# The Half-Orc Series: Top 100 Epic Fantasy



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

*The Half-Orc Series* by David Dalglish.

Five hundred years ago, brother gods devastated their world with civil war. When they were imprisoned, their conflict ended without a victor. Centuries passed while their followers secretly continued the war, a war that will soon have an end.

The gods have found their paragons.




*Book One: The Weight of Blood*​
When half-bloods Harruq and Qurrah Tun pledged their lives to the death prophet Velixar, they sought only escape from their squalid beginnings. Instead, they become his greatest disciples, charged with leading his army of undead.

While they prepare, Harruq trains with an elf named Aurelia, to whom he owes his life. She is a window into a better world, but as war spreads between the races their friendship takes a dire turn.

Velixar orders them to fight alongside the humans, changing Aurelia from friend to foe. To protect her, Harruq must turn against his brother and fight the killing nature of his orcish heritage.

To side with one means to turn on another. No matter Harruq's decision, someone he loves will die.




*Book Two: The Cost of Betrayal*​
Their prophet dead and their home lost, the half-bloods Harruq and Qurrah Tun form a strained alliance with a band of mercenaries outside the city of Veldaren.

As the brothers and their allies wage a private war against powerful thief guilds, divine forces threaten to tear them apart and ruin any hope for a better life.

Harruq must do everything he can to defend his family, for Qurrah's love of a girl with a shattered mind and the power of a goddess may doom them all.

The death prophet returns, and the disloyal will suffer. 




*Book Three: The Death of Promises*​
After a bloody conflict with his brother, Qurrah Tun flees west with his lover, the strange and powerful Tessanna.

He seeks a powerful tome known as Darakken's spellbook, guarded by paladins and priests of light. Qurrah hopes to cure Tessanna's madness, but his newly returned master, Velixar, has far greater plans for the tome.

Only Harruq Tun and his friends can stand against the darkness his brother has unleashed. Velixar wants the throne and the secret that it hides, and to do so he will lay siege to the great city of Veldaren.

The gods' final war has begun, and the blood is on Harruq's hands.




*Book Four: The Shadows of Grace*​
The portal is open, and war demons pour into the world of Dezrel, with every intention of burning the land to ash.

Harruq Tun leads the survivors of the broken kingdom of Neldar, hoping to find safety in the west. But it will take the aid of his wife and friends to hold back the army of his brother, Qurrah, that gives chase.

The dark god Karak nears his total victory and release, and the fate of the world will be decided by Harruq's strength as the vile army of demons, priests, and undead nears.

The fate of the world rests on a single act of faith... 

All three books have been in the top 100 Kindle list for Epic Fantasy. No Mary-Sue characters. No long-winded descriptions or delusions of being the next Tolkien. Just a powerful, character driven story following two half-orc brothers, their descent into darkness, and their long, bloody road to redemption.



> "A damned enjoyable read from an emerging fantasy author with great potential."
> --Conrad Levy, Contemporary Fantasy Review.
> 
> "This is a special book by a gifted new writer."
> ...


I hope you'll join me. I hope you have fun. Most of all, I hope you forgot your own world for a moment and get lost in mine.

David Dalglish

All cover art done by Peter Ortiz. You can view his website here: http://standalone-complex.deviantart.com/


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

Impressive, man.  You're like the Beatles in 1964.  Keep up the good work!

Nice poster too...


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## Guest (Jun 19, 2010)

YES! Sounds great. Question though, what's a Mary-Sue character?


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

David I picked up the first one a few weeks ago.  When I get a chance to read it, I'll leave a review for you.


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## bvlarson (May 16, 2010)

Great covers, nice pitches! Looks great, David.
I've been waiting until my descriptions are up to herald my fantasy series...
Seems to take so long for Amazon to put up descriptions after you upload, everything else is there, but no blurb.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Thanks for the replies! Dave, seems a little premature to compare me to the Beatles, eh? When I have flocks of girls screaming my name when I exit a building, I'll let you know 

Mary Sue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_sue. Short explanation, a character that is a blatant author self-insert, every character loves them, they can't do any wrong, they're super-amazing, and they turn most people's stomachs.

I'd love any feedback from you Maria, but if it takes you awhile, I understand. At least you're not like Ed and his 1,000 long to-be-read list.

Larson, once that blurb comes up, make sure you post about it. I'm always keeping an eye open for new Fantasy Authors here at the Kindleboards. I must embrace my competition, after all 

David Dalglish


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## ScottLCollins (Dec 7, 2009)

Books look good. I was just wondering what you'd say the appropriate age group for your books are. I've got a six year old who's starting to read and I wanted to check with you to see if they were OK or if they might be a bit violent for him. If so, maybe I'll just buy them myself and let him read them later.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Hrm. I think the books are a bit too violent for a six-year-old. I have a lot of people die, and even young children. In terms of language or sexual content, the first book is clean, though the second book and third have incidents of both.

I'd say you should read them first, and decide for yourself what you want your child exposed to you. As for reading difficulty, mine tested at like 5th grade level, so depends on what level your child is reading it. Thrilled to know you're interested, but I don't think at any point I'd classify my series as young adult.

David Dalglish


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## J.E.Johnson (Aug 5, 2009)

All three in the top 100?  That's totally awesome and I'm totally jealous  .  Congrats!    (I've got 'Weight of Blood' on my Kindle - I'll let you know what I think when I get around to it).
-Jenna


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Thanks Jenna  . They've faded a little, with only The Weight of Blood sitting in the top 100 now. I'll keep the title in hopes of returning to it, though. And I can't wait to hear what you think of the book!

