Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Two Sword of the Gods Novels!


In Book One: Sword of the Gods, Demascus has lived hundreds of lives, and in each one served as an assassin of fate. 

But something's gone wrong with his latest incarnation. Operating with only fragments of his memory and former abilities, the Sword of the Gods must defeat a nemesis whose name he can't even remember.

In Book Two: Spinner of Lies, the ghost of a previous lover haunts Demascus, accusing him of her murder.

To prove his innocence, he must find a stolen portrait containing the trapped soul of a demigod, sending him on a trail that stretches between the Demonweb, Airspur, and an island that appears on no map.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Contest: Win A Free Audiobook!

Audible Sample
CONTEST WINNERS Chosen: And The Winners Are (click here)

Update: You can also enter this contest by sending me a message via your favorite social network, or by emailing me at raidonkane@aboleth.org with the subject line Audiobook Contest.

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I'm holding another contest to give away three audible books!

The winner of this contest will receive their choice of one of my novels performed by John Pruden available on Audible.com (three Abolethic books, and two Sword of Gods books).

To win, share publicly on your preferred social network that you've entered this contest, tag me so I see it (!), and link to this webpage.

 Something like the following:

Please enter me to win an audiobook written by @BruceCordell at http://bit.ly/cordell_pruden_audio

On April 2nd, I'll collect all the entrants, throw them onto a spreadsheet, and use Random.Org to select three winners!

If you'd like to hear a sample of Mr. Pruden's work, click here.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Author Hangout

Check out this short video where I talk Sword of the Gods with WDG founder, John Ward. WDG, short for Writer's Discussion Group, is a Google community with nearly 10,000 members.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Another Satisfied Reader!

In Spinner of Lies, Cordell has "taken his brilliance for setting up a scene and added great character dialogue."

This recent review by Todd Dail for Spinner of Lies was an unexpected find, but a happy one.

Thanks Todd! Find the whole review here: http://amzn.to/XhIHYb

Note: Also, you can now get Spinner of Lies (and all my books) on Audible.com. In fact, if you click this link, you can hear part of the first chapter of Spinner.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Breaking Free From Fate


       “This,” said Kalkan’s companion, “is called a damos. Only a few remain from the time of their fashioning in ancient Imaskar. It produces a poison of uncommon virulence. Which is just a side effect. The residue that collects within the disk’s cavity is the condensation of the future, distilled by the mind of an entity or principle even I don’t fully comprehend. To taste of it is to see hours or days forward. To drink it is to hear the far future described to you by the Voice of Tomorrow—but taking that much is lethal poison to mortal and god alike. Nothing can survive it.” 
       Kalkan tapped the disk. It opened like a dilating eye, revealing a cavity filled with oily fluid. He dipped a claw into the reservoir, barely wetting it, then licked off the clinging beads. It tasted like blood.  

The two paragraphs above are taken from the prolog of my novel Sword of the Gods. As an exercise suggested by John Ward, I'd like to analyze the selection so you can see inside my head and learn why I wrote what I wrote.

The selection obviously helps establish a character named Kalkan. However, these paragraphs don't so much introduce Kalkan as they present a theme (and story thread) that will echo through the rest the novel.

But before I describe that theme, I want to point out the main reason I wrote what I did was because . . . well, because it sounded cool and badass to me. I wanted to write something that would engage both myself and the reader with the idea of a relic from a lost civilization with the power to foretell the future—but only if the soothsayer pays for that knowledge with his or her life.

Next, I wanted to show that Kalkan has the capacity to either sacrifice his life to hear the Voice of Tomorrow's message, or the capacity to overcome the certain death that Kalkan's companion said would kill mortal and God alike. Either way, it establishes Kalkan as someone special.

All right then. Back to the theme I promised: Death, Rebirth, and Cutting Fate's Threads

By happy coincidence, this same scene introducing Kalkan sets up the suggestion that surviving death in some way may become important. By happy coincidence, I mean that I included the future-seeing relic damos (which actually first appeared in another of my novels) on a bit of a whim. However, its function, as accurately described by Kalkan's companion, perfectly sets the stage for the the cycle of death and rebirth that is important to the wider story arc.

