The Reaper is here

11/4/2021

I probably should have blogged about this two days ago, but I was busy checking Amazon rankings and high-fiving.

Once again, we reached #1 in the entire Kindle Store. You'd think that would get old, now that we've gotten there for three titles in a row, but it really doesn't. Still awesome.

Even if we couldn't beat Dune in audio...that's okay, Dune. You can have your win. For now.

In case you missed it, Reaper is available now in all formats! And the fan response has been...overwhelming.

I was worried about this book. Those of you who have read it understand why, I'm sure. But so many fans have read it and enjoyed it at this point that it makes me feel like an idiot for worrying.

Thanks for reading, all of you! Thanks for sticking with me for so long! And for those of you who haven't read it yet, or haven't finished, I hope you enjoy the story!

Please try to keep the comments as spoiler-free as possible, for the sake of those among us who like to savor their meals. I'd like to do a spoileriffic discussion with everybody soon, once a reasonable amount of time has passed. Maybe a stream?

-Will

90 Comments

Ben Heggem

11/4/2021 01:53:28 pm

Favorite book and series I have ever read, beating out Wheel of Time which I never thought would happen.

Rajat

11/4/2021 04:04:22 pm

Totally agree with you!!!
This is the best series ever!!

David

11/5/2021 11:43:06 am

Also my two top series of all time

J. Trantham

11/7/2021 03:48:09 pm

Out of curiosity, how did you feel about the end of the Wheel of Time series....more specifically, the last three or four pages?

Bewildered

11/7/2021 05:29:24 pm

WoT dragged badly, and the ending was mind staggeringly stupid IMNSHO.

11/10/2021 08:01:49 pm

Honestly, loved the ending. The idea that (SPOILERS) the only way to defeat evil is to refuse from eradicating it and trust that the next generation is strong enough to do the same was pretty philosophically mind bending if you take a minute to deeply think about it. The books dragged for a bit, yeah, but they were never boring.

Bewildered

11/12/2021 08:29:32 pm

(SPOILER WARNING!)
HR, how does that make sense? In the early books Shaitan appears to function as a Satan or Sauron type figure. Instead of defeating him in the end however Rand makes peace with him\it as evil is presented as a fundamental part of humanity and destroying it will destroy humanity. Thus the good guys can never truly win as evil will return. The story talks about a Creator, but this character never appears and so may or may not exist. It follows then that evil will one day consume the world, after which eternal darkness will fall - goodness is not presented as a fundamental part of human nature in the same fashion evil is.

nick

11/4/2021 01:55:17 pm

amazing book will. nothing to be worried about at all! we love you. book 11 when?

David Maxwell

11/4/2021 01:58:03 pm

Feels like it's time for that leatherbpund kickstarter, Will. I would like you to have my money but 5 bucks every 6 months is a pretty slow way to get it to you. But if I can give you a hundred for a personalised leatherbound Cradle: Foundation, everyone wins.

David A

11/4/2021 02:11:00 pm

I'm in for this too. Where's the Kickstarter?

Doug

11/4/2021 03:48:28 pm

Yes. Please.

Elliot Dweck

11/4/2021 03:48:06 pm

Yep. Willing to drop at least a couple hundred on some signed leather bound books.

Lmm

11/4/2021 03:49:23 pm

Yes!

Ryan

11/5/2021 07:42:50 am

Agreed didn't know leather bound was a thing. I have been holding out for a hardback special collection. But would grab the leather ones instead. I have have audio and Kindle additions and have really wanted a nice physical copy of this series. Gonna settle for the paperbacks if that's all there is

David

11/5/2021 11:42:03 am

100% agree. This would be a dream

Kris K

11/20/2021 12:40:45 pm

Agree a hundred percent. Maybe some illustrations and a map or two.

Josh Garrett

12/5/2021 06:58:53 am

I would 1000% buy the full series of leather bound signed books. Please make this happen!

Lindonian

11/4/2021 02:01:57 pm

Might be my second favourite book ever, narrowly missing the one and only Oxford dictionary

Rex NotToBeConfusedWithDinosaur

11/10/2021 04:46:40 pm

Ah yes, the literary masterpiece known as the Oxford Dictionary, many a nights I spend thinking about it

Caleb

11/4/2021 02:03:35 pm

Yes stream. Stream yes. Many questions.