David Dalglish


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## keithdbz (May 19, 2010)

I'm sure they'll reclaim the spot. Good work.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

David,
I am not sure what threads you have here on KB.
But this is the one that Jeff Hepple linked to on his terrific genre list.

I have followed some of your discussion in the author's support thread, so I know that you know that your books are a little dark.
It is somewhat unusual to have the main characters be the "bad guys".  As you know archer has a "dark" bad guy and she likes him.  But the plot follows the exploits of the good guys, who don't all die.

I enjoyed your work. But I have an ability to put aside my expectations and to agree to the rules of how things work in the book the way the author wrote them. Many readers don't do that.  They have expectations and stop reading if those are not met.
Your book will only meet the expectations of a particular group.  I would think that they might appeal to the gothic-inspired vampire readers (and there seem to be a lot of them around right now).  But I wonder how long before they mature and stop reading that kind of work and take a few of the metal pieces out of their faces.

Some places in your work is pretty raw.  You acknowledge that by saying that you are not developing character - just providing action.  Raymond Feist does the same - he "tells a good yarn".  But his writing is better and his action appeals to a wider audience and his characters are much more likeable and, let's face it readers like to identify with someone in the book.  I don't want to identify with either Hurruq or Qurrah.  Not sure I even like the elves.

Jacqueline Carey wrote a two book arc called the Sunderling in which she showed both sides of a conflict - and you could like both the classical good guys or you could like the caught on the wrong side bad guys.  It was well done.  Because she DID  develop the characters and make you like them and enjoy the successes of both sides while also being sorry that someone else had to lose (die).

Your characters are like the "dark elves" in Feist's books.  Only in his books they are the bad guys and eventually they lose - because Pug (and/or his friends) is able to defeat them.  In this book, the dark elves is all we are given and I don't like them much.  You almost go overboard with Hurruq - one more inch and he would be without redeeming qualities and I think Qurruh is already there.

Sorry to be so negative.  But I think you expect that from your readers.  However the bright side is that this was a unique work with a well-engineered premise.  Altogether I think that I enjoyed it, but the question is:  will I read book 2?

Just sayin.....


I feel the need to modify this post.
I did not want to make any changes to it, because I think I mean what I say.
But I did want to make sure that I made it clear that my intent is to encourage you.
I love people who can write and who try the unusual.
So please let me know if I have stepped over any line here.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

(I'll probably have plenty of spoilers in this response, so be forewarned now. I'll try to censor it once I'm finished).

First off, don't worry about feeling a need to modify, change, or pull back your criticisms. You've given me a heck of a lot to think about, and in no point do I see you going over the line. I'm going to try and just chew your comments around and say what comes to mind.

I've been seeing this more and more, and by no means are you the first to say this, but _Harruq is not supposed to be a bad guy_. The Weight of Blood is supposed to reveal how low Harruq and his brother Qurrah go into darkness. The reason why I never worried about this until I read some later reviews is that all of Harruq's vile actions are directly because of either Qurrah or Velixar. He is fiercely loyal to his brother and accepts the rational given to him. Many, many, many readers however simply will not accept this, and it has been a real eye opener.



Spoiler



Harruq's killing of children in Cornrows is one such example. I have seen many a reader who upon reaching this scene decide enough is enough. No matter what rational or explanation, no matter Harruq's guilt or his love of his brother, from then on he is a villain.



Your comment about me not developing characters but instead action stings a little because that is not what I've actually said. I don't consider myself a very good _worldbuilder_. I like my characters very much, however, and feel both Harruq and Qurrah unique and with plenty of depth. (Raymond Feist writing better than me isn't too much a sting. That's kind of a no-brainer ). Harruq is supposed to be a good man doing very, very horrible things. Yet because of the way Weight of Blood ends, to many he is just a bad man doing bad things. You say you aren't very interested in book two. That means I failed.

Why? Because book two is so far different than book one. Harruq's acts of brutal violence are done. He finds a home with Aurelia and some new characters. He develops a family.


Spoiler



Heck, he even marries and has a daughter. Harruq is crushed with guilt after her birth. All his brother's rationalizations fail once the child is his own. He doesn't even feel worthy to raise her.



Qurrah is actually the one who is supposed to be viewed as a true 'bad' guy, him and Velixar.


Spoiler



Qurrah is the one who asks for men and children to practice necromancy. Qurrah is the one giving out justifications. Qurrah is the one who brings Harruq to Velixar and asks him to swear his life to murder and darkness.


 In introducing a new character in Tessanna in book two I get to fully separate the brothers. You say Harruq is an inch away from having any redeeming qualities - I see who he becomes throughout the series, and perhaps that has colored how I view this very first book. I know the path waiting for him, the immense heartbreak, and the difficult climb back. I don't redeem him in one book. I redeem him in four (there's a reason book four is titled Shadows of Grace).

More and more I've felt myself wishing to censor the book, pull back the bloodshed, the killings, and make Harruq far more troubled by what he does. I can (and most likely will) modify the story to give Harruq a bit more struggle, perhaps even open rebellion at the harshness of his brother. The censoring part is, frankly, impossible, and it has nothing to do with artistic license or stubbornly telling the story I want to tell.

Harruq is supposed to be a monster in book one. He is aware of that throughout the entire series. It haunts him. It affects his choices throughout the book, even in the fifth. There are times when he is forced to choose between condemnation and forgiveness, and when he looks back to who he was, and the massacre at Cornrows, how can he pretend at any superiority? How can he choose hatred and condemnation when he himself was forgiven? Aurelia is supposed to be Grace in this story, and the most important thing is that it is both undeserved and unlimited. In reducing who Harruq was, I feel like I am stripping the later four books of a bit of their meaning and purpose.

