miss Simon's ability to see the right and wrong of a situation and deciding to solve problems the hard way. Anyways I hope you keep focusing on this series because I am getting quite attached to these characters and I'm really excited to see what comes next.

Lashan

5/2/2017 07:29:49 pm

concurTotally agree on all points. Love Lindons slow training and unorthodox development the most.
whispers :And stop writing those goofy elder empire books !

NotABot

5/2/2017 07:46:53 pm

Is Eithan Ozriel?

Deadnettle

5/2/2017 09:03:14 pm

I highly doubt it. Eithan has shown several times in Blackflame alone that he isn't on the same level as Ozriel ought to be unless he is the best actor in existence. Even in Soulsmith when we have some POV from him he didn't immediately recognize the marble that Lindon has. More likely he has been "nudged" into a different path by either one of the Judges, one of their enemies, or Ozriel for purposes unknown.

Nougaty_overlord

5/4/2017 06:38:45 pm

Eithan isn't ozriel, but his "broom" is dolphinately the scythe in its reduced form. Remember I called this here

Will link

5/4/2017 07:54:10 pm

I'm going to confirm something, just because there was originally a scene showing it clearly and I cut it for space:

That was just a broom. He literally pulled it off a random doorstep. It's a wooden broom.

Azqa

5/4/2017 07:58:28 pm

I was thinking more of the black iron scissors possibly being a transformed shard of the Reaper's black scythe, but that's probably just a coincidence.

Nougaty_failure

5/4/2017 11:09:15 pm

Well that's unfortunate. Thought it fit so well too, plus something that could affect fate enough to cause a divergence. Darn

April

5/5/2017 07:32:21 pm

Pretty sure the scissors are actually awakened.

Brian S

5/28/2017 04:17:29 pm

Don't give up hope! Ozriel could have put the broom there knowing that Eithan would take it. Heck, I'm pretty sure Ozriel can even fool Will if he puts his mind to it. :)

Madeline

5/2/2017 09:03:34 pm

(pretty sure I already asked this, but searching for my name here yields no results, so posting again)

Will, I would be very interested in seeing a short story in an alternate timeline where Lindon returns to Sacred Valley at the end of this book. I've been rereading Unsouled, and despite his thoughts when he reached Jade that if he went back then they'd declare him the heir to the Clan's Patriarch, it kind of feels like his clan might not agree with that. Like how when he was told that if he was killed, the people who killed him wouldn't be shamed for killing a Foundation child, they'd have to be apologized to for the inconvenience of killing an Unsouled. Or maybe seeing at-the-end-of-Blackflame-Lindon would be enough to make them change their minds about that, you're the writer, not me. But I'm really curious what their reactions would be, and whether they'd see him as a Gold (out of legend!) or still as an Unsouled.

Actually, your answers to these musings would be acceptable in place of a short story answering this.

Emily

5/8/2017 07:58:57 pm

Would love this. Actually I had these same thoughts

Riley

5/2/2017 10:29:52 pm

Wow. That's really all I can say. Pretty much the entire book, something awesome would happen and I would think, "wow, there's the highlight of the book." And then I turned the page, and something even awesomer (it's a word) happened. In particular, the whole conversation between Lindon and Eithan at the end, followed by Lindon's encounter with Chen, was just perfection. Will, thank you for writing this and continuing the masterpiece. The time you spent making sure it was perfect definitely showed.

I also really loved the blood pits line from the beginning. I didn't expect it to be used that way when Will initially put it up as a quote.

You're the best Will, keep up the amazing work! And let us pay you more, $4 is not enough!

Andrew

5/2/2017 10:55:19 pm

Just finished the book and left my review. Thanks again Will you always do a great job and make a wonderful story.

Deadnettle

5/3/2017 06:06:43 am

Mr. Rowe?

Andrew

5/3/2017 10:46:30 pm

Ha, no.

Mahfuz

5/3/2017 02:22:40 am

Ladies and gentlemen! Will's esteemed sister!

“The words hung in the air for a moment before he heard them, and then some heat rose into his cheeks. He didn't look away, though.
Yerin gave him a lopsided smile, and this one sunk into his memory: her smile, the thin scars standing out against her skin, her black hair mussed from training so it didn’t look straight anymore.”

I do believe this is the closest we'll ever get :')
Though I'm not finished with the book yet, so who knows xD

john

5/3/2017 07:44:51 am

I would love to know how sales are sustaining and how they stacked up with day one complete. Hopefully you crushed it.

Jeremiah

5/3/2017 10:24:14 am

When is SkySworn coming out?

Deadnettle

5/3/2017 10:39:38 am

Patience

Jeremiah

5/3/2017 06:25:09 pm

You are not me...

Deadnettle

5/3/2017 07:09:18 pm

You know nothing of my terrible hunger. Yet patient I remain

Dillon

5/3/2017 11:52:57 am

I devoured the book in a day and thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven't looked forward to a series release with such anticipation for a long time and you certainly delivered! Hopefully you can enjoy a few days off now that it is out; looking forward to the next one!

Enkidu

5/3/2017 05:12:42 pm

After reading the book a second time (Kindle Unlimited + Purchase), and leaving my review, it's...

ENKIDU'S THEORY CORNER!

My theory is that Ozriel came to Eithan, and set him on the path to the Abidan, much like Suriel did to Lindon. While Suriel paid attention to Lindon's fate in particular, she didn't really watch Yerin's fate. Yerin was supposed to die the the heaven's glory school and her "Unwelcome Guest" was supposed to absorb her killer, hollowing him out and using him as a vehicle. That would have been Elder Whitehall, the half-child that Lindon ended up killing. The shard of the Dreadgod would have used whitehall's body to grow into a full Dreadgod and in 30 years or so, destroyed the Sacred Valley. BUT** Yerin didn't die. So she attracts Eithan, who then stumbles upon Lindon and Revives a path that will let Lindon change the course of a minor empire on the planet (and maybe more as he advances), adjusting the fate of a large portion of the world, and alerting Makiel.

