the Author
November
10
13 Comments

Full Cover for Sword and Shadow

Posted in Cast, covers, Shane Rebenschied, Severn.

Well, the month between the last report and this one has been fraught. Emer­gency copy­edits, emer­gency proof­reading, the loss of brain cells and hair caused by those two, and the usual struggle to get out from under the must-find-only-bad-things given the prox­imity between the two emergencies…

Also, the next Cast book needs a title, so there’s that as well >.<

Not as many actual new words written this past month on anything as I would have liked.

However!

As promised, here is the full Sword and Shadow cover.

ETA: The artist is Shane Reben­schied, the art director Kath­leen Oudit.

BEYOND THE EMPEROR’S LAW

In the city of Elantra, the law is upheld by a few groups, and the most feared are the Wolves — the Emperor’s execu­tioners. The newest member of this elite force is Severn Handred.
Granted a leave of absence to pursue infor­ma­tion about his unknown past, Severn joins a mission to an enclave well outside the bound­aries of the Empire. And he will be in danger the entire time. Still, the instincts that led him to the Wolves and the sense of duty that keeps him there can’t be discarded as easily as the tabard he wears. While he’s in the heart of the West March, enmeshed in a tangled web of mysteries that have been held for centuries, Severn’s belief in justice is going to be tested. It’s one mortal man and his single ally against a commu­nity of immor­tals who will kill to keep their secrets. But they don’t know who they’re up against.

(Added — thank you so much Peter; I keep forget­ting T_T)

 

 

13 Responses to Full Cover for Sword and Shadow

  1. Elizabeth Strick says:
    November 10, 2021 at 10:00 am

    Absolutely stun­ning artwork.

    Seri­ously looking forward to this book!

  2. K.W. McCabe says:
    November 10, 2021 at 10:01 am

    Stun­ning cover

  3. Anna says:
    November 10, 2021 at 10:26 am

    Wow! Its so beau­tiful! I can’t wait!

  4. Nicki Himmel says:
    November 10, 2021 at 10:33 am

    Great cover picture

  5. Lesa says:
    November 10, 2021 at 10:48 am

    Wow!!!!!!

  6. Pam says:
    November 10, 2021 at 10:54 am

    Yes oh wonderful!!
    Thank you!

  7. Alexis Smith says:
    November 10, 2021 at 11:17 am

    I’m so looking forward to reading more of Severn’s srory. This cover is impres­sive, really setting the tone for a spec­tac­ular book. He looks almost suppli­cant, either pleading to the Green or making vows.

    As for the unti­tled Cast book. I remember agreeing with past comments from Joey from the previous blog and thinking this. Cast in Conflict, I continue to think of as Cast in Isola­tion. Because the isola­tion felt throughout the book reflectes how we’ve been feeling throughout Covid19 quar­an­tine. Going by that logic, I’m guessing Cast 17th would be Cast in Suspi­cion or Uncer­tainty. 😂 Going by the current state of the world. Of course, I’m just kidding but it’s so accurate.

    Thanks for the update and I hope this November your mind is clear and your fingers swift to type.

  8. Samuel Robbins says:
    November 10, 2021 at 12:04 pm

    Awesome-looking! I can’t wait to read it!

  9. Peter says:
    November 10, 2021 at 12:04 pm

    Text from back cover, in case you have trouble reading it. 

    “This world feels so complex and so complete.” —Reail­in­gRe­al­i­tymet on The Emper­or’s Wolves 

    BEYOND THE EMPEROR’S LAW 

    In the city of Elantra, the law is upheld by a few groups, and the most feared are the Wolves — the Emper­or’s execu­tioners. The newest member of this elite force is Severn Handred.
    Granted a leave of absence to pursue infor­ma­tion about his unknown past, Severn joins a mission to an enclave well outside the bound­aries of the Empire. And he will be in danger the entire time. Still, the instincts that led him to the Wolves and the sense of duty that keeps him there can’t be discarded as easily as the tabard he wears. While he’s in the heart of the West March, enmeshed in a tangled web of mysteries that have been held for centuries, Severn’s belief in justice is going to be tested. It’s one mortal man and his single ally against a commu­nity of immor­tals who will kill to keep their secrets. But they don’t know who they’re up against.

  10. Christel says:
    December 5, 2021 at 5:05 am

    Thank you for the updates on your various new and exciting updates for your works of vision. Have followed your “Cast” series and read the first book about Severn.

  11. michelle says:
    December 10, 2021 at 8:58 am

    @Christel: Severn’s second book is finished; Cast 17 is the newly titled Cast in Eter­nity — but it’s not the last one :).

  12. Lynne Phelps says:
    October 21, 2022 at 1:12 pm

    Will there be any more books in the Emper­or’s Wolves series? I’m loving them so much!

  13. michelle says:
    October 23, 2022 at 9:55 am

    @Lynne: At the moment there are no plans for further Severn books; although there are possible stories, the one that was imme­diate was too dark for me to imme­di­ately write. Also: Severn-in-the-past is more diffi­cult, because the present still exists and it still continues (the Cast series), so every Severn book is in some ways more work because it has to logi­cally fit well with events touched on in the CAST novels. 

    What I wanted for those books was: Severn joins the Wolves. Severn gets his weapon. Which… was two books. 

    But I was honestly terri­fied that no one would like SWORD AND SHADOW, so it’s been really surprising to see the not-Michelle-fear reaction.

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