This might seem like I'm putting way too much thought into what appears to be a silly little story full of action and DnD style fighting. Perhaps you're right. But by the time book four rolls around, the fate of Dezrel will depend on Grace and Redemption. I need my redeemed monster. I can't have a neutered gray. Perhaps some people who have read beyond book one might help me out here on this fact.

Perhaps I was wrong to split them up into two books. I've thought that many times before, though it seems far too late to correct that now. I am so thankful for the readers I do have who have managed to see what I intended for Harruq instead of just his actions (and to be fair, there are many, and I also worry that these changes might also weaken the story for them). For those who see them as unredeemable, I can only shake my head and wish I had done a better job, but I also know there will be people who simply won't want it or accept it.

Geoff, you seemed to have enjoyed yourself, but I understand your worries of continuing. If it at all helps, I'll send you a .prc file for Cost of Betrayal absolutely free if you would like and send me your email. Your insight and discussion is absolutely invaluable to me, as is the opinions of anyone else who might swing by here. Feel free to be open, and don't worry about insulting me. I'm here to talk. I'm here to discuss. I love it.

Thank you, Geoff.

David Dalglish


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## Marisa14 (Jun 30, 2010)

The Death of Promises definitely looks interesting. I will put it on my list.

Thanks


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## bluefrog (Apr 6, 2010)

geoffthomas said:


> let's face it readers like to identify with someone in the book. I don't want to identify with either Harruq or Qurrah.


This is the problem I have with the book, too. I'm sticking with it- I bought the second book because I felt like you were trying to drag Harruq to the absolute depths to redeem him later, and I'm anxious to see how that plays out. I haven't read it yet since I've been swallowed up by Joel Arnold's short story collections, but it's at the top of the TBR mountain.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I guess I should ask for elaboration:

You don't _want_ to identify with either Harruq or Qurrah, or you _can't_ identify with Harruq or Qurrah? I guess what I'm saying is, is Harruq likable, but the things he does so deplorable that you just can't like him - or is he simply not likable at all, regardless of the things he's doing? Neither one would be easy to correct, but they're clearly two distinct problems for me to address.

Bluefrog: if you're anxious to see how things play out, at least I accomplished that much. Still, I don't want Weight of Blood to be one of those "just finish it, it gets better later in the series" types of things, even though that tends to be pretty common. And thanks, Marisa, I hope you enjoy. 

David Dalglish


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## bluefrog (Apr 6, 2010)

I see where Harruq has the potential to be one of those big dumb lovable guys - if I didn't, I'd probably just think Aurelia was insane. But then he'll do something appalling, and I'll wonder why I was sympathizing with him. If this was a modern story, and he was a human character, I think he would have lost me completely. As a product of where/when/how he's lived, I guess I can see how he's turned out the way he has, and just hope he can pull himself out of it. Does that make sense?


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Perfect sense, actually. You're not far off from what I was shooting for.



bluefrog said:


> But then he'll do something appalling, and I'll wonder why I was sympathizing with him.


That's the thing I, in my love of Harruq, simply didn't see coming. I wanted him to be a monster, but I didn't think I would completely lose people in certain scenes. It all comes down to how you see Harruq. The people who have loved the first book and sent me emails managed to find him likable amid his acts (a la Red Adept's review) but those that don't find him almost as a bad guy (a la Geoff's).

Normally I'd say oh well, the book isn't for everyone. The problem is something like this:



> This book was a difficult read, it is very dark. I almost quit it three times, but decided that there was some hope of redemption and hung in there. I am glad that I did, I am in the second book and enjoying it. The book is well written and the characters are well developed. I gave this a 2 Star rating simply because it was just too dark.


That's a review from Smashwords. People who would enjoy the second book are dropping out because of the first book. But at the same time, I'm halfway through the fifth book. Book two and three are already for sale. To reduce Harruq's role in many of these events would involve drastic changes in all five, not just the three already for sale.

Sigh. Thank goodness I have A Dance of Cloaks coming out. It'll be nice to have a standalone novel where I don't have to worry about people thinking the main characters are evil.

David Dalglish


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## bvlarson (May 16, 2010)

Good work, David. I'm sooo far behind you with my Epic Fantasy.


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## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

As someone who looked at your books but hasn't bought any, you might want to consider packaging the first two books together after the fourth one comes out (or before, but that feels more reasonable with 4 than with 3).

The thing that made me decide to not order it was the reviews talking about how evil the characters were. I just didn't want to read about evil characters. However, evil and then redeemed is very different than evil, but looking at just the first book I didn't know what the plan for the series was. For series I generally still look at the first book and make a decision about that assuming that if I don't like the first book I won't like the rest of the series, though usually that is not because of the tone of story but the style of writing.

If they were packaged together it'd be easier to get customers who aren't turned off by the first book even if they find it hard to read.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Tuttle:

I've been thinking that over for awhile now. Originally they were just one book encompassing about 3 years of time. That put the length at about 180k, which from everything I kept reading, was too long for a first-time novel by an unpublished author (this is when I was still planning on shopping it around to some agents). If I do decide to put them back together, here's a couple things that I'm unsure about.

1) Do I rename it as just one book? Or explicitly say it is two? The Ryel Saga is coming to mind immediately in this.

2) If I do this, should I take Weight of Blood and Cost of Betrayal down? I'd hate to lose all those reviews and ratings and start anew. That'd also kind of screw over people who bought book one but hadn't bought book two...unless both the combo and Cost of Betrayal end up costing the same amount.