Kalkan and another character named Demascus are both caught up by fate to one extent or another. Escaping their fate, or trying to, is something that drives Demascus, while Kalkan is determined to see that the future is as foretold. The story revolves around Demascus discovering that in a series of past lives, he's served as fate's hit man. The question eventually becomes whether he'll continue in that role, or try to escape it, even as Kalkan's foreknowledge threatens an even more terrible, and undeniable destiny for Demascus.

As a final point, I'll note that the simplest analysis is this: if you're going to introduce a relic (or alien mechanism, or gun, or something else you spend any significant text on) at the beginning of the story, that item should be critical later in the story.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Best Spinner of Lies Chosen!

A few weeks ago I held a contest asking you to spin me your best lie, for a chance to receive a Kindle copy of my novel Spinner of Lies, Sword of the Gods, or one of my earlier books.

That contest is concluded, and a winner has been selected! Thank you everyone for your entries, they were all great, but in the end, there can be only one.

The winner is Joshua Thompson (@skulldaisygimp) with: "*I* expected the Spanish Inquisition." Congrats Joshua! I'll be in touch to see which novel you prefer.

Honorable mentions:

Kyle Varneke "In accordance with the prophesies of my birth, I am destined to win this contest."

Ray Kelly I do.

Kenneth Rufo "I'm a scientist, man."

Jonathan Black "Yeah, I rolled a natural twenty."

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Contest: Free eBook Giveaway

I'm holding a contest! The the winner will receive a copy of a kindle ebook version of his or her choice of Sword of the Gods or of the sequel, Spinner of Lies (but see below).

 Here's how you win: Spin me your best one sentence lie - no run on sentences allowed!

Post your lie as your status with the format: "Spinner Of Lies: [your lie]" (If on Twitter, substitute #SpinnerOfLies)

Next, tag me in the status (or email me a link to your status update at demascus@spinneroflies.com) so I don't miss it.

The contest ends on November 30th. I'll choose the best* 3 lies and post them for everyone to read and appreciate. The spinner of the very best* lie will receive a copy of a kindle ebook version of his or her choice of Sword of the Gods or of the sequel, Spinner of Lies (or, if you already have both those, any of my other novels as a kindle ebook).

*Chosen by me, completely subjectively!

Monday, October 1, 2012

Goblin Bastards like Demascus . . .

I was lucky enough to sit down and about my Abolethic novel trilogy and its Far Realm connection with The Goblin Beat last week. However, we do talk about Sword of the Gods and Spinner of Lies for a few minutes, which makes our conversation relevant to this site. It was a fun and funny conversation!

-http://goblinbeat.com/2012/09/046-interview-with-bruce-cordell/

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Sword of the Gods "appealed to me on almost every level."

The review by Darrin Drader for Sword of the Gods freshly posted to Amazon put a big smile on my face. 

An excerpt: "Damascus and his friends are characters I'd happily follow for as many books as he cares to write. I'm very much looking forward to Spinner of Lies." 

My familiar response: Yay! 

Find the whole review here -http://www.amazon.com/review/RMHK0PWUN6J9Y/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B004HFRJIA&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=

Thursday, September 20, 2012

I love this Review of Spinner of Lies

A new Spinner of Lies review on Amazon by Randall Lemon popped up today, and I love it!

A couple excerpts: "Cordell introduces a number of tantalizing ideas into his plot not found in normal fantasy novels;" and "That is how Cordell writes, challenging the expectations of his readers."

My customary response: Yay! 

The full review: Spinner of Lies Review by R Lemon

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Thanks for the great review!

This positive review just showed up for Spinner of Lies on Amazon. An excerpt, "Overall, Spinner of Lies has a near-perfect hero, characters with great personality, and an intriguing story."

My customary response: Yay! 

The Review: http://www.amazon.com/review/R4GOV8EOFKJ0I/ref=cm_cr_pr_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B005C5QS90

Friday, August 31, 2012

My PAX 2012 Schedule

In addition to walking about geeking out on Saturday, I'm appearing on a couple novel-related panels at PAX this weekend. You can bet that many of the examples I cite will be from Sword of the Gods and its sequel, Spinner of Lies.

 2PM Saturday (9/1): Making Magic Work: Designing Magic Systems for Games and Books moderated by pro editor and Amazon columnist Susan J. Morris, with special guest New York Times Bestselling author and game designer Rich Baker, award-winning game designer and author Bruce R. Cordell, and award-winning author Erin M. Evans.

