State of Uncrowned - One Week Later - Will Wight, New York Times Best-Selling Author of 'Cradle'

State of Uncrowned - One Week Later

10/3/2019

People often ask me how the book is doing, so here I am to report in with one week down...

For the first time, we made it on the Amazon Charts for Fiction: #20 in Most Read and #14 in Most Sold. That's a big deal for visibility and also for bragging rights in the secret underground Author Fight Club.

Compared to Underlord, we've consistently sold 30% more up to this point. That's roughly 23,000 ebooks and paperbacks (mostly ebooks). This doesn't count Audible, because we don't have those sales numbers yet, but we know from our Audible ranking that we've done significantly better than ever before...which makes sense, because we've never launched the audiobook along with the ebook before.

All this speaks to how much the Cradle audience has grown this year, and how dedicated you guys are. We already have over 500 reviews, which is an astonishing number.

Speaking of reviews, opinions on this book were certainly more divided than usual, with a lot of debate going on in the comments, reviews, Reddit, Discord, and so on. Honestly, that's pretty cool.

It's encouraging to me that there are so many fans engaging the books, for a lot of reasons. For one thing, it shows how many people are passionate and care about the stories.

It also shows how great the Internet can make an artistic endeavor. It's not just me in an attic writing a story; fans can share their opinions with me directly as the story unfolds, and we can shape the direction together. That's pretty neat!

So all in all, I can't say thank you enough. I'm on a strange, exciting, and sometimes difficult or frightening adventure, and it's all thanks to you!

-Will

98 Comments

Kaileonis

10/3/2019 12:53:59 pm

We DO NOT talk about Author Fight Club!!

Also, CONGRATULATIONS!!! I am personally glad to have discovered you and your books since Simon. You are a good writer, and has grown really well over the years. Thank you for an engaging story, oh Great Story Teller!!

Garrett (Bamfious)

10/3/2019 12:56:53 pm

All sales are majorly deserved. Thanks for being awesome

Jeremiah

10/3/2019 12:56:57 pm

I'm thrilled you see this as an absolute win! I've been mildly discouraged by some of the negative comments but if you take them in stride, then I will attempts to do so as well! Keep up the work and I like forward to 99% most likely OKAK next (Per Oka, anyway) If not, go ahead with Wintersteel if you must. I'll gladly give you the money for that as well!

Bill

10/3/2019 01:22:56 pm

Wow - really, really enjoyable storytelling- travis baldree doing a phenomenal job as always - I apologise for hassling you for the next instalment...but with that ending, what else can I say!?

More! Encore!

;^>

Keep up the great work, Will - loved it!!

Apollos Thorne link

10/3/2019 01:50:08 pm

Congrats man! Im loving the series and can't wait until the next one.

Technodecno

10/3/2019 02:09:11 pm

I gotta say Will, your comments on fan discourse and the divided opinions is really mature. I and all your other fans really appreciate you and your writing. I've been a fan since House of Blades and your writing keeps getting better and it's a pleasure to read all of your books. Keep it up!

Adam Cole

10/6/2019 10:53:17 am

Please can you tell me the discord channel as seem to unable to find it.

Will link

10/10/2019 03:20:45 pm

Thanks, Techno! It helps that I'm genuinely grateful to people for spending their time reading and reviewing the book, so that puts everything they say about it in perspective. People who don't care rarely share their opinions.

Thanks for sticking with me all this time!

Marvin

10/3/2019 02:13:02 pm

I honestly was disappointed by some points in the book and don’t want to spoil anything for people if they are still splashing their way through the book. Keep growing Will. Still a fan of your overall work and cradle is favorite series. So much so that I keep rereading it. Ghost water was my favorite because of how inventive Lindon needed to be with someone more powerful than he. Finished uncrowned in less that two days. Wanted more from uncrowned.

Emily

10/3/2019 05:58:41 pm

As will said super interesting to see all the different opinions! I loved this book though as most said could have done with more and that ending made me feel I was only half way through the book.

Ghostwater was my least favorite. All my favorite characters were shut out of the action while Lindon was handed level up cheat codes...but then I’m used to being in the minority on what books of will I prefer as I sit here still waiting for okak

Billy

10/6/2019 06:08:43 pm

Aren't you the guy who offered to give Will a brojob in exchange for a beta copy of the book a few blog posts ago?

Marvin

10/10/2019 11:45:04 pm

No clue what you are talking about. Only my second time ever commenting on a post.

Cradle Fanatic

12/29/2019 08:59:25 pm

Agreed, Uncrowned was sooo short (it took me less than a day) and I have... mixed feelings about the ending. However, last time this happened (skysworn) Will then proceeded to produce a truly amazing work (I hold Ghostwater in my top 3 favorite books of all time).

Clint

10/3/2019 02:24:23 pm

One of my personal favorite parts was ther more in depth training and explanation for enforcement techniques. I'd really love more coverage on different techniques and how they can be combined.

Jason

10/3/2019 02:36:59 pm

I've purchased all the series in both ebook and Audible form and I cant wait for the next one! One of my favorite series ever and the narrator you chose for Audible is perfect!

