Lamentation: Release Day!
Today is Release Day for Ken Scholes' Lamentation. While I'm happy for Ken, today is also very cool for yours truly. The first time Ken wrote a story in the world of the Named Lands, it happened in a short story called "Of Metal Men and Scarlet Thread and Dancing With the Sunrise," a story that I pulled from the RoF slush back in 2005. We published that story, and since then Ken and this world have been steadily rising through the ranks of the fantasy world.
I've been watching this happen since the beginning, and all I can say is wow. I mean, "Of Metal Men" was a great story, but I was very new to editing at this time and still getting used to my work at RoF. I never could've guessed what would ensue, i.e. a five-book deal with Tor Books, with glowing reviews from top authors and reviewers for his premiere novel, many of them predicting he'll be the next big thing.
Given everything that has happened with RoF recently, with so much uncertainty regarding the magazine's future, I take a lot of heart from this. As I've said before, when it's all said and done, discovering "Of Metal Men" may well prove my most lasting contribution to the field as the assistant editor at RoF.
I've already had a chance to read the novel, and if you're curious about my thoughts, you can check them out here. If you haven't read "Of Metal Men" and you'd like to get a better idea of whether you want to buy Lamentation, Tor.com has just posted a new story in the world of the Named Lands called "A Weeping Czar Beholds the Fallen Moon." Why not give it a read?
Congrats, Ken!