Kat M.

11/4/2021 02:12:48 pm

Omg
It was so good.
You got me, dude. For reals.

Daniel Watson

11/4/2021 02:13:36 pm

THE MADRA MUST FLOW - EVEN AUDIO.

(Congrats Will!)

Tiffany

11/4/2021 02:36:10 pm

WOW. JUST WOW. Cradle is absolutely my favorite series ever, and that's not a title I ever bestow. Every single book since I found Cradle (I wanna say between Skysworn and Ghostwater releases) I have laughed so hard I couldn't breathe, cried and cussed you for playing with my feelings, and thrown my book (figuratively, I would never treat a book that way) because of how accurate you portray human nature. And this one...this one takes the cake. Best book in the series, tied with Wintersteel. The character growth and development has been phenomenal. Thank you for providing us readers an amazingly fantastic world to escape into!!

Not that fan

11/4/2021 02:47:24 pm

I'm not "that" fan, truly. I'm extremely discriminatory. But Will, your stories and your writing skills are good enough that as long as you're actually trying, I can't see that you're ever going to have too much to worry about.

I think even the books that haven't been as well received are mostly because of their place in the series and people look at them differently once additional books come out.

Phenomenal work and thank you for creating it. Can't wait until the next one. Maybe have you AND your remnant working in tandem? Need that fix.

Zizeta

11/4/2021 02:52:43 pm

Finished the book the first day and absolutely loves it!

Swedish Fish

11/4/2021 03:01:30 pm

Book 11 when?

J.Olin

11/8/2021 12:00:07 pm

I'd be happy just to know that there WILL be a book 11.

Tej

11/8/2021 05:02:41 pm

I believe he said several times that there will now definitely be 12 books , no more no less, on the stream he did before Reaper dropped if you want to fact check me.

Juan H

11/4/2021 03:14:54 pm

I just loved Reaper. it was a fantastic book. I read it from beginning to end on audio book format the entire day. hahah. Can't wait for the next book. Wheel of time is my #1 fav series of all time, but cradle has ben put in my #2 slot, it bumped Chatfield's ten realms series to #3. :) Keep it up Mr. White

Kam

11/4/2021 03:18:21 pm

Yes, a stream would be awesome. I absolutely loved Reaper, I finished it yesterday. I can't wait for the next book to come out!

Matthew

11/4/2021 03:24:26 pm

Still haven't read it since my reread of the series is taking a bit longer than expected. I could easily just read it but feel I need the refresher which I'm enjoying just as much as the first time. But I'm so excited for Reaper, even more now, due to the comments saying how good it is. Congrats, Will.

Dale

11/4/2021 03:26:33 pm

I read through the first nine books, I just couldn't read them fast enough. Then, dear god - I have to wait. Well, maybe I'll try another, so I read both The Elder Empire: Sea, and Elder Empire: Shadow. Those were fantastic as well. Now, I can read Reaper. i mean I did read Reaper, and now I have to wait again. I don't want to, no you don't understand - I REALLY DON'T want to. I guess I'll start in on The Traveler's Gate. But, I don't think that will assuage the HUNGER. Keep up the good work, you have another fan for life.

Ricot

11/6/2021 08:41:48 pm

The Traveler's Gate was really good. You will enjoy it. There are also standalone short stories of that series. Don't miss them out.

J.Olin

11/8/2021 12:03:51 pm

Between 9 and 10 I bought and read everything else Will has written, and re-read 1-9. 10 was great, finished it in 2 days. I'll have to re-read it a couple more times while I wait for 11.

Carl

11/4/2021 03:49:51 pm

Reaper had me on the edge of my seat for the entire read. Everything was awesome and Travis' performance was exemplary. Someone before mentioned a leather back version of the series and I for one would pay a fistful for box set. A nice big leather tome filled with the secrets of cultivation. Neat

Can't wait for the next book!

Bryan H

11/4/2021 03:51:05 pm

Congrats man on a great book!