Thus endeth the theory.

Enkidu

5/3/2017 05:18:23 pm

*This theory is a lot less based in fact over my previous, but I like it*

It also means that Lindon has already saved the Sacred Valley from destruction at the cost of the Wei Clan.

Diego link

5/3/2017 08:01:59 pm

Very good theory. Most of it may be true but i think Sacred Valley is still in danger. The Dreadgod threat has mentioned dreadgod(s) so even if they prevented one, more will come. Its probably why the Wei Fox elder saw danger close and far away. They prevented the close danger but the far danger is still there. (if your theory is correct)

Shane

5/4/2017 05:18:15 am

I had similar thoughts but instead of Elder Whitehall that it would be Yerin herself who had succumbed. The fight she had with Jai Long sounded like she was awfully close to tapping into that power. Many of her scenes focus on how she has to become more powerful than her unwelcome guest. It sounds like she has to keep advancing quickly or risk being taken over by the fragment. That would explain why Suriel said Lindon had to become much stronger as well as just saving Yerin. In the process of his training, Yerin will also be able to become stronger, and Lindon being stronger will take some of the pressure (and temptation to use the fragment) off of Yerin.

That was before Eithan came along and messed up the previous Fate even more. That may have changed things drastically now though. I still think this will be a danger for Yerin and friends until she manages to become powerful enough to destroy/subdue the fragment herself.

I'm also willing to bet that the Sword Sage was hunting other fragment(s) in the tomb and that may be one of the reasons that he was able to killed by a bunch of Jades. It could also explain the 30 years deadline. Can't wait to find out more in the next couple of books!

George

5/4/2017 01:36:57 am

Can a fragment grow into it'S complete version, though?
I would rather think that the fragment after taking over Whitehall's body would had been looking for the other fragments, and only succeeded after 30-ish years. OR, the other fragments are already together, but sealed, and the"unwelcomed guest" would've needed 30 years to unseal them, and afterwards join them

Riley

5/3/2017 10:36:28 pm

I just noticed that Blackflame is ranked 25 in all of Science Fiction and Fantasy on Amazon and 13 for Fantasy. That's amazing Will! Congrats!

George

5/4/2017 01:52:13 am

How come nobody mentioned that it was revealed that the "Trackless Sea" is in the Empire as well. It is after all the one NORTHSTRIDER was hunting this sea dragon in book one. This COULD mean that he is currently in the empire.

Garbagiel the Raccoon

5/4/2017 07:39:40 am

I figured that the Trackless Sea was just really large, and that Northstrider is much farther in it. After all, what would someone like him seek in the empire?

That said, I would like to see him in the next book. He seems like a badass.

Nitin

5/4/2017 09:27:34 am

Imagine Pacific ocean or Atlantic ocean. Northstrider could be anywhere. That said, he would be nothing less than God to people in Blackflame Empire. I doubt he cares for their "trinkets"..

PoShui

5/20/2017 09:31:34 am

I like you thought on the size of the trackless sea but with how big Will said the world is I think you might just about 300 time to small with that comparison.

Marek

5/4/2017 07:32:06 am

Hi Will, great book!

Certainly not now with everyone busy reading your book, but at some point in the future it would be cool to see a 'spoiler post' that talks about the changes blackflame went through in its design and layout as you feverishly changed it. I'd be curious to see what problems you ran into and how you went about fixing them!

Madeline

5/4/2017 07:40:14 am

Just had another thought.

Suriel notes that apparently Lindon and Jai Chen were fated to meet, because their relationship seems to be fated and it will happen one way or another.

If Lindon is going to successfully reach the point where he can leave Cradle, he's going to have to leave Cradle. But Li Markuth was punished for returning to Cradle. So that means that either Jai Chen is going to have to advance even faster than Lindon (I forget which stage she was in when her core was damaged, but surely exhausted from not being able to properly cycle for years and struggling with madra that seems alive is going to be harder to overcome than going from Foundation to Jade, given how easy Jade is to reach in the Empire), or he's going to permanently leave her behind once he leaves Cradle. I can't wait to see what Jai Chen does.

GK582

5/4/2017 05:38:19 pm

Will may have their relationship develop just to kill her off, driving lindon to become more powerful or so he has no other reason to stay in cradle

Enkidu

5/5/2017 07:29:30 am

They were fated to meet, but not necessarily be together. Yerin (her style, drive, and character) could have utterly changed what Lindon would have wanted in a woman, or it could just be come a savior complex kind of deal. She could also be the reason that Jai Long joins them instead of fights against them. Fate's tricky. But I do see the logic in killing her off. I just hope Will doesn't. I like her, and living madra could have a fun and interesting twist if she becomes a persistent character.

Brian P.

5/6/2017 12:38:46 am

I'm really hoping Will is good enough to not fridge Jai Chen. If she's going to die, that's fine, but don't let her die to push Lindon onwards or some bull like that, have her accomplish something with her death.

Or just leave her behind.I mean, Lindon's sister seemed pretty great and he left her behind to continue his journey, so what's another pretty great character who won't keep up with Lindon/Yerin's level of advancement?

Jordan

5/4/2017 04:25:04 pm

The cliffhanger is so many levels of not ok.

Reddan

5/4/2017 07:54:00 pm

Will, just want to add my praise to all the positive feedback up above. Blackflame is another spectacular book and well worth the wait. I look forward to seeing what you come out with next!

Deadnettle

5/4/2017 10:46:50 pm

I had an interesting idea for a construct that I'd love to hear feedback on. Scripting seems like an exceptionally useful tool to have at one's disposal but to lay a script take a lot of time. What if you built a script-layer? Something with either pre-programmed scripts or the ability to create them by thought and then using force (or sword or destruction) madra to imprint the script into the ground. It would be extremely useful in a number of situations. Thoughts?