3) What should I price it at? I very much like having the first at 99 cents. Taking the first and second, combining them together, and then reselling at 99 cents feels like a bit of a waste. I'll effectively lose a 1.99 book for sale in Cost of Betrayal. I guess I could price the two together at 1.99, and sort of make Weight of Blood 'free' (which is what I was doing for a long while on Smashwords anyway).

4) If I do rename or relist, and I need a new cover, Peter could probably make one but it'd cost me about 200 dollars, possibly more. That hurts.

I see what you're saying about combining them once the fourth is out, treating it as a way to get a couple together to 'catch' up on the rest of the series.

Another idea I'm wondering is what if I both make very clear how dark the series can be in the product description, but at the same time do a bit of foreshadowing making it clear this is their dark period that by the end of the book they're coming out of (well, one of them is)? Another is maybe emphasizing a theme of redemption throughout the entire series in the description (which, trust me, becomes stupidly important by book 4 and 5)?

Hrrrrmmm...an idea for people who've finished book one:


Spoiler



When Velixar dies, Harruq loses his strength amid a great deal of pain. What if either prior or at the same time, instead of having no choice to forfeit the demonic strength, he instead does so willingly? It may not seem like much, but it'd be at least one concrete example of Harruq turning his back to the life he'd been living. It'd also be a nice contrast between him and Qurrah, who dons Velixar's old robes.



I really am loving this feedback, guys. By no means do I want to be complacent, and at least one major advantage of this whole e-publishing craziness is that I can implement changes so very easily to the story. Oh, and thanks Larson. And just remember: it is *aaaaaall* about the covers. 

David Dalglish


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2010)

Tuttle said:


> As someone who looked at your books but hasn't bought any, you might want to consider packaging the first two books together after the fourth one comes out (or before, but that feels more reasonable with 4 than with 3).
> 
> The thing that made me decide to not order it was the reviews talking about how evil the characters were. I just didn't want to read about evil characters. However, evil and then redeemed is very different than evil, but looking at just the first book I didn't know what the plan for the series was. For series I generally still look at the first book and make a decision about that assuming that if I don't like the first book I won't like the rest of the series, though usually that is not because of the tone of story but the style of writing.
> 
> If they were packaged together it'd be easier to get customers who aren't turned off by the first book even if they find it hard to read.


Hearing how evil the characters are make me much more interested in this series. I think one of the strengths a series can have is how the characters develop over time, so I'd love to read something where the villain of one is the hero of another. Granted I'd be getting more if 2 were together, but I don't think it'd be necessary to combine them. All kinds of readers out there though, so no matter what you do there'll be people inclined and disinclined to it.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

foreverjuly said:


> Hearing how evil the characters are make me much more interested in this series. I think one of the strengths a series can have is how the characters develop over time, *so I'd love to read something where the villain of one is the hero of another.* Granted I'd be getting more if 2 were together, but I don't think it'd be necessary to combine them. All kinds of readers out there though, so no matter what you do there'll be people inclined and disinclined to it.


You have GOT to read _The Death Gate Cycle_ by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman. 7 book series. First is called _Dragon Wing_. I've probably given away a dozen copies of that one just to get friends and family to check it out. Amazing series.

David - You're getting a lot of mileage on this one. Wow. I can't keep my own book threads on page 1 for more than five minutes, it seems. Awesome!


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Mr. Foreverjuly: I hope you're right. I do know I might gain some readers by the whole "they're so evil" thing. My worry is that I'm losing people throughout book one that would truly enjoy the rest of the series, especially consideirng how book one is fairly different from the rest of the series.

McAfee: Is Deathgate cycle on Kindle? I've seen you recommend that series nearly fifty-million times, and I'm finally wearing down.

David Dalglish


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Mr. Foreverjuly: I hope you're right. I do know I might gain some readers by the whole "they're so evil" thing. My worry is that I'm losing people throughout book one that would truly enjoy the rest of the series, especially consideirng how book one is fairly different from the rest of the series.
> 
> McAfee: Is Deathgate cycle on Kindle? I've seen you recommend that series nearly fifty-million times, and I'm finally wearing down.
> 
> David Dalglish


I dunno. It's an amazing series, though. I'll mail you my extra copy of Book One if you want.


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## Guest (Jul 3, 2010)

David - my review of "The Cost of Betrayal" is now up on Amazon. I hope it adds to the discussions here - all valid stuff about the anti-heroes but I think I see where you're coming from and enjoy the little glimmers of hope you throw up from time to time. It is a risk having dark protagonists but I think you give your readers a way in - even if only through Harruq's immaturity and fierce devotion at first.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Said it in a message to you, but I'll say it here as well:

A review like that will get me through a hundred bad days and a thousand 2-star reviews. Unbelievable. Thank you.

David Dalglish


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Oops. I read the omnibus edition a short time ago and forgot to post here.



I'm really glad I opted for the three books combined as one. I may not have bought the second book after reading the first. There was nothing likable enough about the characters to make me care what happened to them. However, had I read the first and second books I would have bought the third. Well done, David. I think your future is bright.


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## Cammie (Nov 15, 2008)

Jeff said:


> Oops. I read the omnibus edition a short time ago and forgot to post here.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm really glad I opted for the three books combined as one. I may not have bought the second book after reading the first. There was nothing likable enough about the characters to make me care what happened to them. However, had I read the first and second books I would have bought the third. Well done, David. I think your future is bright.


Just purchased the same edition and am looking forward to reading the books sometime soon.


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## rcordiner (Jul 4, 2010)

I have to say I agree with David (1 or 2) - I guess 2 because you started the thread - can't believe you kept the thread going - mine disappeared very quickly.  However - I must say that I thin kyou should stick to your guns - the review is actually interesting me now.  There is nothing worse that characters that don't have a little evil in them ...


