Normally when you’re writing an announcement post for the release of a new book, you try to be professional and impersonal. This is an official communication and there are standards to uphold, gosh darn it!
But today is different. Hi, I’m Scott Colby, Outland’s Senior Editor and one of the contributors to this blog. I’m also the author of our newest novel, The Black Yonnix: Dead Reckoning. It’s book two in the pirate fantasy series that began with The Black Yonnix: A Bitter End a few years ago, set in the world of Pileaus.
Despite what might sound like a short, reasonable publishing timeline, Dead Reckoning has really been a couple decades in the making. See, I wrote the first draft of what eventually became A Bitter End waaaaay back when I was just a dumb, inexperienced college kid responding to an online ad to contribute to a shared world fantasy fiction project. Back then, the story’s Pileaus setting was called Baeg Tobar, we were planning to publish it online one chapter at a time, and my friends were plotting to get me on What Not to Wear because I refused to put on stripes under any circumstances (supposedly it almost worked, too).
Now that I’m older, slightly less dumb, and much more fashionable, seeing this next entry in the saga of Kensey Vardallian’s search for his family’s legendary pirate treasure is punching me right in the feels. There are ideas in Dead Reckoning that first popped into my brain when I was supposed to be paying attention to lectures about C++ and database design. I'm super pleased with this book, and I will always be grateful to the team here at Outland Entertainment for sticking with the Pileaus setting and giving me an opportunity to tell stories in it.
But let’s talk details. Following the events of A Bitter End, the crew of the Black Yonnix are preparing to set sail on an epic adventure in search of Bezos-level riches. Like any good pirate, however, Kensey’s infamous ancestor didn’t just leave his booty hanging out there for anyone to grab. Finding the treasure means first passing a series of mysterious, magical challenges designed to test the mettle of anyone looking for the Vardallian stash. Meanwhile, the Black Yonnix is also being pursued by the unholy alliance of Count L’Vaillee and Thranax Mabarak, fearsome foes who’ve teamed up to hunt down the pirates and take the treasure for themselves.
We’ve got enchanted books, ferocious sea monsters, otherworldly Fae, spectral guardians, giant predatory insects, magical music, off the cuff pirate shenanigans, windows into parallel dimensions, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria—everything you could possibly want in an action-packed pirate fantasy. And if you’re behind, the first book in the series is available in print, ebook, and audiobook formats!
Enjoy!