Matthew

5/5/2017 02:59:15 am

Will said few weeks ago that someone in the Empire has reached the Archlord stage, which is supposed to be the rank above Overlord (name can still be changed, though). Who do you think is this person.
The Emperor himself is an OVerlord, so he isn't it.
The Emperor's mother, maybe?

Enkidu

5/5/2017 07:49:00 am

I think it might be Eithan. Not that he's currently an archlord, but that he could advance at any point. If he advances without support, the emperor will just kill him to avoid a conflict of power. So he brought in one potential underlord (Yerin) and Lindon, who he can probably accelerate into an underlord (at this point pretty much a guarantee). With three underlords in his clan, he can then advance to Archlord fairly safely and get Cassius and his wife past truegold. If he meets all of those goals, he has two partners to challenge him in the sacred arts and he can leave his clan in good hands (two underlords) and explore and develop his own sacred arts. Just my guess.

Otarin

5/5/2017 08:10:26 am

Do we have proof that Ethan is only an overlord? Is it possible to fool someone up close as to which rank you are? He blew the jai overlord away with apparent ease and even seemed to be purposely toying with his underlings.

Otarin

5/5/2017 08:18:51 am

Meant to say underlord not overlord lol

John

5/5/2017 08:23:07 am

I don't think that is it. He specifically told Yerrin that he was looking for people to accompany him on the journey all the way to the end of the sacred arts. To me that doesn't imply leaving them behind to run the clan. He may be grooming Cassius and his wife for that potentially, although he doesn't seem to be expending effort in that regard.

Enkidu

5/5/2017 09:45:57 am

I agree with that, and I still think he intends to bring Lindon and Yerin along with him. But for right now his advancement is stalled because he is alone. It's not that he couldn't go further, but he'll either have to leave his clan to fend for itself or find a core group of people to advance with him so he won't just be picked off by someone stronger or a group of weaker sacred artists. So his first goal is to catch Yerin and Lindon up to Underlord. He instantly jumps to Overlord and starts making his way to Archlord. He gets Cassius and (I forget his wife's name) to advance to underlord. That frees Lindon, Yerin, and Eithan (and possibly Jai Long and/or Chen) to further their advancement outside of the empire without sacrificing his clan in the process.

Just a thought process.

Matthew

5/6/2017 01:42:47 am

I don't think Will meant that there is someone with the POTENTIAL to reach the Archlord stage, but someone who already IS one.
The only one who comes to mind is the Empeor's mother.
IF someone from the other great Clan's in the Empire have achieved that, then they would most likely be sitting on the throne.

testinatheory

5/8/2017 06:38:31 am

The first time we are shown Eithan's thoughts, he sees Lindon's marble and thinks "it had to be the product of someone on at least his own level". Given that we are later shown that Eithan has his own marble, he had knowledge at the time that the reader didn't (leading the reader to believe Eithan was severely underestimating the marble and/or overestimating his abilities). Added to this, I can't think of a time Eithan has misjudged anything mandra related so it seems way off character if his introduction to the story includes such a huge miss.
If you re-read the story with the thought that Eithan knew exactly what it was he was looking at & knew it was created by an equal of his, that means he is one of the 7 judges (thus an arch-lord and beyond) This lines up with the fact that he popped into existence half a world away around the same time that Orziel disappeared.
I haven't been able to find much in reading to disprove this theory (ie Eithan is Orziel in disguise/hiding), but I may have missed some things.
Eithan and Orziel certainly share personality characteristics, both have strong senses of humor, a disdain for establishment and tendency to do whatever it is they think is right, regardless of consequence.
Eithan's intensity while telling Yerin that he wants someone go to the end of the sacred arts path with him, seems to echo Suriel's thoughts that Orziel had too large of a burden placed on he alone & that no single person should have to shoulder being the reaper.
In this scenario, Orziel's marble is black because he has so much of his mandra shoved into it in order to remain in hiding (Suriels has a blue flame because just of bit of her mandra is in hers) & his scissors are his scythe in disguise.

Will link

5/8/2017 08:20:19 am

I'm logging on with my phone and sketchy airport WiFi just to clarify: when Eithan first sensed Lindon's marble, he wasn't sure what he was looking at because his senses didn't penetrate the "glass." Which meant it was made by someone at least as powerful as Eithan, but possibly far more powerful.

He didn't jump to "Hey, this guy's got a marble just like mine!" because that's not what you would expect: gifts from the Abidan aren't so common that you expect to randomly run into one.

Plus, they look different. So the pieces didn't fall into place for him until he heard that Lindon had an encounter with the heavens too, which happened in Blackflame.

I should probably figure out how to go back and clarify that.

PoShui

5/20/2017 09:47:53 am

So if there is an archlord out there why would it need to be some one in good standing or even a member of the empire? I would think maybe it is one of the blackflame and they have there power restricted because they are crazy or the it is some one like the sword sage wondering around. I like this idea because it mean that Lindon can be offered a position as a skysworn to help defend the empire if they attack or threaten it.

Kris Woodsman

5/5/2017 08:25:14 am

Eithan not wanting to deal with the fallout of being on the same level or higher than the Emperor is certainly in line with his character. He did also check to make sure there were no witnesses before fighting the Jai. That would be consistent with being at higher level of advancement than is acceptable, of course it is also consistent with just having massive madra reserves due to the Heaven and Earth cycling technique.