SomeGuy

10/3/2019 02:39:52 pm

I’m really appreciative on what you gave us Will, even if I personally didn’t think it was your best outing; It was still a great read. There were some really badass moments in this book. I just wish they were given more development and room to breathe in between. My thoughts were it should have been two books with more emphasis placed on the training and those great moments we were given there with perhaps some shenanigans from the dragons expounded on like the destruction of the Rising Earth folks as well as some more conflict with the Akuras and Lindon and Blackflame Empire to provide conflict. Then you could have had an entire book just for the tournament and all that goodness. Anyway, just my two cents. Still, great job as always! Looking forward Wintersteel.

Truly

10/5/2019 12:09:55 am

I absolutely agree. This book should have been called Akura or some such and featured an extensive training montage, back story on Pride, Fury, Mercy, Charity, Malice. Then we could have gotten a better look at the Akura city and Malice's connection to Sacred Valley. The next book should have been uncrowned with the entire book devoted to the tournament arc. Oh well.

Cory

10/3/2019 04:32:40 pm

I do not know what the average reading depth is amongst your fans, but I have been reading in and out of this genre since 1993. That being said, I do not mean that I have read everything. Amongst some of the most popular I can recall, Cradle, ranks up there with them. Will, your other serial works do too. If you brought Simon back, we would add the books to our carts and buy them with no regrets.
The hook is in deep.

I feel like you twisted the hook a little with this this newest installment. It did not go the way I expected. Now, there are more angles for me to try and anticipate. So, I can bide my time wondering how things will go from here. Not just for this series, or upcoming works, but for you Will. I feel that the level of success that you have realized so far is just the beginning.
I would bet on it.

Thanks Will, and congratulations.

P.S. Please be gentle with the hook man!

Andy

10/3/2019 04:50:30 pm

Uncrowned was awesome, but like Underlord it had a cliffhanger ending, which is only good if the next book is right there for you to grab. Otherwise in my opinion it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It's like me saying hey Will I have a really big important secret to tell you and your going to love what it is. So what I need to say is...……..

Nerevar

10/4/2019 03:27:32 am

Cant really compare the two, Underlord had a complete arc, and what you call cliffhanger is much more like a teaser for next book.
UC is the first book that had much bigger story than it could fit a single book and so its cliffhanger is far more real.

And even that UC cliffhanger is not remotely brazen as some authors make them, like say GRRM where every single character gets stabbed/hanged/drowned or gets ready to marchall a bloody army to battle.

So yes, this is pretty ok by nowadays standards.

Andy

10/4/2019 07:54:50 am

Spoiler's ahead

To clarify what I was talking about, Books 1 through 5 all had definitive endings. Closure to the current adventure. I will agree Underlord was not so much a cliff hanger as a teaser as it did end at the end of the adventure. But then I don't like the teaser, it makes the wait for the other book terrible and places so much hype and hope that the next book has an unfair standard to live up to compounded by the reader's imagination of what could happen. Maybe great for sales but then the chance that many people will be unsatisfied is greater. Uncrowned ended with the tournament unfinished and in mid conversation between Northstrider and Lindon. I understand that the climax was the battle between Yerin and Lindon, something that will most likely never occur again and by ending the book shortly after that adds gravitas to said event. But now you have crazy theories sprouting everywhere.

I will say this, every book has been amazing and the first one to really disappoint was Uncrowned, the potential what if's became so great in our imaginations that the result was disappointing. Will if you are reading this, less teasers, keep it closer to the chest so we can enjoy the ride and enjoy the surprise. It's like getting an xbox shaped Christmas present and opening it up to find a plug in play Xenogears console, still cool just not as cool.

Madeline

10/5/2019 05:55:42 am

On the other hand, all of Will's Cradle books have been roughly the same in length. I'm willing to accept Uncrowned ending at a cliffhanger in the middle of the tournament if one of two things happens in Wintersteel: either Yerin loses the next round quickly and the story progresses to the protagonists dealing with the aftermath of Sophara winning the tournament and Sacred Valley being in the crosshairs of a Dread God attack (in which case, we'd probably murder Will for leaving us on THAT cliffhanger, so this smaller cliffhanger is acceptable) or the tournament continues for the entire length of Wintersteel (in which case, if Uncrowned had contained the entire tournament, it would have ended up being massively bigger than any other book in the series to date). I get why Will wouldn't want to leave us on a oh no Sacred Valley is going to be overwhelmed by a Dread God now cliffhanger, the book after ending on a wait Kelsa is ALIVE? cliffhanger, and while I don't particularly care about the length issue, I know there are some people who just... don't want to read longer books. So having a book in the series that is a radically different length than the others is not a good idea from a marketing standpoint.

Jerome

10/3/2019 05:22:37 pm

Boy, this book was disappointing. But I still have hope my dude.

Scott

10/6/2019 03:25:04 pm

Hey Jerome. I understand where you are coming from. The first 95% was great and then that last 5% sucker punched me. I took some time to calm down, read through some Reddit comments, and decided to read it again. I liked it a lot better the second time. Maybe because I was more prepared. Consider it. You may not have the same experience but it did help to appreciate the book more.

Harrison

10/6/2019 05:20:46 pm

I agree with the sucker punch, and the 95%.

Feels like this book was written to prepare us for Lindon to get screwed over in the near future.

Will link

10/10/2019 03:21:34 pm

I'm sorry about that, Jerome! I'm hoping the next one will prove your hope justified.

Decorus

10/13/2019 07:24:22 pm

Something tells me that Lindon isn't in as bad a place as we think at the end of the book. Especially since there is a high chance for a time reversion given little miss cheater...