8PM Saturday (9/1): How to Craft a Damn Good Fight Scene for Games and Books moderated by pro editor and Amazon columnist Susan J. Morris, with special guest award-winning game designer and author Bruce R. Cordell, award-winning author Erin M. Evans, and author and game designer Erik Scott de Bie.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Limited Offer: Free Copy Spinner of Lies

UPDATE
Thank you for your overwhelming interest! Wow! However, I've reached the limit of the number of free copies I can give away.

The only consolation prize I can offer is the first few chapters of Spinner of Lies for free, if you click on link that follows, on the button Send Sample Now (and you have some sort of Kindle device or program like I link to below) http://bit.ly/Spinner_Sample

 Take care, and thanks again for giving it a shot!

ORIGINAL OFFER
I'm giving away 13 (and only 13!) digital review copies of Spinner of Lies!

If you're interested in receiving one of these free copies, you'll need a Kindle or a free Kindle reader for your computer, iPad, or smartphone.

Why am I doing this? Because I want to make more people aware of the book. But don't worry, there's no obligation. If it turns out you don't get around to reading it, or you don't like it, I certainly won't harbor any hard feelings.

BUT... if you do like the book, it would do me a world of good if you would say what you liked about it on Amazon, and tell your friends.

If you're interested in getting one of the 13 copies, email me at bruce@spinneroflies.com.

Really, it's true, reply to this offer at bruce@spinnerofliescom; I won't be able to manage this process effectively through all my various social media.

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Tome Show Book Club Discusses Spinner of Lies

In the latest installment of the Tome Show Book Club, Jeff, Tracy, and Andy take on my D&D novel Spinner of Lies!

Once they dig in, they uncover a few themes I wasn't conscious I'd woven into the plot. Luckily, they are themes I consciously approve of!

After their discussion, they interview me about the book. And I have to say, they toss me a few zingers.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Spinner Reviewed by Crimson Bastards

In a bold statement certain to surprise no one: It makes my day to see good reviews for my novels. Guess what? A new review just posted to the intertubes. In this case, for Spinner of lies.
Bruce Cordell‘s sequel to Sword of the Gods released on June 5th and those of us who already knew about Demascus, the deva and erstwhile Sword of the Gods, rejoiced and those who didn’t already know about Demascus hopefully found out and bought both books.
Read more at the link below! -http://crimsonbastards.com/2012/07/review-spinner-of-lies/

Friday, June 1, 2012

Great Review for Spinner of Lies

The first (of many, one hopes) review of Spinner of Lies is in. From the reviewer:

I have been a longtime reader of Bruce’s works and he continues to writes books worthy of any fantasy reader’s bookshelf, and Spinner of Lies is no exception. I give this book 5 stars and highly recommend it.


That's the summary, of course. To see what he liked in particular, head over here and check it out!

-stefansbookshelf.com/2012/06/01/spinner-of-lies-by-bruce-cordell/

Monday, April 9, 2012

Rise of the Underdark: Spinner of Lies

My novel Spinner of Lies is part of the Rise of the Underdark. Demascus must contend with nothing less than a priestess of Lolth (even as he attempts to defeat all the ghosts of past incarnations).

Friday, March 30, 2012

Spinner of Lies

Spinner of Lies is a SWORD OF THE GODS book. If you loved Sword of the Gods, pre-order your copy of Spinner of Lies today!  (For Kindle: Amazon, for Nook: Barnes 'n Noble)

Memories of his past incarnations haunt Demascus, even as he searches for stolen portraits that contain the trapped souls of demigods. Meanwhile, drow creep beneath the city of Airspur, intent on precipitating war between Akanûl and a rival nation. As Demascus attempts to win freedom from the ghost of his murdered lover, he agrees to thwart the drow’s secret scheme, sending him on a trail that stretches between the Demonweb, Airspur, and an island that appears on no map.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Demascus and Drizzt

A great new review just came in for Sword of the Gods. One that was quite positive. An excerpt:

I will make my next statement very clear. I know it will upset a few (probably quite a lot), but I am prepared to take the risk:

Demascus should be the next Drizzt Do’Urden.

Bruce Cordell makes an excellent job of creating someone that has something to offer to everyone. As a character, Demascus is full of mystery, excellent personality, approachable, naive enough, vulnerable, strong beyond his own knowledge and very, very likeable.

For the full review, head over to GMsMagazine.com and give it a whirl. It certainly put a smile on my face :-)

Review: http://bit.ly/lxOHOB