Lashan

5/5/2017 08:25:01 pm

Eithan could have wanted to keep his Pure madra path a secret, not beeing higher level. The difference between levels is vast and so is the difference in power. So far pretty much each level had some nuance distinguishing it so it seems that Eithan IS an underlord but overpowered.
2. He admitted to Cassius that he wants to expand and not just defend family position.( Interesting to learn what happened /how his bad bet killed main branch of Aurelius family 6 yrs ago and why he did it).
Going against Emperors wishes will require backing that he currently does not have.
3. Eithan will need a) weaponised badass broom
b) massive firepower Lindon-Yerin team at underlord levels at least. c) plan either overtake empire ( put Lindon at the helm ) or convince Emp to let Aurelius family expand without reprisals or expand and fight against Empire ( 10/assuming Eithan kills Jai UL 9 Underlords and Overlord and archlord/possible).

Matthew

5/5/2017 08:38:26 am

What do you think Jai Long's position was in the Sacrd Valley, in the timeline, where his sister married Lindon.
Do you think he took the position of the Clan Leader, or rather was a permenant guest of the Wei Clan; nobody commanded him, but so did he not try to command others. I think he just would have lived as a simple man, perhaps teach people from time to time to earn his bread. But, he would be 'very' careful how much he teaches them. His sister is ,due to his overwhelming strength compared to the others in the valley, quite safe—I doubt anybody would have dared to mock her, as they did Lindon knowing that they would have to deal with her brother afterwards. By teaching them too much, though, the gap between the inhabitants of the valley and him could shrink too much, resulting in them stop fearing him.
What are your thoughts regarding Jai Long's life in the Sacred Valley?

John

5/5/2017 09:22:54 am

I am not sure about Jai's life in sacred valley in the alternate history, but I do think there is a bit of a disconnect between his sister barely being able to stand and the scene where she is married to Lindon, although I can see how someone who went through something similar (being very weak) would appeal to him. I guess it is possible in the alternate reality he was able to partially heal her.

PoShiu

5/20/2017 10:01:00 am

If hai long went to sacrid valley he would likely be aloud to take his sister to that healing spring they have at one of the schools and maybe even get Lindon to help heal her core if that would even be needed at that point. But I also don't think hai long would just be a simpleton either so maybe starting a school or he would end up leaving once his sister was healthy. Then again he could end up going into the tombs below the valley and die there.

Enkidu

5/5/2017 09:48:22 am

He goes into self-exile and dies. It's at the end of Unsouled. He doesn't take a position, he just kind of lives off on his own.

Matthew

5/5/2017 10:33:35 am

Jai Long was mentioned in Unsouled?(not by name, of course)
I only remember reading about his sister. Why at the end of the 1st book?
The vision of the other timeline, when one saw Lindon'S wife, happened at around 50-60% of the book, when Suriel saved Lindon, not at the end.

Madeline

5/5/2017 02:30:28 pm

It's towards the middle of the visions Suriel shows him, not the end.

Andrew

5/5/2017 08:09:47 pm

You mean the end of Soulsmith?

Jeff

5/5/2017 11:20:45 am

Best part of the book (no disrespect) is the dedication. To the nameless minions who die to make my heroes look better. We will always forget you.

Walter

5/5/2017 06:52:20 pm

So dank. Ohmygosh. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I had no idea what was gonna happen the whole time, and you exceeded every expectation I had! I didn't even expect to see this until late winter! New favorite author, and that hasn't changed for 6 years!

scott pike

5/6/2017 03:08:01 am

Just finished Blackflame. Loved it! Really hooked for the next book, but I'm ready for you to continue one of your other series.

Spoiler..........................................
................................................................
......................................................
With the way Suriel talked about worlds dissolving and fragments surviving in the void reminds me a lot of this destroyed worlds and creatures falling in the void and being corrupted reminds me of similar comments from your Travelers Gate series and Elder Empire series that both comment of destroyed worlds breaking up and falling into the void and being mutated by it both creatures in regions and individual creatures.

Will, are you creating a multiverse were Travelers Gate, Cradle and Elder Empire could all coexist?
.........................................End Spoiler.........................

I look forward to your next books.
Also had a question about any future audobooks. I would definetly buy them.

Madeline

5/6/2017 03:19:09 am

You mean you only just now figured out that they all take place in the same multiverse?

Deadnettle

5/6/2017 08:36:01 am

Currently all of Will's books do indeed exist within the same multiverse. I believe that the Fandom calls it the Willverse at the moment. The traveler's gate series is an iteration known as amalgam and the elder empire series is an iteration called asylum. Hopefully you found this helpful. You can find out much more by digging through Will's fan reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Iteration110Cradle/

Micah

5/6/2017 08:01:31 am

Congrats on the house Will. The thing that I found most delicious in blackflame was (SPOILERS) an enemy using a sacred treasure. A pet peeve of mine is that in other cultivation novels the protagonist will use legendary weapons and mysterious herbs like they're going out of fashion. But only the protagonist, everyone else kind of just waits around until they turn into exp. Blackflame had a nice subversion of the trope.

Ben

5/7/2017 08:03:03 am

Will you genius. During my fourth read of your book I realized that the Blackflame path reminds me of a certain three eyed anime character. I can't wait to see what the Blackflame forger technique will be.

Will link

5/7/2017 08:59:57 am

Just wait until I introduce their new party member: a young man possessed by a fox demon that gives him power over plants.

John

5/7/2017 07:48:55 pm

So are you working with n skysworn or elder empire?

George

5/9/2017 06:03:23 am

Will, was this a joke, or is this person you are describing really going to be their new team member.
If he is, wouldn't he be the 4th, as Eithan is for certain going to travel with Yerin and Lindon, thus being the 3rd

Lyrian Rastler

5/9/2017 06:06:10 am

Well, technically he WAS the fox demon, not possessed by it. But that would be quite something to see.....

Anon link

5/9/2017 02:36:35 pm

Will, quick question. This new party member, was he once thought of as a good for nothing trouble maker in his home village? Did he go on to eventually save his village and finally gain recognition as a hero? Is he also an orphan with blond hair?