TrashPanda

10/14/2019 07:36:28 pm

Decorous, I hope that’s the case. I liked the book pretty much until the last 15%, but was disappointed in the ending. I hope for a way to undo that outcome.

Jerome

10/30/2019 09:24:30 pm

So I read the book again after a little break and I have to admit that your writing is better than 98% of other authors in these types of genres. I guess it was just the spacing of the book that bothered me so much. But it comes from a place of wanting MORE and wanting it NOW.

Bryce

10/3/2019 06:07:33 pm

Awesome! Great to hear!
So...... whens the next one?

Akimikko

10/3/2019 06:14:23 pm

I want to see Brent Weeks vs. Terry Goddkind in that secret Author Fight Club

10/3/2019 06:19:44 pm

Congrats on the success, you deserve it. I noticed some reviews on Amazon when I posted mine that didn't like this book as much as some of the others. I on the other hand loved the book. I'm working on the second Wheel of Time novel, but that was immediately put on hold when Uncrowned was released. Will Wight trumps all as far as I'm concerned. I freaking love the Cradle universe and can't wait for the next one. And the way it ended? "Who's Dross?" Ish just got real. Please tell me Lindon will be personally trained by Northstrider. That would make the loss more bearable.

Will link

10/10/2019 03:17:18 pm

I'm glad you enjoyed it, TS! But I'm afraid answering that question would be a big spoiler...

Marvin Whiteknight link

10/3/2019 06:39:27 pm

Congratulations Will! You've really made a fantastic series and fanbase and deserve the success your books have found!

Will link

10/10/2019 03:17:46 pm

Thanks, Marvin! I'm eternally grateful to you and everyone else on here.

David

10/3/2019 07:33:47 pm

He is lying.....there is no fight club......nope.......none...

tombo

10/3/2019 07:51:50 pm

I personally was gutted not to learn more goings on with London's sis dad and orthos

chaze

10/27/2019 11:42:27 pm

I 100% agree with this. There was a hint, I think early on in the tournament, that the Sacred Valley would be facing its own perils. Orthos is going to have to do some serious advancing to protect Lindon's home/family

Jerome

10/3/2019 08:34:35 pm

Boy, this book was disappointing. But I still have hope my dude.

Fan from Mongolia ??

10/3/2019 10:42:30 pm

Congatulations Will! You certainly deserve it and I’m also glad that the sales are picking up, which is in turn good for us fans that can’t wait for the next installment, because hopefully it will arrive soon! But please take your time to write and don’t rush them too much!
I’ve read all your works to date but I really find the cradle series more engaging, read both Underlord and Uncrowned in one sitting.

Benjamin Weikert

10/4/2019 06:39:45 am

Honestly, it came off as incomplete. I enjoyed the read but it did little to advance the overall plot. I'm ambivalent...partly thrilled as always but somewhat disappointed. There was a lot of implied action that had a direct impact on the plot line that came off as rushed. Apologies, but this is what I see.

kris

10/4/2019 11:09:25 am

I agree. It'll be interesting to see how the divided opinions impact sales of the NEXT book. As others have said, there's a difference between a teaser and an incomplete story. Is every book going to be like this now? Wintersteel finishes up the tournament and gets halfway into the story of the Winter Sage then stops? This one really soured the story more than a little for me, another like this and I'll probably shelve this series until it's done then read them.

Mark

10/5/2019 09:03:11 am

To me I felt like right after Northstrider said “who’s dross” the book should have gone “the end of part one” because that’s what it was to me. Part one. I hope there is a shorter time between books due to that feeling as well.

Will link

10/10/2019 03:16:41 pm

In fact, I intended (and still intend) this to be the only book in the series that ends on this sort of a cliffhanger. After this one, it's back to my old formula.

Matt

10/4/2019 08:07:12 am

Congrats Will! Well deserved.

Can't wait for Wintersteel.

Ian Mitchell

10/4/2019 12:46:10 pm

I loved this series until I hit the end of uncrowned.
It left me feeling confused and in a foul mood. I skipped the bloopers because I didn't care. ~99% of my reviews on amazon are 4&5 stars. Uncrowned got one of my rare 3 star reviews. I think this one needed more / better / different / any beta readers. I've read everything that I've found by Will Wight. And loved them all. Until the last part of Uncrowned. All the balls in the air. And the book just ended. feh. I went out and found a new poorly translated wuxia series on KU and then felt better. I can't recommend uncrowned to anyone and I don't like that. I'll come back after the next book gets reviews.

Will link

10/10/2019 03:10:46 pm

Sorry you felt that way, Ian! I've felt that way before, and it sucks. If it makes you feel any better, though, I never intended to use a cliffhanger in any Cradle books other than this one! This was the only story I thought could use one, and then after this it's back to my usual formula.

JC Jean

10/4/2019 06:13:20 pm

Yes, I totally agree. This book was not complete. It felt more like a cash grab. As someone who's bought all the audible releases, it really feels that way.
Spoiler -
I also felt like Will was forcing Lindon's love interest on the reader. I got in this for Lindon. And the MC went from an unsouled who never gave up and always did what needed to be done to a doe eye, scared, loser. He used to always win, somewhat, when he was weak and now loses all the time now that he is strong.

Robert

10/4/2019 07:37:21 pm

@JC Jean

I agree with you about it stopping abruptly. You'd think Uncrowned would contain at least the entirety of the tournament. The cliffhanger I don't care about as much as not finishing the primary plot.