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Jeff's actually been a great help. The dilemma I've been stuck with is trying to convince readers the second book shows more growth of the characters, and that Harruq becomes far more likable. After tossing around a few ideas with Jeff, I think I know a way. Without spoilers, it'll involve a much more conscious effort by Harruq at turning against his darker side, as well as revealing much more of the confrontation between the brothers that is central to the second book. At the same time, this won't sacrifice the low point Harruq must reach, for the rest of the series depends upon it.

And thanks so much to people purchasing the Omnibus edition. It feels rather humbling to see people willing to take such a chance on me. I hope I don't disappoint!

David Dalglish


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## lib2b (Apr 6, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Jeff's actually been a great help. The dilemma I've been stuck with is trying to convince readers the second book shows more growth of the characters, and that Harruq becomes far more likable. After tossing around a few ideas with Jeff, I think I know a way. Without spoilers, it'll involve a much more conscious effort by Harruq at turning against his darker side, as well as revealing much more of the confrontation between the brothers that is central to the second book. At the same time, this won't sacrifice the low point Harruq must reach, for the rest of the series depends upon it.
> 
> And thanks so much to people purchasing the Omnibus edition. It feels rather humbling to see people willing to take such a chance on me. I hope I don't disappoint!
> 
> David Dalglish


Does this mean one or more of the existing books will be changing? I've got the first one on my TBR list, but if something's going to be rewritten, I'll wait...


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

lib2b said:


> Does this mean one or more of the existing books will be changing? I've got the first one on my TBR list, but if something's going to be rewritten, I'll wait...


Only the first book will be changed. In a larger sense, very little is actually changing. I'm focusing much more on the ending than anything else, trying to lay a few bread crumbs down for readers so they have a better idea where the second story is going. Many people have liked the first book and moved onto the second no problem. Others found the first book okay, but felt hesitant to start the second because of the characters (Geoff's post is a solid example of that). These changes are aimed at addressing the concerns of that second crowd. Unanimous opinion is that the second book is greater than the first. I just need to do everything I can to get people there.

I'll have these changes done by the end of today, so if you've already bought Weight of Blood, feel free to PM me with your email address and I'll send you a prc file with the updates (this goes for anyone that might have bought it and wants the update, btw). It'll be a few days before I get the file uploaded to Amazon (still publishing a prior file update I did with some formatting improvements) in case anyone wishes to purchase it from there.

David Dalglish


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## lib2b (Apr 6, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Only the first book will be changed. In a larger sense, very little is actually changing. I'm focusing much more on the ending than anything else, trying to lay a few bread crumbs down for readers so they have a better idea where the second story is going. Many people have liked the first book and moved onto the second no problem. Others found the first book okay, but felt hesitant to start the second because of the characters (Geoff's post is a solid example of that). These changes are aimed at addressing the concerns of that second crowd. Unanimous opinion is that the second book is greater than the first. I just need to do everything I can to get people there.
> 
> I'll have these changes done by the end of today, so if you've already bought Weight of Blood, feel free to PM me with your email address and I'll send you a prc file with the updates (this goes for anyone that might have bought it and wants the update, btw). It'll be a few days before I get the file uploaded to Amazon (still publishing a prior file update I did with some formatting improvements) in case anyone wishes to purchase it from there.
> 
> David Dalglish


I had downloaded the EPUB version of first book back when it was free on Smashwords. I'll just wait until the updated version is on Smashwords and buy it then.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Okay, the updated version of Weight of Blood is live on Smashwords, and for the first time in awhile, I'm starting to feel a bit confident about the ending. Many thanks to Jeff Hepple for both inspiration and some file hosting. For people that don't want to use smashwords, a .prc file is hosted here:

http://www.eliscopublishing.com/DavidDalglish/WeightOfBlood.prc

David Dalglish


----------



## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

I'm 9 chapters into this book and I have to say that it IS good. I do understand the reviews that say it's dark, though. BUT, who says every story has be bright and sunny? Certainly not me (as anyone who's read my work can attest). I'll definitely be picking up Book 2 when I'm done with this one.


----------



## Learnmegood (Jun 20, 2009)

Hey David,

I don't actually own a Kindle myself.  But I did get an iphone a couple of weeks ago, and I've been playing with my new little toy.  Today, I downloaded the ibooks app, and I was looking through the books and came across The Weight of Blood.  I downloaded and read the sample (first 40-some pages) and REALLY liked it.  I'm going to try to read more as soon as I can (probably be a couple months though).

I'll be sure to post a review when I'm done.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Glad you're enjoying it, McAfee. If a fellow "Attack of the Davids" ally found it poor, the alliance would surely crack and break  .

Jack, that's so neat that you came across Weight of Blood. Might I ask how? The mechanizations of the iBookstore are an enigma to me. Did you search for it, or was it ranked somewhere in Fantasy?

And it's -great- to hear you're liking it (especially REALLY liking it). I say this honesty in that the series only gets much, much better.

David Dalglish


----------



## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Just downloaded the first book's sample and enjoyed it.  Added to my to-read list!


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

DArenson said:


> Just downloaded the first book's sample and enjoyed it. Added to my to-read list!


That's great to hear! Thanks 

David Dalglish


----------



## Learnmegood (Jun 20, 2009)

David, I had never navigated the ibook store either.  But I figured it would be somewhat like the App store, where they have a Top Paid # and a Top Free #.  I tapped on Free, and started scrolling through the authors alphabetically.  They were mostly classic authors -- Alcott, Dickens -- but then I saw David Dalglish and thought, Hey, THAT'S a familiar name!