Kyle

11/4/2021 04:49:12 pm

I loved the book. The pacing was good. I was afraid at first that it was going to be a lot of build up, but you always seem to balance your books well. I am kind of disappointed by the very end. It makes sense but I was really hoping that thing wasn't the case. Ya know? I welcome the opportunities for new and interesting characters because your characters in this series just might be the best part of the series. Anyway cool book. 5/5

Stephen e

11/4/2021 05:02:33 pm

It's so good. There are people that speculated the big reveal, but I didn't think it would happen. It makes sense though and it ties things together for a fun payoff. Good job, Will

Andrew

11/5/2021 11:29:20 am

I admit, I was one of the fans who guessed right, but a plot twist (even predictable ones) works best with an epic reveal. And holy crap could it get more epic than that? The timing, the context, the scale, all of it was perfect! Not to mention the emotions of all characters affected made it all the more real!

Ricot

11/6/2021 08:48:51 pm

Yes, some people guessed it right and myself I suspected it, but I did not want to believe it. However, the reveal was so epic that it was still surprising. What I mean is that it was not forced at all. At that point in time, there was no other choice than for the reveal to take place. It fit perfectly in place.

Vitali

11/4/2021 05:19:26 pm

Yet another breathtaking book. Thank you for the pure enjoyment I have recieved in the process of reading it.

Derek

11/4/2021 06:18:40 pm

So when is book 11 coming out! Haha.
Very much addicted to this series. Finished book 10 in 2 days and must have more!
Feel free to make a really really long book, because I will most definitely listen to it.

BlackMage

11/4/2021 06:24:04 pm

Congrats on another #1 on Kindle! Not that I had any doubt Reaper was going to get there after hearing the DragonCon excerpt.

Brian Mukes

11/4/2021 06:28:40 pm

Will this book in particular was over the top awesome. I. Cannot thank you enough for bringing a large bit of joy into my life with your prose. I do listen to other awesome authors Jim (The Master) Butcher. Dennis E. Taylor, L.G.Estrella. But this series has a special place in my heart that I cherish and will miss when it is over. I realize that all good things must eventually come to an end but I want to sincerely thank you for bringing the world of Cradle into all of our lives. We may not say it often enough but we ALL APPRECIATE YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION. I will close with a modified quote from Lindon in Reaper. ‘Thank You Will for everything :)’.

Super fan boy

11/4/2021 06:30:41 pm

Best book I have read in my life. best series ever. If you do a leather pack release of the series with kick starter or otherwise I will have to buy a few copies..... even if you charge a ton for it.... wink wink

Mark link

11/4/2021 07:18:04 pm

I. Knew it! Predicted the end twist nearly perfectly and loved it! Thank you would love a stream of spoilers!

Blake

11/4/2021 08:17:58 pm

Reaper was great! I’m now rereading the entire series (for the 7th or 8th time) to look for clues on when you made the decision that was revealed at the end.

So far it seems like Blackflame may have had some foreshadowing of it but I’m not sure. How long was this twist in the works?!?

Henry

11/5/2021 09:19:28 am

...I'm pretty sure Eithan planned for Lindon to become another reaper/void sage the second he saw him. I'm also pretty sure Will planned Eithan's character from the very beginning.

Raith

11/5/2021 09:27:38 am

I mean, the abidan storyline has been a thing since book 1. I can't imagine at least part (if not all) of the reveal wasn't planned.

Ricot

11/6/2021 08:58:38 pm

Exactly. Since the very first book, the Abidan have been searching for the Reaper who had just disappeared. Actually, the first book started with that search.

Andrew

11/5/2021 11:35:27 am

Look back to Soulsmith. In the end, Eithan never came up in any of Cyrials predictions despite the fact that he caused the duel and it was made clear to anyone present that he himself would train Lindon which would affect the outcome. There have been subtle hints ever since Eithan was introduced. This was a long time coming, and despite the fact the some people predicted it, it was beautifully executed.