But other than Unsouled, Lindon hasn't been the only main character. I'd argue Lindon and Yerin are like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It may have been Butch's gang but no one would argue that Sundance wasn't as important (or that Robert Redford had a lesser role than Paul Newman).

And "doe eyed, scared, loser" who "loses all the time"? I did not get that at all. When was he doe eyed or scared in Uncrowned?

And as for losing, all those losses he took against Akura Underlords/ladies he was fighting without Dross's help so they don't count. He died once in Phase 1 and once in Phase 2, both of which weren't a big deal. He died against the blackflame but he wasn't really trying to win, he was trying to save him, knowing that Mercy could finish the job.

Even Lindon says in the book that losing to Yerin is the first time he's really tried and still lost since getting Dross. Even there you could argue that since he spent the first part of the fight not trying, and wasting madra, he could have done better, and maybe beaten her.

Just my 2 cents. I had several problems with the book which have already been mentioned and discussed by many, but Lindon becoming a weak loser certainly wasn't one of them.

Johnny

10/4/2019 09:25:10 pm

I think the cliffhanger ending is always hated by fans because of the wait to the next book. But I think people need to remember this is Will Eight and not GRRM. We are talking 6 to 9 months not 6 years.

Now I know most people are upset regarding London losing to Get in and I can't day I wasn't as well. But when I sit back and really think about it, I remember that Yerin was basically raised by the Sword Sage and his way of raising her was basically do it die. Lindon on the other hand lived a life of luxury compared to most sacred Artists and has only been training for at most 4 years. And he still almost won.

This book was about Lindon and Yerin basically stepping up to the plate of the big leagues and they both got home runs, London just happened to face the one person that he wasn't ready for.

Bewildered

10/5/2019 04:40:04 am

SPOILER WARNING

Okay probably redundant but hey fair's fair! :-)

Did Lindon lose? Uncrowned ends suggesting that's the case but we don't actually know that for sure. What happens if mutual annihilation occurred? What if Lindon 'killed' Yerin but is only aware that he got killed? Despite what's written there's room for Will to drop a surprise on everyone. There's also the fact that one of the competitors is a monarch! Okay maybe she's powered down somehow - Mercy aside I'm not quite sure how that works, but mightn't she be disqualified in which case even if Lindon did lose he could claim that spot.

The hint in Uncrowned that Will might keep things platonic between Lindon and Yerin is interesting. While they're still working out the whole romance thing Lindon and Mercy could be a better pairing, and one Pride might eventually support. Lindon and Yerin are great as 'swordbrothers' (swordsiblings?) but the bond of battle might be the limit of what suits them. Whatever the outcome I hope Will keeps things PG!

I agree Lindon spent most of the fight wasting madra, it was only at the end that he fought back and then it was a tossup. That suggests he could be better very soon, though it'll depend on the whole icon thing - something new which Will hasn't really explored yet.

Andy

10/5/2019 09:27:12 am

Lindon and Yerin obviously love each other but are they in love with each other is the real question. They have had only a couple of awkward moments but their only common ground is the sacred arts. I mean is Yerin even capable of seeing Lindon for who he is? Lindon uses the sacred arts to determine his self worth but he also has a clear goal in protecting SV and his family. Yerin is devouted so much to her path that is there anything else to her?

Will link

10/10/2019 03:15:01 pm

Well, not a cash grab! For one thing, I'm not a financially motivated person. I kind of wish I were, it would make writing a lot easier. And I feel like I'd probably be happier in general.

I try to keep my releases frequent because fans want the next book ASAP, and because I (as a reader) enjoy frequent installments.

BILL THE WIZARD

10/5/2019 10:16:51 am

I am INFURIATED, Will Wight.

ANGERED and ENRAGED by you, Will Wight! How DARE you!

How DARE you not have more books written! I've run out of new things to read! I DEMAND you keep writing more books, otherwise you'll face the UNSTOPPABLE WRATH of me, a random Floridian man who occasionally has the power to give cruise ship discounts AT WILL.

Will link

10/10/2019 03:08:01 pm

My Florida Magic is strong, Bill! Be careful with your tone, lest I curse you to forever find sand burrs in your socks!

Sileet

10/5/2019 10:24:36 am

Blooper Idea:
It had been hours since Lindon and Yerin began their layering practice in preparation for the 3 round of the tournament when Yurin noticed something strange.
Yerin: "Hey Lindon, where is Little Blue? I haven't seen her around for a while"
Lindon: "Oh she she found a new toy and hasn't put it down ever since the end of the 2nd round. Do you want me to show you?"
Yerin nods and they set off to another room in the tower. Upon entering the here the chimes of laughter come from Little Blue as they open the door and see something they would remember for the rest of their lives.
Little Blue had stolen Eithan's prize from the second round and was now using it as her own cloudship. Which she just so happened to be using to evade the capture from its previous owner as Eithan tried to get it back.
Eithan: "YERIN, LINDON, QUICKLY if i don't get that ship back before to long the Monarch of the Dread God Cults will likely kill us all!!!"
The three spent the next few hours trying to get the cloudship back from a laughing spirit who thought it was all a game.

khan

10/5/2019 01:06:51 pm

Great sales figures WILL. It shows how much of a success Underlord was and how much your fandom has grown since. I enjoyed Uncrowned.
Spoiler.
On my second read though, I'm frequently losing focus. Lindon's choices are making less sense. A man who left everything he ever knew and loved to become stronger, will not throw away a sage's care on sentiment. Also the passage of time is not clear and often made me confused. His goals in taking beatings and also simulated trainings were left to readers interpretation. The climactic fight between yerin and Lindon was unsatisfactory as they weren't resolved to give their all from the start. The build up to the fight was also abrupt. It was as if I almost climbed to the top of Mt. Tai when suddenly someone dumped me on Mt. Fuji.
If you don't -
1. become careful NOW,
2. consider strong and weak points of Uncrowned and
3. Take constructive notes of comments from so many of your fans and well wishers
Then next book might fail to exceed uncrowned's success.