I see that the whole book is free, but I just downloaded the sample to start with.

Your ibook formatting is WAY better than mine too.  Which got me thinking, and it was Lulu who put it in the istore, so I think they did the formatting.  There aren't even page breaks between chapters on Learn Me Good.  AND, LMG is $9.99!!

Oh, and one more thing -- Jack Woodson is the character, I'm actually John Pearson.


----------



## lib2b (Apr 6, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Okay, the updated version of Weight of Blood is live on Smashwords, and for the first time in awhile, I'm starting to feel a bit confident about the ending. Many thanks to Jeff Hepple for both inspiration and some file hosting. For people that don't want to use smashwords, a .prc file is hosted here:
> 
> http://www.eliscopublishing.com/DavidDalglish/WeightOfBlood.prc
> 
> David Dalglish


Just re-downloaded from Smashwords. On the Nook it goes...


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Learnmegood said:


> Oh, and one more thing -- Jack Woodson is the character, I'm actually John Pearson.


And now I feel like an idiot. 

So, _John,_ I used Smashwords to convert it over. I made sure the formatting was very solid, and I'm glad to hear it went over well. Also, I see there are benefits to having a last name start with the letter 'D', eh?

Smashwords was also how I got it there as 'Free.' I'm very interested to get some download numbers from Apple to see just how many might have gotten it, and if that translated at all into sales for Cost of Betrayal.

Hope you enjoy, Lib2b. Hopefully my novel will be quite comfy on your Nook.

David Dalglish


----------



## M.S. Verish (Feb 26, 2010)

Downloaded a sample of your first book. Looking forward to reading it. Love the cover art. Are you the artist?


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Matthew + Stefanie Verish said:


> Downloaded a sample of your first book. Looking forward to reading it. Love the cover art. Are you the artist?


I can only wish I had that much talent. The artist is a guy named Peter Ortiz, who I discovered on DeviantArt. He's absolutely wonderful. You can view more of his stuff here: http://standalone-complex.deviantart.com/. I've also added a tiny bit at the bottom of my initial post with the same information (since this is a pretty dang common question I get ).

Hope you enjoy what you've got!

David Dalglish


----------



## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

Hey, David - I finished The Weight of Blood a little while ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it! I really got swept away by the whole thing. 

Joel


----------



## M.S. Verish (Feb 26, 2010)

David,

Thanks for the link! Can't wait to check out the artwork.  

P.S. Do you know if Peter will be at GenCon 2010 this year? My wife and I will be promoting our book alongside all the fantasy artists there. We'd like to meet him.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Joel: that's fantastic Joel! Now I guess the main question is (and seems to be a recurring theme so far in this thread), are you invested and interested in the characters enough to start the second book?

Matt/Stef: Some of that guy's artwork is amazing (look for 'The Fate of Mankind' which nabbed him almost 10,000 views in one day). I have no clue if he'll be attending GenCon, or if he ever has. I've sent you a PM with his email address in case you want to ask him yourself. He's a nice guy, though it might take him awhile to respond.  

David Dalglish


----------



## MachineTrooper (Jun 22, 2010)

Congrats, David! You're obviously doing something right.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

MachineTrooper said:


> Congrats, David! You're obviously doing something right.


That 'right' was hanging out here at these wonderful boards. 

David Dalglish


----------



## Quake1028 (Jul 11, 2010)

So, I too finished "The Weight of Blood" today, and from reading through this thread, I got the updated version from Smashwords, for free. In short, I freaking L-O-V-E-D it. It slotted in right behind "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" as my second favorite book of the year, so far. I couldn't believe that the book was written by an indie author, much less someone to interact with on these forums. In fact, I loved it so much that I will be paying for a copy of the first book through Amazon, and buying the second and third books as soon as I finish a few more off my Kindle (I want to savor it). 

David, any ETA on the fourth and fifth book?


----------



## bluefrog (Apr 6, 2010)

Quake1028 said:


> David, any ETA on the fourth and fifth book?


Excellent question - I'm waiting for book 4, also. Are you too busy with the War Between the Davids to write? lol


----------



## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Joel: that's fantastic Joel! Now I guess the main question is (and seems to be a recurring theme so far in this thread), are you invested and interested in the characters enough to start the second book?
> David Dalglish


Sorry I didn't see your question earlier, but yes, definitely! I have the second book already bought and burning a hole on my reader. (Although I have a couple other things I committed to reading first.)

Joel


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Quake...I'm just, heh, a little speechless here (and I think everyone who knows me here should be well aware how freaking hard that is to do). Thank you so much, that's wonderful to hear. Give me about a week before you buy the print version. I'm going through updating their contents, putting in a lot of Formatting changes so they'll look much prettier and more like the newer version on Smashwords.

As for book four: The Shadows of Grace is -technically- finished. However, there's a large time gap that I need to fill in, as well as make a few tweaks now that I've done some work fleshing out the world. I expect to have it out in about two months, three at worst. And no, War of the Davids is not why it might take so long.    Spent my most recent time writing A Dance of Cloaks (a standalone novel taking place about 5-6 years before Weight of Blood, involving a war between thief guilds and a wealthy elite). It is in the hands of proofreaders now, so I basically just started my editing and work on book 4 this week.

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo....sheesh. Pretty freaking elite company you're putting me in. Unbelievable...any chance some of those wonderful words can migrate their way to a review on Amazon? *cough hint plead cough*  

Seriously, though, you made my week. Joel and Bluefrog, you two are icing on the cake.