Loved the book and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Dave

5/9/2017 04:19:03 pm

For those who don't get the reference in the joke, they are referring to the characters Hiei and Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho .

Miss that show..

marek

5/9/2017 05:15:39 pm

haha, thanks dave! I've even watched like 200 episodes of that show and the reference completely blew by me.

I was all 'naruto? That doesn't sound right...'

Jay W.

5/10/2017 07:59:50 am

The, Dragon of the Darkness Flame, move that Hiei used in the show would be perfect for Lindon. A move so powerful it sort of messes Lindon up afterwards, sounds about right. Lindon does always give it his all.

Damn, I loved that show.

Garbagiel the impressed

5/8/2017 04:56:40 am

Fourth reading!? I'll agree that the book is excellent but be careful you don't burn to brightly too fast!

person / reader guy

5/7/2017 09:28:18 pm

Great new book. Really really enjoyed it!

three things:
1. I'd love a short story on how a group of jades were able to kill the sword sage. If he's even more powered than an arch-lord, I'd think even poison wouldn't be enough. Was he sick or old?

2. It would be awesome if the short stories you've released through the blog were organized so that you could find them them without digging through the blog proper.

3. Not to be that guy, but in Blackflame when Eithan starts it up with Orthos, Lindon is seen reaching into his bag for the Jade badge while he hides. When he next sees Yerin she notes that he's still wearing the iron badge.

Again really enjoying the books! Thanks

Garbagiel the raccoon

5/8/2017 05:00:01 am

Later it was a black iron badge. I assume that is the jade badge, but it could be an oversight

John

5/8/2017 06:58:00 am

Hey. I noticed blackflame pulled unsouled into the top 100. Great job Will.

Nikk

5/8/2017 08:02:11 am

Amazing Book! When is the next Cradle book? Now? How about now? Maybe now? I CAN'T WAIT! *Sits and cycles while waiting*

john

5/8/2017 08:22:45 am

I wonder why Eithan didn't just break out of the boundary formation immediately since he clearly could have and killed the Jai Truegold elders. The Patriarch would still have probably attacked him, thinking he was stronger.

Brian P.

5/10/2017 12:21:07 am

The boundary formation had a broken flag, as I recall. Eithan mentioned it when looking through Lindon's pack.

Azqa

5/10/2017 06:23:43 am

I think you're mixing up two boundary formations there. The one that Lindon carries around is the one he got from the Heaven's Glory school in Unsouled that traps people in illusion. Eithan was trapped by a boundary formation set up by the Jai elders that was designed to allow nothing physical to pass through its borders.

Chris

5/8/2017 06:12:45 pm

Hey, bit of a dumb question... I noticed it's called Blackflame, and in the second-to-last scene with Renfei and Bai Tou, Lindon is referred to as a Blackflame, however the path is called Path of the Black Flame? Shouldn't it be Path of the Blackflame?

Thanks,
Chris

Madeline

5/8/2017 08:51:53 pm

The Path of Black Flame was practiced pretty much exclusively by the Blackflame family. In that their family name is their path name turned into one word, that's how associated the path with their family is. Not even the Naru clan is named after their path.

The Skysworn are calling Lindon a Blackflame because that path and that family are SO associated in peoples' minds that Lindon might as well BE a Blackflame because that's what people are going to think, regardless of reality.

Endan link

5/8/2017 08:53:52 pm

So the clan that police's the lesser clans are the Skysworn...are you trying to set me up for constantly confusing Skysworn and Skybreaker's?! I might have even done so in this comment!

Will link

5/9/2017 07:21:04 am

I'm not going to lie to you: I forgot the Skybreakers did that. Curses.

Well, at least no one will get confused when Lindon starts practicing the Path of the Wind Runner.

Garbagiel the Raccoon

5/9/2017 08:14:42 am

I suspected that the SYLvan riverseed's name wasn't coincidence

Garbagiel the raccoon

5/9/2017 09:50:06 am

But if we're doing stormlight-based paths, why go with the obvious choice?
Path of the ironclad teeth, path of the immutable stick, and path of the very heavy bridge are all viable options here.

Michael

5/13/2017 08:00:25 am

meh .... I read both you and Sanderson too, but despite noting the similarities I wasn't thrown for an instant. That the Skysworn race around on flying clouds and serve the imperial family (on the path of the grasping sky) who all have wings makes the naming fit perfectly in this world.

Everyone else can work to immerse themselves better in your world instead of bringing other authors with them, IMHO.

Paul

5/8/2017 10:04:41 pm

Oh man, Blackflame was totally worth the wait! Great work, Will!

***mini-Spoiler***

Favorite fight might actually be Cassius taking out nine Highgolds. Would love to see a short story about his courtship of Naru Jing in the future if that's doable. Regardless, I hope you're getting some well-earned rest!

Jeremiah

5/9/2017 04:23:16 am

How do you pronounce Eithan?

Ben

5/9/2017 07:43:16 am

Will Lindon split his core multiple times? He has fire and heart (pure). Now he needs water, wind and earth to protect cradle against the dreadgods. You said that blackflame was only good for destruction. Maybe he can get other simple yet powerful paths.

Garbagiel the Raccoon

5/9/2017 08:09:57 am

Captain Planet jokes aside, He's now got blackflame madra coursing through him. If he was to split his pure madra core again, he'd have less pure madra to clean his channels out, increasing the risk of ending up like the old blackflame clan.

Ben

5/9/2017 08:25:12 am

He can focus on growing his pure madra core with his new cycling technique then split it. He could also find a water path of healing that matches his riverseed.

Garbagiel the raccoon

5/10/2017 06:32:51 am

But why would he need a healing path? His bloodforged iron body already heals him, and he already has a riverseed. Following a healing path would be redundant.