All ramblings aside, I still enjoyed my journey with Lindon so far. We fans just don't want this journey to end. Ever.

TL;DR Great news Consider fan feedback. Don't rush the next one. Don't take too long though.

Madeline

10/6/2019 07:04:48 am

I didn't see his initial hesitation as throwing away a Sage's attention because of sentiment.

Lindon has been the underdog for six books now. He's been trailing in Yerin's footsteps. He's been trailing in Eithan's footsteps. His advancement has been happening at lightning speed, but in his mind he is still at a disadvantage compared to everyone else because until he turned 15 he was given no training at all. And, as he told Charity after she convinced him that running was not an option, his fighting experience in the last several years has all been... life or death situations, with no formal experience in How To Win A Duel Without Killing Your Opponent.

Between the fact that he saw himself as inferior to the others (he had JUST hit Underlord! Surely someone who had been an Underlord a bit longer and might advance during the tournament would be a better choice!) and the fact that he was both on a highly lethal Path and had no training in non lethal fighting, it's entirely reasonable that Lindon would not react well. Charity expected him, the person who is always scrambling to catch up, to repay a debt for killing Harmony, and if he didn't live up to her expectations, his progress on his Path would stall (being imprisoned for wasting the Akuras' time is basically a death sentence for cast advancement).

Accepting a Sage's help is one thing. Walking into a situation where you "know" you will fail without trying to get out of it is another thing entirely. The other impossible situations Lindon has gotten out of.... most of them were cases of "if you fail you will die". This is the first time he's really had a chance to make a non life or death decision.

khan

10/6/2019 11:57:49 am

Yes absolutely this is the first time he had a decision to make where it's not a life threatening situation. A man who faced death multiple times will surely not deny an opportunity where he can gain a lot without it being a lethal decision. Also as soon as he passed akura justice's screening, he was safe from captivity. I can accept him being less hardworking before charity's persuasion and then becoming suicidally hardworking. But outright denying help to progress on his path is not in his character. He is a man who knows his goal, knows that he started late, knows his weaknesses and uses any means necessary to advance at a pace that is inhuman for others.

Madeline

10/7/2019 07:33:46 am

I didn't see passing the test as a guarantee that Lindon isn't wasting their time. I saw failing the test as a way to get out of wasting their time, with further wastage of time remaining a possibility because hey, all the contenders for the third position in the team ALSO passed those tests.

Will link

10/10/2019 03:06:21 pm

I always take fan feedback into consideration, Khan!

The hard part is interpreting and digesting that feedback, because there are so many fans that often say contradictory things. For instance, there are negative reviews on Uncrowned that say I was "obviously" skipping through time in order to rush out the next book and I should slow down and spend more time diving down into the details, and others that say I'm "obviously" padding things out with unnecessary details that don't matter in order to stretch out the series.

So...more detail or less?

There's a Neil Gaiman quote that I have found very true: “Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.”

So fan feedback is a great indicator THAT something is wrong, but it's not a great way to find out exactly what is wrong or how to fix it. That's what I have to do.

Kal-Vain

10/5/2019 04:44:27 pm

So...I’ve been reading people’s reactions both on the reddit forums and on here. I’ve also done some thinking and read Uncrowned twice. *Spoiler Alert*
My opinion is that just like many other fans of I was crushed by the ending especially after there was a surprise new move pulled out at the end. The reason was because I was INVESTED in the character. I wanted to see certain things and I was hoping to see them and I felt sad that I didn’t. Not to mention other aspects that did feel rushed. BUT, in no way shape or form do I view this as a bad product or subpar to the others. Certain things had to be set in the story, certain events had to progress in certain ways for certain reasons. Some argue that there was a power level mix up (so to speak) that irked them in that they hoped for certain characters to be less or more powerful. Inversely I believe there has been a pretty consistent level maintained throughout the series. Overall I see this book as being a refreshing change of pace in some areas as to be brave enough to disappoint certain expectations while still moving the story forward and still heading toward the end goal. I’m not saying this book was the best of the best but nor am I angry or upset as it turned out. Failure is good, you learn more by failing than success and I believe the series as a whole follows that idea. There are plenty of times throughout the series where failure is turned into a strength or turned from something that would hold someone back to something that helps them climb forward. For instance: Lindon’s whole personality is built around that concept. Every time he failed he tried to find someway to improve, get around it, alter the rules, so on and so forth. Even when he ends up losing his human arm instead of focusing too much on the lose he focuses on turning it to his advantage which he does. In conclusion, I still liked the book and despite how I may feel about certain parts well...its not about where you start it’s about where you end up. (Though scarily enough that kind of has an echo of “the ends justify the means” vibe to it...”

khan

10/6/2019 03:18:16 am

I agree with most of what you just said. Two things I disagree.