David Dalglish


----------



## Quake1028 (Jul 11, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Quake...I'm just, heh, a little speechless here (and I think everyone who knows me here should be well aware how freaking hard that is to do). Thank you so much, that's wonderful to hear. Give me about a week before you buy the print version. I'm going through updating their contents, putting in a lot of Formatting changes so they'll look much prettier and more like the newer version on Smashwords.


Do you mean the Amazon Kindle versions, or are you updating the actual print versions? I would think the former, yes?



Half-Orc said:


> Girl With the Dragon Tattoo....sheesh. Pretty freaking elite company you're putting me in. Unbelievable...any chance some of those wonderful words can migrate their way to a review on Amazon? *cough hint plead cough*
> 
> Seriously, though, you made my week. Joel and Bluefrog, you two are icing on the cake.
> 
> David Dalglish


Done.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Aye, the print versions. When I made the Omnibus version I did a lot of formatting and images and whatnot, and I think last week or so I uploaded all the nifty changes to the original versions on Amazon, then Smashwords. I've finished and approved the proof to Cost of Betrayal, and about to upload new print versions for Weight of Blood. Alas, it looks like someone JUST ordered all 3 (!!!) at the same time. I think they'll be a little confused as to why the second book looks so much prettier on the inside than the out  .

Oh, and just read your review. Again, just absolutely wonderful. This sort of thing makes all those hours and 2-star reviews absolutely worth it. Thank you so much.

David Dalglish


----------



## bluefrog (Apr 6, 2010)

Waiting impatiently 










(I think Qurrah got into the steroids)


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Oh that's too cute (and is now my desktop background  ).

Did you have some guildies help you on that?

David Dalglish


----------



## bluefrog (Apr 6, 2010)

My husband is Harruq, and I made Qurrah on my granddaughters account


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

You're too awesome. My wife and I played for the longest time, but since we never played Horde, didn't seem right to make a human version of Harruq. Friend made a Qurrah though. I think he transcends all race.  

I guess I might as well say, Amazon has discounted Weight of Blood a whopping 10 cents. Maybe that'll net a few more sales, eh?

David Dalglish


----------



## Guest (Jul 23, 2010)

Just bought my copy of Weight of Blood. Shouldn't this thing come with a safety harness and a helmet?


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

foreverjuly said:


> Just bought my copy of Weight of Blood. Shouldn't this thing come with a safety harness and a helmet?


Oh, with all that poofy clown hair of yours, there should be plenty enough to absorb the energy


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Our own Robert J. Duperre did a wonderful review of The Weight of Blood on his blog. You can read it here: http://journalofalways.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-weight-of-blood-by-david.html.

My favorite part:



> ...if you appreciate a well-told story that pulls you into its world and won't let you back out, this is the novel for you. It is unrelenting and fast-paced. It makes you care about the characters, no matter what bad deeds they may perform. And, best of all, it allows you to feel hope that the characters will turn it all around, and through something as simple as an act of kindness.
> 
> In short, I loved "The Weight of Blood". The title says it all. It's about the inherent price of violence, the duty of family, and the pressure to do what's right. I would definitely recommend it. As far as fantasy goes, I feel you'd be hard pressed to find one that equals its scope and passion. I, for one, can't wait to get pulled into the next volume.


A few minor bits of news. For several weeks (and to the last of my knowledge), the Weight of Blood has been sitting at number 3 on the free downloads list on Science Fiction and Fantasy in the iBookstore. Also, the entire Half-Orc Series has crossed 2,000 sales on the Amazon store. Good times, good times. Last but not least, I'm supporting August 7th on KindleNation, so hopefully that'll be a nice fun day of sales.

Thanks to everyone here who has bought my books. I hope you've enjoyed 'em.

David Dalglish


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Bragging time! List of quotes from various emails I've received from fans.



> I just wanted to share the review I wrote for your book. You are the first author I have ever done this for. I completed on amazon. I have also just finished book 2 and just about to read number 3. The only thing I wish for is that I would not of started this book or series yet. I am getting married next year and it would of been great to read on the long flight and beach. Please bring out lots more between now and April ....... . I will even read your drafts lol.
> 
> All the best and please keep writing.





> I just finished the second book of the Half-orcs in my Omnibus volume I've bought. It's actually the first books ever I read on my newly acquired Kindle and I've pretty much stopped everything else I've been supposed to do the last few days to plunge deeper into your books.
> 
> Your an inspiration in the sense that books don't always have to be about the strife for good or that "the Light prevails". Not to mention that the world is so much more interesting and more accurate when there is light in darkness and darkness in light. To use a phrase that describes but yet doesn't justify the moral dilemmas in your books, "it's complicated".
> 
> ...





> Hi my name is ***** im 14 years old and i love your books to death i read all three in 4 days. i would love to know when to new books are comeing out ether the half orcs or the haren watcher books. Your books remind me of the legemd of Drizzt books by R.A. Salvatore, just amazing but please dont do what he did and drag on the books to make more money by just repeating him self. oh and if your going to be doing books about other charters you should do one about mira because you kind of them a blank spot in the books about her like no background info. Sorry if im being critical or if im butting in i just really love your books. thank you so much for the books





> Wow&#8230; I wanted to drop a line and let you know that your books are great. I just finished "The Cost of Betrayal" and I cannot wait to read the next one&#8230; One question I do have&#8230; you mentioned on your Author Note&#8230; that there are THREE more books to go&#8230; I cannot find number four and five&#8230; are they under development? Where can I get my hands on them!!
> 
> Thanks and please keep writing, these characters are great.


Just had to share these. I absolutely love getting 'em. If you haven't given me a shot yet, the first book is free on both Smashwords and the iBookstore. Thanks all.