11/4/2021 11:13:46 pm

Just finished Reaper… So when’s the next book coming out……… jk don’t kill me I felt so stupid at all the hints you dropped about that twist at the end and how my jaw dropped when it happened. Omg can’t wait for the next one. First book I ever preordered

Steven Brown

11/5/2021 02:21:44 am

Was looking forward to listening to it ended up getting time to read it as the audible option was not there when I got the Kindle. Loved the book a great addition. Planting seeds in writing can be hard when too much or not enough foreshadowing can either make it obvious or fall flat. I wish I could discuss this particular one lol. Had idea about it. I understand the worry. To me it was surprising but inevitable.

Nyangate

11/5/2021 03:29:23 am

Loved it!

Hayden Desrosiers

11/5/2021 08:45:19 am

Fantastic work. Been following you since House of Blades. Cradle and its spawn have been amazing to read. Bravo and well done. The speed you output quality stories is a testament to your skill, devotion, amd sheer man hours. May you live long and prosper, sir.

Godwin Umogbai

11/5/2021 09:56:31 am

STUMPED!!!

BEST BOOK IN THE SERIES... ERM CAN WE GET TGE NEXT BOK NOW?

Finder

11/5/2021 10:37:45 am

Is Book 11 (Dreadgod) the final book in the series?

Xien

11/5/2021 01:35:02 pm

There are 12 books expected - Dreadgod is number 11.

Hazardingba guess that Abidan is 12. Bets anyone?

Andrew

11/5/2021 11:15:37 am

Will, I want you to know that I've enjoyed Eithan as a character ever since he was introduced, but after this book, he has cemented himself as my favorite character in all fiction (which considering all the anime I watch is a pretty high bar). Keep up the good work, and I can't wait for the next book.

Heather

11/5/2021 12:03:49 pm

Seriously, I had an inkling, something was up, there were some fishy things but...I found myself yelling "no way...no way...whatever Will you sneaky *******!..." and people looking at me wondering who im talking to, smh. I love this series, im so excited for its development. Where do we go from here?! I can't wait to find out!! Ugh...can't wait for the next book and that anime series im praying someone out there is graphically talented enough to create and do the series justice.

The hearts and minds of your readers are with you Will! Thanks so much for this series, truly, its been a pleasure to read every one of these books!

Juha

11/5/2021 01:04:46 pm

Hey Will, I have to admit at the time of Blackflame I was pretty sure you are winging it regarding the story. Like a DM who basically invents the plot as you go along and you are just good enough of a writer to make it work. Book after book you proved me wrong, but man.. after having read Reaper I’m just in awe.

You manifested the storyteller icon while writing it, didn’t you?!

The one thing you do today like no one elsen is your ability to write rogue-lite type of books. Whenever I finish one and re-read the series it’s amazing how the dialogue gets more depth and new angles are uncovered. That, dear sir, is an unique talent. Reaper was ofc especially interesting in this regard and I’m scrambling to re-read .. everything. Again.

Please keep doing what you do and we’ll be there for the whole journey. All the way to the end.

Thundertrain

11/5/2021 01:24:54 pm

I am waiting for the Cradle/Elder Empire crossover that will bring together Orthos and Shuffles. C'mon, Will, make it happen. The comedy potential here is massive.

MASSIVE! :)

Alex

11/8/2021 06:24:12 am

I did not realize I needed this until now.

Some guy

11/5/2021 02:51:03 pm

My instant reaction once I realized what you were doing(it was pretty early on in the book) was, “you did it! The crazy sonofabitch, you’re really doing it!”

sam

11/5/2021 04:01:55 pm

i liked it. i would rate it 14/16 Ozriels

Not your mom

11/6/2021 11:54:56 am

I usually HATE perspective shifts. However, the perspective shifts in this book were so good and I feel like youve just gotten better and better with them over the last few books.

Lynne V

11/6/2021 03:00:49 pm

Reaper is the latest great book in a great series. It kept me totally engaged from the first to the last page.

-->--> BUT! If the first chapter of book 11 isn't focused on successfully getting the 'real' Dross back, I'm sending Penance your way, Will. <--<-- Just saying.

Vee

11/6/2021 05:34:17 pm

I loved it!! I tried not to read it as quickly as I wanted to. It was hard lol I always had a bit of a spidey sense about you know who, so this definitely filled out all the gaps perfectly!! I can’t wait for the next one!!