Certain things had to be set in the story and it's true. But certain events could've progressed in certain other ways and still have the same outcome with certain reasons justified. for example in the fight between yerin and lindon, lindon's indecision caused yerin to shout for Dross's help which in turn alerted Northstrider of it's significance. This same outcome of Northstrider finding out about Dross could've been achived in other ways too.

And I would love to reread this series in the future (multiple times). Even though satisfying ending is a must for a good serieses, I want the journey to be enjoyable too.

I agree with you that power levels were fine. Though I'm confused about pre and post ascension powers. I hope this will become clear as the story progress so I'm not too bothered by it.

AND I've a feeling that whatever we say about Uncrowned now, once wintersteel comes out many of our opinions will change for the better.

Sha Miara

10/5/2019 07:29:35 pm

Will Wight! After 23 hours and 25 minutes of play time on Subnautica*, I have finally built the Cyclops! Congratulate me.

*I bought it right after you streamed Subnautica, so your ultimate goal of selling more Subnautica copies was successful.

Will link

10/10/2019 03:01:00 pm

I hereby bestow upon you the official Will Wight Seal of Congratulations. You may now introduce yourself as someone who has been publicly congratulated by Will Wight.

(For real though, I'm happy you both tried and enjoyed the game! It really is one of my favorites.)

Sha Miara, Who Has Been Publicly Congratulated by Will Wight

10/10/2019 06:00:42 pm

I tried to fill it out for Subnautica! I feel like this could actually make a cool fantasy magic system if you knew how to twist a few things (which I don't).

Name: Fabrication
Abilities
—A survivor can create objects from raw materials using a fabricator, or similar tools produced by a fabricator.
—A survivor needs to acquire raw materials and have a source of energy to use their fabricator’s abilities. They also need to have blueprints for what they’re trying to craft.
Categories
—Survivors from different factions can have slightly different equipment available for fabrication based on the blueprints they possess. If a survivor can scan a fabricated object though, they too can obtain the blueprints!
Usage
—Survivors must gather raw materials, some of which are very rare, in order to fabricate items. This often involves risky journeys into uncomfortable places in the deep and dark places of the world.
—Survivors can see the exact cost in resources of a blueprint using their HUD.
—When a survivor has all necessary resources, s/he can manifest a blueprint into something tangible. Larger and more complex blueprints take more time to build.
Requirements
—Resources. You need raw materials to make something.
—Blueprints. Your fabricator must have exacting instructions on how to create an object to make it.
—Energy. Your fabricator takes energy to run, which can be collected from various constructed objects.
—Action. You need to physically stand in front of your fabricator for it to function.
Limitations
—Survivors cannot create something without having both the blueprint of the object and the resources it takes to create it.

Taylor

10/5/2019 09:47:49 pm

Honestly, I see a lot of awesome options for this series to go forward as long as there's not a yerin/lindon/mercy love triangle. if there is... I doubt that it will be to hard to find wills adress.

John

10/5/2019 11:45:17 pm

I predict the love triangle happening much later between Yerin, Lindon, and Jai Long's Sister. He was fated to marry Jai Long's sister prior to Surial changing Lindon's fate and I remember a line somewhere mentioning that the fate link was strong between them. Plus Jai Long's sister is in Sacred Valey now and you know Lindon and Yerin will be going there later.

A reader

10/5/2019 11:28:35 pm

It’s interesting that this is the least well reviewed of the series, but the focus here is on sales. Do you expect that the less positive reader response depresses sales of the next book, or do ratings not matter this late in a series?

Will link

10/10/2019 02:59:54 pm

I do think that initial sales are more reflective of the previous book's quality than this book's, because sales (this late in a series) are driven by how much people liked the LAST book, obviously not this one. Since they haven't read it yet.

As for the emphasis, I thought I split the emphasis in this post pretty evenly between talking about the opinion of the book/people's response to it and the sales. I was of course able to be more specific about the sales, because those have precise numbers associated with them.

Aaron

10/6/2019 05:31:44 am

Haters gonna hate.

I recommend you and your series to everyone I meet. I'm glad I took a chance on a free Kindle borrow and read travelers gate.

I Need an Idiot's Guide to the Willverse

10/6/2019 12:22:36 pm

Hi Will! So, I finished Uncrowned a week ago. My first thought was, "WOW! Lindon actually, finally lost in a legitimate, plot-determining fashion! This feels horrible, but in a good way." So, I like the ending, in and of itself. Lindon needed to stop coming out on top of everything.

As I have thought about the book over the past week, I have come to several other conclusions concerning it.
1) It was rushed.
2) The decisions Lindon made which, in theory, would have built his character more, really don't progress his character arc so much as they cloud it up. Why does it seem as though he has lost his will to fight? Since when has Lindon developed a sense of compassion, such as what he exhibited toward the last of the Blackflames? These elements could have been perfectly reasonable within his character arc, but they seemed to simply "appear" without proper progression toward them. As such, they just feel...confusing.
3) Yerin vs Lindon: I loved the idea. Pitting the two most pivotal characters in the series against each other was a great element of the story...but it wasn't built up correctly. The abruptness of the plot twist wasn't the problem; the problem lay in the fact that it didn't seem as though anything was really at stake in the fight outside of one advancing to the final eight and the other being left out. The tension present during their fight hadn't really been present before the fight; the only real aspect of their relationship that you showed throughout the book was, "We like being around each other and talking to each other, and every now and then we stumble into slightly awkward, pseudo-romantic moments."
4) Show me more of the world. I want Lindon to interact with some of the other sects. I don't just want to hear about the politics between the Monarchs and the Dreadgod sects; I want to see Lindon interact with the Dreadgod sects and thereby see the tension. I don't want to just read a description about what the different Monarchs and their clans look like; I want Lindon to interact with them. I don't want to only see a fly-through of Ninecloud City; I want Lindon to interact with people in the city. Build the world the characters are interacting with beyond the direct points of the immediate plot line -- this can provide some key opportunities for character building as well.
5) What happened to Jai Long and Jai Chen? The arc from Soulsmith through Skysworn positioned them to be perfect foils for Lindon throughout the series. They were colorful, well-thought out characters. As far as I can tell, you plan on bringing them back into the focus of the story at some point, but if they showed up now, I feel like the only thing Lindon could naturally do would be to go, "Oh, hi. How are ya? I'm a favored adopted member of a Monarch clan. See ya!"

