The Scout and the Serpent

Book 3 of the Chronicles of the Nameless dwarf is well and trull underway. This story tells us more about Ilesa, Silas's book, and the dwarves of Arx Gravis. Nameless finds himself in a difficulty spot and has to rely on others for a change.

There are strong sword and sorcery elements in this tale, and an ending that starts bringing the story arc into clearer focus, setting the scene for the events of books 4 and 5.

Cover art is once more being provided by Patrick Stacy. I've seen the sketches and absolutely love it. It has a bit of a Frazetta feel to it.

Meanwhile, book 2, The Axe of the Dwarf Lords, continues to sell extremely well. I'm hoping to see some more reviews soon, but the first review was a nice one. Book 1, The Ant-Man of Malfen, is currently free in the UK and will be featured on ENT at some point this year.

Other Nameless news: He makes his first appearance in book 3 of the Shader series, The Unweaving. I'm now at the stage of redrafting the scene where Shader first encounters Nameless. If all goes to plan, The Unweaving should be out by April (if not during the summer some time).

For those of you who don't know, book 5 of the Shader series, which is only in note form currently, is called Rise of the Nameless Dwarf. It's scheduled for release next year, but there's still a chance it could be written this year if certain other things fall into place.

Reading order

I recently had a query about which order the Shader and Nameless books should be read in. Below is the ideal, although Nameless can also be read alone:




Shader series: 


Cadman's Gambit
Best Laid Plans
The Unweaving (due out this spring)
The Archon's Assassin (due out late summer)
Rise of the Nameless Dwarf (2013)
A Dark Perdurance (2013)

The Nameless books actually take place between books 5 and 6 of Shader (still in first draft), but they don't need you to read Shader first. There are a few references to Shader, but nothing that would ruin the Shader story if you read Nameless first. The Nameless books can actually be read independently of Shader.They are lighter in style - much more old school sword and sorcery, with a dash of irreverent humour.

I've just started work on Nameless 3, btw. There are five planned books for Chronicles of the Nameless Dwarf. After that I'll be bringing out a series of "further adventures", which may well include Shadrak from the Shader books.

Wonderful 5 star review for The Axe of the Dwarf Lords

After an anxious wait, the first review has come in for The Axe of the Dwarf Lords, and it's a good one! It's nice to hear from readers that the series is going in the right direction.

Link to review

Free for one day!

The Axe of the Dwarf Lords is FREE for Kindle (all regions) for the day (Friday 13th January 2012). The Ant-Man of Malfen is free in the UK.

Amazon link

The Axe of the Dwarf Lords - now available from Amazon!

Amazon link

Blurb for The Axe of the Dwarf Lords

Second Chronicle:

Nils wishes he’d never taken the job to escort a dwarf with no name on a madcap quest for redemption. Ilesa reckons she should have asked for a bigger bounty, and Silas is beginning to think the grimoire he stole from the Academy has a sinister will of its own.

Nameless, on the other hand, is having the time of his life. After all, what more could a dwarf want than a horde of undead to splatter with his axe, a shape-shifting woman who does dwarf especially well, and a wizard who can produce ale out of thin air?

But his ever fragile mood takes a turn for the worse when he discovers a terrible secret at the bottom of the sea—an unstoppable horror that destroyed an entire race, and a mythical axe that brings back the darkest of memories from his recent past.

The Axe of the Dwarf Lords cover art

Here's the cover art for Nameless 2, The Axe of the Dwarf Lords. The picture is by Patrick Stacy.