Michael

11/6/2021 05:53:01 pm

I live for the bloopers! Amazing story as always.

Justin

11/6/2021 07:25:19 pm

Reaper was a great read with an amazing end. I literally couldn't put this book down. Great Series, Great Book, can't wait for the next! Keep up the great work Will.

Who really is joe?

11/6/2021 08:29:00 pm

I am still mad that Will did not name subject one Joe.

Lui

11/7/2021 04:46:11 am

I feel my alignment with the hunger icon getting stronger and stronger for each day that passes... book 11, I want it, I must have it, nothing else will sate my hunger for more.

I tried munching on rocks & furniture but it didn't work. Hurry up and write, Will, or I will be forced to consume your mind for the rest of the story.

Allie

11/7/2021 11:06:34 am

I was wondering if you have any idea when the next one after the reaper will be available?

Wendy S

11/7/2021 02:15:15 pm

I did not see that ending coming! Total shock. I just hope to keep seeing more of Eithan in future.
Can’t believe I’ve read book ten and still loving this series. I gave up on Wheel of Time because I could see it was never going to end and I just didn’t care about so many unlikeable characters the author dragged in. But I enjoy all the additional characters brought in and watching their evolution. The best thing? I’ve learned that the second reading is even better than the first. So thanks for a great series!

Amber

11/7/2021 04:03:39 pm

OMG the last two chapters! I had some serious suspicions about things and those last two chapters went beyond what I could have predicted. My absolute favorite book of the series so far! My hunger madra cannot be controlled for the next book! Imma need a release date to keep me contained!

You and your remnant need to team up to get the next one finished.

Anshu

11/7/2021 07:27:50 pm

Your books are frustrating — I speed read them in 2 days, and then check your blog for hints about the next one :/

Really well done on this one. Makes me want to reread them from The second one

Kevin A.

11/7/2021 08:20:16 pm

Finished all the book in the cradle series so far. I'm hungry enough to devour the next one. I need your MADRA to consume!!! Really love the series. Up there with all my faves. The Rangers Apprentice and Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan; The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney; The Bartemeaus Trilogy/Series by Jonathan Stroud; The Frith Chronicles by Shami Stovall; Mage Errant series by John Bierce; Wizards Helper series and The Disinherited Prince series by Guy Antibes; And The Merlin Series by T. A. Barron

Bewildered

11/7/2021 11:40:08 pm

The big problem is having read Reaper, how do we spend the next 15,811,200 or so seconds? (Assuming I have my maths right).

There's very few Kindle authors who produce series worth adding to my physical library - Cradle is a near unique standout for absolute quality.

But even trying to find mere Kindle Unlimited reads is getting really hard. Who else is worth reading?

In case anyone else is, like me, struggling to find something\someone they've not yet read, maybe try:
*Jay Boyce - Gamelit
*Sean Oswald - Gamelit
*Chris Vine - Cultivation
*David North - LitRPG + Cultivation - latter has language issues
*Michael Webb - Fantasy, 2nd book out soonish?
*Dan Willis - Arcane detective
*Alex Knight - GameLit
*Jonathan Brooks - Dungeoncore, language depends on series
*Michael Chatfield - 10th Realm does entail obscene language :-(
*Ryan DeBruyn - GameLit
*Troy Osgood - GameLit
*James T. Callum - GameLit
*Dean Henegar - GameLit & Dungeoncore

*Nathan Thompson - maybe
*Richard J Hansen - unique series only 1 out so far
*Apollos Thorne - maybe
*Chris Hollaway - maybe
*Sarah Lin - maybe. Weirkey Chronicles especially
*Andrew Karevik - maybe
*John Stovall - maybe, does entail obscene language
*Alex Raizman - maybe, dungeoncore, language depends on series

Anyone else have any suggestions? I'll recheck the above don't have anything more out since I last checked but ...

15,811,199 seconds
15,811,198 seconds
15,811,197 seconds
...

:-D

Tom C

11/8/2021 09:30:16 am

Check out the shades first rule series by AF Kay. The first book is called shades first rule, can’t remember if it’s the name of the series though. There are 5 books out so far :-)

Also I recommend the death cultivator series & path of the thunderbird series by Eden Hudson. He who fights with monsters by shirtaloon / travis deverell is good.