IF he is going to learn another path, I want to see something really exotic and weird, even by cradle standards. Preferably something that involves a lot of pain and effort to acquire.

Madeline

5/10/2017 07:09:52 am

Given his seeming interest and or talent in fixing broken cores, a healing path would allow him to improve those abilities beyond what he can do with his pure core. With those interests, a healing Forger path seems appropriate.

Enkidu

5/11/2017 09:58:33 pm

My 2 cents: His next core will be for Soulsmithing.

He can't forge blackflame madra (Or, its very difficult). The same is true with straight up pure madra.

He needs a madra type that works well for forging and a method to help him soul smith for his final core (Will mentioned previously that he would split his core at least once more, I believe). That would be my guess for his next core.

John

5/9/2017 10:00:19 am

Hey. I was reading a part of Unsouled again, looking for something to match back to a scene in Blackflame. Did Will add more to the scene with Suriel, or did I just not remember it. I don't remember the part where she is first on Cradle and sense to spatial anomaly that makes her intervene with Lindon and start him on his path.

Brian P.

5/9/2017 03:56:24 pm

That was there originally, as I recall.

tictacmytoe

5/9/2017 11:10:01 pm

You and cliffs go hand in hand. Just how far can you hang over that cliff? oops don't fall.

Brendan Shanahan

5/10/2017 12:02:12 am

Man. I read the book too fast now i have nothing to read. How far away is book 4??? just kidding (not really - ok kinda).

Zac

5/10/2017 06:54:22 am

So this might be off topic a little, but with your discriptions of the Abidan and what they do in the multiverse, am I on the right track in thinking that Vallinhall used to be a chaos ridden chunk of a dead world? And am I right in thinking that the wonderer got cought by one of the Abidan and was tossed out of one world and accidentally landed in valinhall? And then he saved the house by giving it new purpose and linking it to the Unnamed Territory? 🤗

Garbagiel the raccoon

5/10/2017 07:19:26 am

I don't know if it's chaos ridden, but valinhall is definitely a chunk of a dead world.

I asked about Valin and how the Abidan felt about him in an earlier post, and if I recall correctly they were the ones who returned him to his world. I'll see if I can't find go and find Will's reply

And the last part is spot on.

Jeff

5/10/2017 02:30:52 pm

Since we know Lindon's progression is going to take him beyond the borders of Blackflame Empire, I believe Eithan is setting up Cassius and his wife to run the empire as stewards. Since they are top rank high holds they are close to making Truegold and possibly Underlord. Cassius can work with Yerin to strengthen his sword path (imagine using her striker attacks without the need to look or actively scan and she can use his silver step to have unstoppable speed over short distances) so he will be a threat and she will be the heir to the imperial family. Not too mention their child having the Aurelius bloodline power and Naru skypath. How will this be possible? They will be granted stewardship by the new emperor and member of the Blackflame family Lindon. Remember as the skysworn said to citizens of the empire there is no difference between a Blackflame path user and a member of the Blackflame family.

Matthew

5/11/2017 06:38:59 am

Will, how much did you pay for the covers of Book 1-3

Michael

5/12/2017 11:27:55 am

Quick question for you Will - would it be possible to get a rating of where some characters fall in the order of progression?

like, where are the Empress of the Ninecloud Court, Northstrider, the Eight Man Empire, and Sword Sage all in relation to Underlord and each other? And if possible what ranks are they?

Also, at what level is ascension possible?

thanks!

Matthew

5/13/2017 07:56:25 am

He once wrote that to "ascend" you have to gain a certain undertanding/enlightenment. He hasn' mentioned the minimum stage one has to reach, just that one does NOT have to be at the level of Northstrider, Empress of Nineclouds Court to do so. If Northstrider were to fight against the weakest members of the abidan he might, actually, win.

Brian P.

5/14/2017 02:43:18 am

This is also an ongoing discussion in the subreddit created for the Cradle series, fyi.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Iteration110Cradle/comments/6atgf9/speculation_on_power_levels_of_various_powerful/

Deadnettle

5/14/2017 11:54:21 am

Given that Valin could leave amalgam without being anywhere near as powerful as the peaks of Cradle's power structure, I believe that leaving one's world requires only a certain understanding of how the multiverse functions and how to travel through the way.

Daniel also from florida

5/14/2017 09:51:42 am

Will first off great book as always. I am looking forward to next book in each of your works and can't wait so please work faster!!!! We know your an andorid. Last I have been reading the comment of the last few post and am glad to hear lindon might me those people Suria showed him in the first book. I was worried they might not come up again. Keep up the good work and rember to have fun

harlequin

5/15/2017 06:32:50 am

Well I finally caved to my curiosity and purchased Unsouled, Cradle, and Blackflame all in one day and read through them. I have to say, I really enjoyed Unsouled and Cradle. I think a large part of what made it make sense, for me, was I read through your introductions for the Abidan beforehand.

Rate them 9/10 to 10/10 for keeping me entertained throughout the reading process.
For some reason, Although his personality was consistant with the previous two books, in Blackflame, I found myself wishing that the MC would have matured sooner than he has. But this is just me being used to larger timeskips I guess.

Find myself liking the iteration mechanic of world creation you have going on. But it makes me reminisce about Travelers Gate and its world shards. I still hope you someday revisit the Traveler's Gate world, but its been quite some time since I've reread the trilogy. Hope that the time away from it will give it a fresh perspective ;)

Feel Im rambling, its enough for me to say that all three books were better than I anticipated.

Darryl

5/15/2017 04:25:09 pm

So am I the only one that thinks Eithan is the cause of Lindon having two cores? Knowing that he has pure Madra and an underlord from far away, could Eithans old adversary have been the one to start the path of twin stars that Lindon is now completing?

