Prelude to Sorrow
Cover Story
Welcome back to the wonderful world of the IX. I realize this post is rather close to my previous article relating to Exordium of Tears, but I only recently found out that the next adventure in the IX series is due for imminent release in September.
Thus the need to accelerate my plans a little. . .
So, over the past couple weeks, we’ve seen how the story of our adventurers from Earth has evolved, and
how their journey has been encapsulated within a 'mini-reveal' incorporated into each cover.
Today we look at the final book in the original trilogy: Prelude to Sorrow.
Here’s a glimpse of what they encounter:
*********
The task force dispatched from Arden to eradicate the Horde menace
failed, and for those few left alive, the tenet by which they have survived for
so long resounds as never before.
Fight or Die!
Now marooned, out of time and out of place, the survivors lick
their wounds and struggle to recover while the Horde gather their strength for a
final strike that will change the course of history forever. The fate of the
galaxy – and more – hangs in the balance.
But fate, it seems, isn’t done with the Ninth, and our heroes find
themselves forced to mount a last-ditch attempt to end the threat once and for
all.
Will the darkness be vanquished, or will our heroes’ efforts
finally signal the beginning of the end of their adventure?
Find out in – Prelude
to Sorrow – the stunning conclusion to the
IX saga.
*********
As the title implies, this story is an overture. An introduction
to what the real menace is, and how insidious its reach can be. Those who
survived the battle on Exordium don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves.
There’s too much at stake. The future of Arden and planet Earth itself are at
risk of being swallowed by an ancient evil determined to wreak havoc.
Do you see how that’s reflected in the background of the main cover? How it
crumbling? As if the very foundations of their world are being torn away from
beneath their feet, and there’s nothing they can do about it?
Or is there?
The IX symbol is a glowing brazier, radiating and smoking with the steady, building heat of
a kiln. The dross is being removed, purifying what remains so that it’s ready
for the crucible of battle. And battle they do, for the DNA matrix is still
there, hidden within the gray of the backdrop, yet visible enough to remind us of the power of the
human-Ardenese bloodline.
Yes, no matter what it takes, the glorious Ninth and their
comrades will shine like beacons in the darkness. Somehow, someway, they will
find the strength to endure, so that their legacy lasts for all time.
For ALL time?
You’ll see, in a spectacular finale that will leave you
breathless. But you get a hint in the starburst radiance leaping away from the top of the 'X' and off into eternity.
As finales go, the cover to this book is superb. Roy Mauritsen
worked his magic again and rounded the series off with a profoundly satisfying
piece of artwork. One for which I have always been grateful.
As well I should be.
When you think about it, book covers act as an introduction to
your work. You’ve spent many, many months building a world; filling it with inhabitants;
devising a storyline; planning out an adventure that you hope will keep readers
entertained. And part of that process is creating the right first impression.
First Impressions Count!
And with the covers to the IX series, I know readers will be
enticed to pick up my books, read the blurbs, and be drawn inside. That won’t
happen unless you have the right team around you. So all thanks to Roy and the
team at Perseid Press for creating something truly special.
And the thing is, it’s not over yet.
The IX series made quite an impact on those who read it.
The fans demanded more. They wanted to delve into the history of the Horde and
discover how they came to be; how they managed to ravage a civilization in its
ascendency; how they then became the mindless, savage brutes we first met in
the IX.
Yes, how did they manage to overthrow a society millennia in the
making in so short a time?
Well, what the fans want, the fans get! Stay tuned for a brand-new revelation. . .
Otherwise known as
The IX Genesis
A IX Origins Novel
As seen in next week's full cover reveal and backstory.