M.D. Jackson's gorgeous cover
Early in 2021, Rogue Blades Foundation will release THE LOST EMPIRE OF SOL, a spectacular homage to sword and planet tales as presented by the one, the only, Scott Oden.
SCOTT ODEN PRESENTS THE LOST EMPIRE OF SOL: AN ANTHOLOGY OF SWORD & PLANET TALES brings ten 'romantic tales of high adventure' and loads of fun excitement across a dark and ancient solar system long pre-dating the one we think we know now. It just so happens that not so very long ago, a famous duo of high adventuring fame discussed this very same genre. Mr. Todd 'John O'Neill' McAulty declared sword and planet "mixes the best of science fiction and fantasy" while Howard Andrew Jones -- whose name appears in this TOC! -- called it "a field of unfettered imagination."
Artist M.D. Jackson renders a splendid imagining himself of all that sword and planet delivers with a cover showcasing the science, swords, and strangeness. His glorious solar map displays the once mighty Empire's vastness . . . the way things once were long, long ago . . . before the Threat arose.
M.D. Jackson's stellar map
THE LOST EMPIRE OF SOL:
AN ANTHOLOGY OF SWORD & PLANET TALES
The legends speak of a united Empire that spanned the entire system. A glittering tapestry of jewels with the sun as its centerpiece. For thousands of years the Empire of Sol saw unparalleled prosperity, civilization, and trade.
None could have foreseen the downfall. Once it had begun, there was nothing to stop it. Where they came from, and how they found the Empire, none can say for sure. All that is certain is that when the Daemons came, they brought a level of destruction not experienced in countless millennia.
In the end, the Empire was fractured in the wake of the Daemons’ passing. Some worlds maintained tenuous contact; others were blasted into a state that left them bereft of their own history and little knowledge of what existed beyond their skies.
For nearly a thousand cycles of the sun, the remnants of the Empire have striven to place their pieces back together. Trade has resumed among some of the worlds, while others are largely assumed lost. Chaos has arisen from the rubble of some of these worlds to consume them with internal strife. In short, the Empire has become a crippled shadow of its former glory, enduring by sheer force of will.
How then, will the Lost Empire fare before the augured threat of the Daemons inevitable return?
Scott Oden Presents an anthology of Sword & Planet tales from an age before recorded time, an age of shining planets spread across a galaxy of wonder, an age almost forgotten of the Lost Empire of Sol . . .
* Joe Bonadonna & David C. Smith - Hermesia (Mercury) - "To Save Hermesia," two scientists battle mutants and religious zealots in a dangerous quest to issue the final subspace message that could save their doomed world.
* Tom Doolan - Themos (Venus) - A princess finds her destiny entwined with that of her unlikely rescuer and the very world itself in "The Lost Princess of Themos."
* Christopher M. Blanchard - Earth - The lone survivor of an academic expedition seeks to explain how he ignited war in "What Really Happened at the Center of the World."
* Charles Allen Gramlich - Mars - When swords are not enough, one warrior has only her courage and “A Sand-Ship of Mars” to change the fate of a world.
* Howard Andrew Jones - Tharsia (pre-asteroid belt) - In "Whispers of the Serpent," two crash survivors must flee across the surface of a dying world, pursued by deadly adversaries, their only hope a treacherous sorcerer who may long since have perished.
* Mark Finn - (Jov) Jupiter - A political coup threatens to upset the delicate power balance, while a band of pirates must join forces with the fanatical worshipers of the Great Red Eye to save the "Outcasts of Jov" from the coming wars.
* Keith J. Taylor - Cronesh (Saturn) - Adan Seperuvo, rogue, thief and hi-jacker, with Dathyl pab Marddu, fighting woman from barbaric jungles, takes a desperate chance of escape to a weird world where fate is "Written in Lightning."
* E.E. Knight - Ulthula (Uranus) - Horror awaits the "Survivors of Ulthula" in a derelict spacecraft orbiting the planet!
* Dave Hardy - Neptune - High above the frozen wastes of Neptune, Owen Pepper hunts for the demon-beast Old Djable; instead he finds his destiny among the "Hunters of Ice and Sky."
* Paul R. McNamee - Pluto - The ancient machinery of Pluto is failing, the dark zones are spreading, IceHold has fallen, and soon the disturbing secret of "A Gate in Darkness" will be revealed!
SCOTT ODEN PRESENTS THE LOST EMPIRE OF SOL is an exciting repository of the tales of an Empire that pre-dates recorded history. This book will not only entertain readers with its rousing action and adventure, it will demonstrate heroic ideals in a multitude of characters and situations. Thanks goes to all the contributors for bringing this title to Rogue Blades -- not only is that a compliment of RB's reputation but it dovetailed quite nicely into the new Foundation's mission -- and even further appreciation goes to Fletcher Vredenburgh, the man who helped hold the project together and has kept it on track and ensured consistency. He rightfully joins the cover in recognition of all his hard work. Projected to be around 200 pages with up to 90,000 words, THE LOST EMPIRE OF SOL will have a print cover price of US$17.00 and electronic price of US$5.00.
As of now, RBF will offer advance print sales at a US$2.00 discount. This discounted sale price will continue through the official release. This discount can be applied in conjunction with any RBF Companions membership (discount and membership percentage discount apply only to the list price), but only if membership is effective before the pre-sale purchase. Pre-release purchasers will be invoiced for shipping after release (members will have Companions discounts applied at that time). You can make your advance purchases here (and there's even an option to pay full price for anyone inclined to help the organization out a little!):
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