Kroz

11/12/2021 10:07:30 am

I recommend Water of Awakening if you like a more traditional fantasy story.

Josh Garrett

12/5/2021 10:47:05 am

I agree with Shades First Rule. It started out kind of tough to read, but wound up pretty good. The most cradle like thing I've read so far while desperately searching for something to the fill the void was The Iron Prince. Will reccomended it himself in a blog post and it delivered!

Daoist

11/8/2021 12:15:20 pm

I'm currently reading "Reaper" and I couldn't help but notice a mistake when talking about archery and bows (and I think it's not the first time) : a bow is not "a stick with an elastic string" : that's a slingshot. A bow has a stiff string, the part that bends and stores energy is the "stick" (to be more precise, the limbs)

11/12/2021 11:05:26 am

yep, got a giggle on that one.

Dave Erickson

11/8/2021 12:33:24 pm

Wow.. Just WOW!! Reaper was amazing. And as always i find myself a little saddened at the end. Cause I know I have a long wait till book 11. Thank you Will for your amazing work. Information Requested: The release date for book 11. The next book will be available on... Synchronization lost. Report Complete. At that moment a million voices cried out in agony and frustration.

Madeline

11/8/2021 05:37:14 pm

Will the next book have Sha Miara's reaction to being outcheated?

Francis

11/10/2021 06:20:32 am

Good one.

As much as I liked Reaper, I found the writing (conversations) quite jarringly different from all the other prior books. Felt like an entirely different person wrote the thing.

Kroz

11/12/2021 10:06:24 am

Reaper was amazing. I had to read the ending twice because I read it so fast the first time that I missed out on the smaller details...I couldn't stop to enjoy them because I HAD TO KNOW. This has rocketed up to my #2 series of all time right...and I mean RIGHT behind Lord of the Rings. Will I wish you luck and success as you continue down your path.

Kris K

11/20/2021 01:05:24 pm

First things first. I was wrong and I apologize. There were several critiques I had about plot elements not making sense in earlier books that it turned out were meant to lead up to things in this book.

I can't imagine how frustrating it must have been to be thinking " It's not a mistake sh*thead, it's a plot element meant to be resolved in a future book", and not be able to say anything.

This book was an amazing story as well as being very well written. This is the first book in the series where there was nothing that jumped out at my OCD as wrong on the first read through. My compliments to your editing staff as this book was fantastic, and even those issues I did find were both minor and could be argued either way.

I make a concerted effort to NOT read theories about the plotlines, however I did scroll past a supposition about the big reveal, so it wasn't as big a surprise as it could have been. However the execution of that reveal was simply amazing.

The only aspect I wasn't as fond of was the year spent not really doing anything. I would have expected London and Yerin to travel to some of the cool places that they sort of glossed over during their journeys. Like the flower/city place in the desert, maybe more of the 9 cloud country. I can see slowing down, but it didn't seem like they really did...well, anything during that year.

Are Lindon and Yerin intimate? There were two scenes that sort of hinted at it, but it was still pretty vague. Not that I want a sex scene! I skip those parts that seem to be popular in a lot of fantasy/urban fantasy. I was just curious if they were still like 'just dating' or had become closer.

Can you share anything about what exactly the Void Icon does? I expected that Lindon would be able to craft void keys easily or do spacial travel easier or something, but I didn't really see what sort of advantage it was supposed to give him.

Chris

11/24/2021 08:35:38 am

I found this series a week ago and I just finished book 10. This has been one of the most enjoyable series I've ever read. The humor you include with Dross is absolute gold. I can't wait for further releases. Thank you for writing this series and bringing so much joy and entertainment to everyone.

bill

12/15/2021 06:12:15 am

ok - just finished listening to Reaper, having read it beforehand. what a satisfying tale! really, really enjoyed the mini-peak expose and the setup for what looks to be a very intense endgame

well done Will! keep up the good work please - I am certainly enjoying this series, and have re-read from Unsouled up to the latest release a few times now in order to enjoy the flow of the story.

many thanks for the hours of quality entertainment!

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