Overall, I think that the story you are weaving has grown to become too big for the size of the books you are writing. There is so much more that needs to be in these books for them to be complete -- the last book in this series that felt like it was complete, honestly, was Blackflame. Since Blackflame, the amount of elements in this story has grown to be disproportional to the size of the story you are trying to tell.

Sword Immortal Darknorth

10/6/2019 03:29:59 pm

Some plots invariably have to end or the story would expand until Will was writing about half the people on Cradle. Jai Long and Jai Chen's stories came to an end after Skysworn. They might come up in Kelsa's plot but I dont think they should be major characters again. Will's already spread really thin for a xianxia story. Usually in xianxia, around 50% at least is protagonist perspective scenes. That's already spread thin with Yerin and Eithan getting their own scenes away from the rest of the group (so we've got three protagonists, rather than the 1 xianxia traditionally clings to). I dont want to offer any story advice, since Will has studied this stuff in far greater detail, but the story is better off sticking closer to Lindon and keeping the main POV characters together rather than expanding the scope of the story midway. Otherwise the pace will either slow to a crawl or we'll have to jump around a lot like in Uncrowned, which people didn't seem to like.

I Need an Idiot’s Guide to the Willverse

10/6/2019 07:03:06 pm

Yeah, I realize that the story can’t talk about everything, particularly in this genre. But, I’m the type of person that wants to see all threads introduced to tie back into the plot conclusion. So, even though the genre and the nature of story-telling dictate that certain characters and aspects of the world will be left behind, I personally would just like to see certain threads carried throughout the story in a more cohesive manner.

Part of the dysfunction I’m seeing is that Will is writing in a genre meant to be focused completely on one character, while still spreading the POV to multiple characters. As a result, even though the plot moves in a way solely focused on Lindon and his advancement (as though he IS the only POV) — to the partial and necessary neglect of everything else — characters and elements of the world that are not directly essential to the overarching plot are developed and then necessarily discarded as the plot follows Lindon. As someone who likes to see all of the dots connected, however, I’m left being a little unsatisfied by certain plot points being developed only halfway before the plot moves past them.

So, I definitely understand that the structure of the story is necessary. All I was saying is that for me, the hyper focus the story has on Lindon leaves it feeling monochromatic at times, just because it neglects a lot of other stuff I’m interested in.

Will link

10/10/2019 04:24:02 pm

Yeah, I agree with your ultimate point. I know I've bitten off more than I can chew in terms of content vs. size, so that's a balance I'm eternally wrestling with in this series.

Daniel

10/24/2019 01:44:38 pm

Honestly I tend to just skip the parts where you switch to a different perspective

Mike

10/6/2019 03:33:33 pm

Finished Uncrowned in about 48hrs... Great read, loads of fun and way open end... Yay?

A Question on a different book, I decided to read Of Shadow and Sea in to fill a bit of the time between Cradle books my question is Does the Aurelius family from Cradle have anything to do with the Aurelian Empire in Shadow and Sea?

Sword Immortal Darknorth

10/6/2019 06:06:59 pm

Some fellow fans who like to follow Will Wight around with a tape recorder 24/7 and record everything he says have asked that question before. Will's answer to your question can be found here:

https://www.abidanarchive.com/adv_search/?query=Aurelian

There's actually quite a bit of content there, and if you read through it all it's almost like reading a bunch of excerpts from Cradle, like half a book that's floating about, detached from the Way. Be warned though; it's not part of the books so none of it is canon.

Sam Holmes

10/6/2019 04:40:48 pm

Hi this book was so good you are a very talented author. For fun I have made my own path and called it golems summon it uses the Fisher non water attractive aspect and stone to create being of stone

Will link

10/10/2019 02:56:36 pm

You know, that's a great idea! I anticipate we'll be getting into how Sages (and others) animate techniques very soon in the series.

Random Guy

10/10/2019 03:35:47 pm

So basically, your like an Ornhiem Traveler from Will's Traveler's Gate Trilogy.

Cradle junkie

10/7/2019 06:04:40 pm

I started reading Will's books when unsouled was released. Started with traveler's gate since it was a complete series. I thought it was just ok. Then I decided to read his others followed by unsouled... I would call myself obsessed until I read Black Flame... Now I'm literally shaking in anticipation of the next book... It's really bad

Great job with this last book!

Will link

10/10/2019 02:56:08 pm

Thank you, Junkie! Remember to remain hydrated while reading.

Patrick

10/7/2019 07:05:41 pm

I hate to be obvious but Wintersteel says available soon but how soon is that I wonder? Before the end of the year I hope.