Chris

5/15/2017 04:34:52 pm

I dont think so. It was a old manual, and eithan isnt that old yet. I think eithan is around 30 years old. I dont think that is enougth time for a manual to find its way into a seckuded valley

Chris N

5/15/2017 05:43:29 pm

Yeah, I'm not sure that's the case. Seems like in Soulsmith that Eithan is really surprised when he figures out Lindon has two cores and it's one of the curiosities that interests him in Lindon. If I remember correctly, when Lindon describes the path manual to him, Eithan acts like this is the first time he's learning that splitting one's core is possible. And, as the other Chris states, the manual itself was pretty old.

Chad

5/16/2017 07:38:25 pm

Hey, first time commenting here. Just finished reading blackflame and wanted to say that I really enjoyed it, as well as all of your other works ( I have read all of them. Well, at least all of them available on Amazon). I eagerly await the next book you publish, regardless whether it is in an existing series or a new one as well as how long it takes to release. I don't know why your other series aren't as popular. I'm going to put it down to people having poor taste. They are all great :P

Jimmy

5/17/2017 07:34:29 am

As I understood the storyline, others were unsure of the type of Madra Eithan used so were not certain of his capabilities. During the fight, it was discovered he used Pure Madra and made it sound like a big deal that if that information were shared it would be a hit to Eithan's power.
I am not understanding why this would be an issue, when the social structures are based on your power and capabilities - obviously Eithan can handle himself and 'killed' the Long patriarch once, so would assume he could do it again if he had to and Long would be aware of this.
Why is him using pure madra some sore of social foux pas?

Azqa

5/17/2017 09:31:32 am

It seems like it's looked down on because that's the madra that children use before they start cultivating aura along their Path. Using it seems pretty inefficient. So far we haven't seen any strong Striker attacks out of it, and the limited descriptions we have of Enforcer techniques using pure madra haven't been as impressive as others. Forged pure madra has been described as extremely fragile. There is no "pure vital aura" so it's possible that there's no way to have a Ruler technique.

At least, that seems to be what everyone on a more traditional Path believes. We'll get to find out how accurate any of that really is :D

Garbagiel the raccoon

5/17/2017 10:04:30 am

The reason that it's so big a deal is that now Eithan's combat capabilities are a known element, and another sacred artist could take advantage of the weaknesses of pure madra. It also might make him seem weaker, meaning rivals in the family might seek to replace him. It could also lower his clans standing in the empire, and appearance of weakness swiftly becomes actual weakness in cradle.

Chris

5/17/2017 01:40:02 pm

But pure madra doesn't have any weaknesses, if I remember correctly, it is equal against all other types.

Michael

5/17/2017 03:39:14 pm

No, or pure madra doesn't have any weaknesses per se, it's entirely versatile, but the trade off is that it's only half as efficient. Which is why Daishou was so amazed with Eithan's gushing madra during their fight.

5/17/2017 06:38:26 pm

Also remember that pure madra can't affect/block physical blows, it can only affect madra. So anyone could swing a sword or spear at Eithan, and assuming he couldn't block or move out of the way fast enough he can't do anything about it.

Garbagiel the raccoon

5/18/2017 06:11:29 am

Will, I was rereading the elder empire (Calder's side), and I noticed that Dalton said that he could make a working pistol in two hours. In book one, it is revealed that his family was held hostage by an opportunist who wanted a Dalton Foster original, and every day he didn't finish, his family was tortured. Why did it take so long to finish that particular gun? Were his tools taken from him?

Yes

5/18/2017 03:34:06 pm

So, like, Skysworn's up tomorrow, right? *begins to cry from cliffhanger*

YES

5/18/2017 03:40:09 pm

pls

shantanu

5/18/2017 08:12:55 pm

So ummm... I'm having serious Cradle withdrawals already. When's the next one coming out? =)

p.s. I'm never looking at a broom or a pair of scissors the same way again...

Matthew

5/19/2017 08:10:49 am

I would say that the next book takes OVER 12 months.
Will said that he takes currently a break, and afterwards is going to write the end for the Elder Empire'S series, which are 2 books (OF KILLERS & KINGS and OF KINGS & KILLERS)
Each should ,at least, take 4 months, make 8+maybe 1 month break+ 6-7 months to write book 4, if he take the timeframe form book 2-book 3.
So, overall, around 15-16 months, UNLESS he decides to write the next Travelers Gate book, after Elder Empire. IF that's the case, then...just kill yourself. There is no way you could survive almost 2 years for you to read the 4th book, anyway.

Good Luck!

Chris N

5/19/2017 08:29:55 am

I think Will said in a comment above that he thought it might be less than a year. So, sounds about right that he'll do the final EE and then immediately go into Cradle 4. (Hopefully...)

shantanu

5/19/2017 11:10:24 am

I'm a fan of the other series as well. But I'm struggling to be patient with all of them =)

I hadn't heard that we'd have another Traveler's Gate book... hmmm.. it was my favorite of Will's series...

He's spoiled us with the relatively rapid fire releases of Cradle. 16 months? Man...

Matthew

5/19/2017 11:56:25 am

Even if he goes straight to Cradle after having written the 2 EE books, I don'T see how he does it in under 12 months.
These are, after all, 3 whole books. I think 15 months sound realistic

Chris N

5/19/2017 12:04:27 pm

@Matthew I'm just going by what he's stated above and in previous comments (Will feel free to chime in!). I believe he's said writing both books in EE was about 6 months and then writing a Cradle book was about 3 months, so even taking a break between books, and time for editing, might put it at a year or just under...

Suriel the Sky-Chicken link

5/19/2017 10:23:19 am

Whoopee!

Madman Alpha

5/20/2017 04:27:46 am

Longtime reader, first time poster, I've read the whole series a few times now, yadda, yadda. But I think I might have spotted something interesting that Will is setting up:

So, crazy theory time here:

Why was the Sword Sage at Sacred Valley? This is a big deal, because it's completely incongruous, and leads to the even bigger issue of how a pack of untrained Jades killed a guy far past Lord, even.