Tom

10/8/2019 08:20:35 am

Okay, so I'm kind of concerned because Will originally wanted to release OKAK after Uncrowned, but is it a good idea to have a possibly year-long gap between Uncrowned and the next Cradle book (or more?)

The fandom might have withstood a year long gap after Ghostwater or Underlord, but with the cliffhanger towering over us a long wait now is going to irritate people a lot more.

Andy

10/8/2019 09:30:00 am

That is by far my greatest concern, every issue or flaw in Uncrowned could be easily overlooked if we knew Wintersteel is around the corner. I agree with Madaline Uncrowned seemed unfinished because there was far more content that we wanted and Will could fit so much into his typical book length.. I'm hoping that Uncrowned and Wintersteel are almost like one book separated into two parts, which is fine except for the wait. If Wintersteel comes out before the end of the year then awesome but if we have to wait 6 months to a year, ugh. I'm a die hard fan but that would be a disappointment. Love you Will but you are seriously becoming a crack dealer and we all want our next hit.

Will link

10/10/2019 02:55:46 pm

Agreed. My intention was to release OKAK before Uncrowned for exactly this reason, because I knew the cliff was coming.

Unfortunately, life got in the way and screwed up my schedule, leading to me changing my plans. Now I'm desperately hammering out OKAK.

Sammy

10/9/2019 10:15:31 am

Just so you know Will, at this point I expect the Elder Empire conclusion to be the greatest double-trilogy climactic conclusion of any story written by any self-published sentient energy-being (we all know that you're secretly an thought-based incorporeal entity, and that Dross is your self-insert character.)

Will link

10/10/2019 02:54:57 pm

Hmmm...will you settle for the SECOND-greatest double-trilogy climactic conclusion of any story written by any self-published sentient energy-being?

Sammy

10/10/2019 06:08:02 pm

Deal! But I expect Elder Empire bloopers!

DesperateFan

10/9/2019 06:23:05 pm

Aww, it looks like Will deleted the Uncrowned release stream. Luckily I downloaded a copy to keep on my computer beforehand. Don't worry Will! I shall keep safe and only for private use.

Will link

10/10/2019 02:53:29 pm

Wait, I did? *I* didn't, but I really don't have any idea how Twitch works. I didn't even realize the VOD was being saved in the first place.

I didn't intentionally remove it, but I can't say I'm upset that it's gone. Video of me weirds me out.

Aida Lind

10/9/2019 07:01:36 pm

I slowly close my kindle having finished the highlight book of my break and announce, "whelp I finished."

My Dad looks up as I stalk away to get my dinner, "And I want to scream."

Why couldnt there be more? Why a cliff hanger?

Later pulling out my laptop the words begin to flow, renewed inspiration coursing through my veins. Thanks for the boost Uncrowned, If only I didnt have to wait so long for your return. . . .

Will link

10/10/2019 02:54:22 pm

I hang my head in shame before you, Aida.

If it helps, this is the only cliffhanger I intend to use in the entire Cradle series.

Jeremy Weeks

11/9/2019 08:27:47 am

Just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for making books fun for me again. I haven't read a lot in the last 10 years. I occasionally picked up a book and mostly used Audible with my long work commute (not that long, I live in the midwest). The only big fantasy series I've gotten into was Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth series". Enjoyed his magic system but frustrated by MC lack of understanding his own magic system/control of it. At some point in the last couple years I found your Cradle series. Read every book, 1 book a day. I know you would struggle to keep that pace writing so I don't blame you. Reading every waking moment also annoyed my wife :) Any way thank you. Truly enjoy getting to know Lindon and his friends and world. Do you still have any time to read? Have you heard of or read Michael Chatfield's Ten Realms? reminds me of the Xianxia (did I say that right) books you talk of in your older blog posts). I had to branch out once I read all your work. PS I now have listened to your Audible Cradle books once through, and read it twice on Kindle Unlimited. Both fun mediums to experience. And my wife has listened to Cradle a couple times on Audible. I rarely convince her to read my books and she loves your stories.

Thank you and God bless in your future life and writing. Sorry about the scary Halloween. I hope you are sleeping better and are not eaten by any sacred beasts roaming in the mountains in your area.

Still Random Guy?

10/10/2019 03:39:27 pm

Yeah that's totally what I was thinking!

Bewildered

10/10/2019 09:07:01 pm

Is there any likelihood that once Lindon's tale is done that you'll revisit Cradle? I'm not trying to rush an ending (!!!) but there seems to be a lot to the world we've yet to see - continents, creatures, history etc. Might you do something akin to Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn or Modesitt's Recluse universes where there are series with heroes wielding different talents at different points in history? You've already shown there's a lot of paths out there so it stands to reason there's a lot of creative possibilities, and problems, that you could concoct.

And on a totally ... mostly unrelated note, is there any chance you'll be releasing Cradle as hardbacks? I got onto your series whilst hunting for authors who write like Sanderson. Unfortunately my preference is for hardbacks - they last longer, but I can only see paperback versions with prices comparable to Sanderson's hardbacks e.g. Skyward is showing as USD$21.96, Unsouled USD$18.66 and Skysworn USD$20.66.

Looking forward to Cradle #8. :-)

11/13/2019 07:31:56 am

Will: am I an idiot? I can't find target publish dates for anything as yet unpublished in the Cradle series? Are there target dates?

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