Now, I don't think Will has simply written a plot-hole this big, and there's 'Something Going On'.

Lets examine some clues.

Sacred Valley has lots of fairly rare metals. Lindon busts out some chips and Golds were paying attention.

Sacred Valley has a HUGE labyrinth under it, with things in it that can challenge even a Sage.

The Sage and Yerin both have 'Steelborn' bodies. Steelborn is an interesting term. Unlike most bodies we've seen named, 'Steelborn' implies development.

What's the tie between Sacred Valley and the Transcendent Ruins?

Here's the crazy theory:

Sacred Valley sits above a huge mining complex, that was run by ancient dudes who eventually Transcended or something, and was abandoned. This ancient clan of miners developed the Steelborn body to make themselves strong, so they could be better miners. Steelborn implies that they 'self-reinforce' by, you guessed it, eating metals they got while mining.

These days, the Steelborn body is a weird leftover that's hard to do, hard to perfect, and not much use on most Paths. But it's perfect for the Endless Sword, as ALL those techniques are focused on the Sword, not the Sacred Artist.

I think the Sword Sage came to the Sacred Valley for three reasons: First, to advance himself by fighting the Big Stuff in the old labyrinth. Second, to give his new Disciple a safe place to get up to Gold. Third, to try and find some of that old metal stuff, so he could make his body stronger...oh, and Yerin's too.

The 'curse' on Sacred Valley is a really big script the original super-miners left to keep claim jumpers out of their digs. If you reach Gold or higher in the Valley, the script neuters you or something. So the Jades in the Valley were able to take out the Sage, because he was powered down to Gold. That's also why he was running for the entrance to the labyrinth: We can assume the 'curse' doesn't work inside the catacombs. If he'd made it, he could have shaken off the poison, but he didn't.

Last: The Transcendent Ruin is like a 'general store' left by the old miner guys. Mostly full of junk now, as Eithan tossed away the Spear, BUT.

Eithan grabbed a single clinking bag for Yerin out of the Transcendent Ruin. And he's hinted he's got 'something special' for her.

I think Eithan grabbed a bag of ingots that Yerin can eat to turbocharge her Steelborn Body. But I bet she can't even try to use them until she hits Lord, and can make Soulfire.

My two cents. :)

YES

5/20/2017 03:36:41 pm

Keen

YES

5/20/2017 03:37:36 pm

*kden

Dustin

5/20/2017 08:44:41 pm

While I don't really see any of that as being likely, I can't say with certainty. Some of that could be possible. One thing I can say though is that Blackflame did explain how they were able to kill the sword sage, so that part of your theory is wrong. They used more than one special poison in the food that was fed to him. I'm not sure if I remember the details exactly right, but I'm pretty sure it was something along the lines of some minor poisons that don't really do much on their own and that's why they were able to slip by the sword sages defenses. A different poison was in different foods. When the poisons came in contact with each other in the sword sage's body they reacted together to form a more potent poison that took the sword sage by surprise.

Michael

5/20/2017 10:42:43 pm

I dunno - that explanation in Blackflame seems incomplete. If a bunch of jades could take down a sage with poisons, whatever the circumstances, then there would be a whole lot more poisoning going on and people would take precautions as a routine measure. Bloodforged wouldn't have to worry about it, but everyone else would find a way to supplement their ability to resist poison somehow. As we've seen, the idea of "victory by any means" is definitely not limited to the Wei clan...

Lashan

5/20/2017 09:53:37 pm

Madman, and everyone i think Will moved, at least for now to posting on Reddit and that is where most of discussion is going on.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Iteration110Cradle/
Interesting idea on Steelborn body - love the metal reinforcement of Yerin's body. I was also thinking that Eithan will dunk Yerin in the healing pool and make her drink its water to try to rid of rude lodger in her core.

David Burnside

5/21/2017 10:18:40 am

Like others, long time reader, first time poster. I have to say I have been reading Fantasy Fiction for 20 years and Mr Wight you easily rank on my top 3! Maybe it's the MMORPG heart I have but, following a character as they level up to fight the boss will ALWAYS get me! I love it!!

John

5/22/2017 07:04:43 pm

So I think Jai Chen was the women that Lindon marries in his vision from Suriel. If you recall in the vision he married someone he had never seen before and probably assumed she was from some other clan. But then in Blackflame when he meets Jai Chen he thinks he recognizes her but can't quite place where. She just looks so familiar... How Jai Chen actually makes it to Sacred Valley before Lindon's path is altered by Suriel? I imagine it was probably Jai Long eventually getting them there as he would have continued to wander further west away from the empire.

Brian S

5/28/2017 04:27:33 pm

I concur. I thought the same when I read that. Even more interesting is that the match could still be possible considering how things played out.

5/25/2017 07:33:36 pm

So does anyone have a link to where the new blog post are at?

Grimdork

5/26/2017 06:50:30 am

Not sure if sarcasm or genuine question.

Dustin

5/26/2017 04:01:42 pm

There are no new blog posts yet. Will's posted some on reddit, but I'm pretty sure he's taking a little breather right now since he just finished a project.

Deadnettle

5/26/2017 06:32:08 pm

That sounds about right, though I doubt that he's stopped completely. More likely he's passively planning out what he wants to accomplish with Elier Empire and Cradle.

Brian S

5/28/2017 04:29:45 pm

Will is holding off writing anymore blog posts until he has sold 1,000,000 copies of Black Sun! j/k

Rose

11/2/2017 05:23:52 pm

HOW is Eithan meant to be pronounced??? Is it EE-than?
EYE-than? AY-than?

In which we ramble on.
And by we, I mean me.