David Dalglish


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Bragging time! List of quotes from various emails I've received from fans.
> 
> Just had to share these. I absolutely love getting 'em. If you haven't given me a shot yet, the first book is free on both Smashwords and the iBookstore. Thanks all.
> 
> David Dalglish


Nice! I plan to start reading the first book soon; it's coming up on my TBR list.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

The e-mail from the 14-year-old must have had your stomach doing backflips.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

DArenson said:


> Nice! I plan to start reading the first book soon; it's coming up on my TBR list.


Exciting! Hope I don't disappoint.



John Fitch V said:


> The e-mail from the 14-year-old must have had your stomach doing backflips.


Every one of them always makes me smile, but the 14 year old did make my day. That was just so neat. Realizing that for some people out there, I really _am_ one of their favorite authors is just so...humbling. And awesome.

David Dalglish


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2010)

Hey!
As a Daigle to a Daglish, congrats on your work. I believe I've run across you on amazon fantasy discussions.
Keep up the good work!


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

davethedc said:


> Hey!
> As a Daigle to a Daglish, congrats on your work. I believe I've run across you on amazon fantasy discussions.
> Keep up the good work!


Sheesh, just what we need, another David D around these parts .

Howdy, and I guess I'll say welcome and congratz right back to you!

David Dalglish


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Sheesh, just what we need, another David D around these parts .
> 
> Howdy, and I guess I'll say welcome and congratz right back to you!
> 
> David Dalglish


We can always use another David around these parts. I'm getting sick of wearing the dang Chicken suit. Give it to the newbie and gimme back my Sam the Eagle outfit!


----------



## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Every one of them always makes me smile, but the 14 year old did make my day. That was just so neat. Realizing that for some people out there, I really _am_ one of their favorite authors is just so...humbling. And awesome.
> 
> David Dalglish


Well, you know the reason why I said that in regards to that fan mail writer.


----------



## StarGazer (Jun 8, 2010)

Ok, I can resist no longer. Picked up the Weight of Blood and started it on my lunch hour. I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store. This really reminds me of the Dragonlance Chronicles. Two brothers, one a magician and one a warrior. Raislin was one of my most favorite fantasy characters. Also, not a particularly likeable character as he had quite an evil streak to him as well.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

The Raistlin/Caramon comparison is most certainly apt, at least as a starting point. I'm not sure if Qurrah will ever stack up compared to him, but I feel like I've created a fairly distinct and fun set of characters. I hope you enjoy, StarGazer, and I'm thrilled you finally gave in to the allure of the half-orcs.  

David Dalglish


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Every now and then you get one of those reviews that takes your breath away, smacks you around, and throws you all the way up to high heaven. This is that review for my second book, The Cost of Betrayal, by our own Robert Duperre.

http://journalofalways.blogspot.com/2010/08/review-cost-of-betrayal-by-david.html

Going to quote the highlight of the review for me (the entire review is loooong).



> This is a deeply sad book. And it is poignant. I couldn't put it down. It is painful, at times, to take in, and yet you can't stop. It makes you FEEL and THINK, and that is, besides pure entertainment, the reason most of us read in the first place. For this, David Dalglish should be commended. I do not speak in hyperbole to say that this is one of the four or five best novels I have read IN MY LIFETIME. It has everything one would want in a book. It takes you through the roller coaster of sensations - from hopeful to despaired to overjoyed to, finally, broken - and spits you out on the other side shaken and thankful for what you have. You laugh, you cry, you ponder. This is truly an accomplishment, and one that should not be overlooked.


So. Freaking. Awesome.

David Dalglish


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Ooookay. The who-knows-what-it's-called-now thread wore me down and I finally bought them. _ Then _I discovered there was an Omnibus, and bought that instead, not to save all of 28 cents but because it's easier on the Kindle that way.... I don't have to remember which title is supposed to come first.  (So don't have a hissy fit because someone returned books.  )

But now I see in this thread that _Dance of Cloaks_ takes place a few years before the other three... in which order would you suggest that they be read? DoC first, or the Omnibus first?


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Before I try to think of an answer, I'll first say: awesome!

Normally I'd say the Omni, and I'd even written out like half a paragraph explaining why, but now I've changed my mind. Go ahead and read _Dance of Cloaks_ first. I think you'll enjoy finding and picking out characters throughout the Half-Orc series afterward. That, and Dance is easily my most well-written story. I'd rather you start with my best than my potential worst, that make sense?

So glad you bought 'em. I really, really hope you enjoy!

David Dalglish


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

David check pms


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> Normally I'd say the Omni, and I'd even written out like half a paragraph explaining why, but now I've changed my mind. Go ahead and read _Dance of Cloaks_ first. I think you'll enjoy finding and picking out characters throughout the Half-Orc series afterward. That, and Dance is easily my most well-written story. I'd rather you start with my best than my potential worst, that make sense?


Okay, makes sense, that's what I'll do! Thank you.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Susan in VA said:


> Okay, makes sense, that's what I'll do! Thank you.


No hurry or anything, but I'm excited to hear what you think! I'm a little low on the feedback end for Dance of Cloaks, but at the same time, I'm so excited about it. I really do think it is easily my best story in terms of pure writing.

David Dalglish


----------



## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> No hurry or anything, but I'm excited to hear what you think! I'm a little low on the feedback end for Dance of Cloaks, but at the same time, I'm so excited about it. I really do think it is easily my best story in terms of pure writing.
> 
> David Dalglish


I'll be glad to post feedback, but it won't be _very _soon... I'm in the middle of a couple of other books, and on most days I have less than an hour of reading time.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Susan in VA said:


> I'll be glad to post feedback, but it won't be _very _soon... I'm in the middle of a couple of other books, and on most days I have less than an hour of reading time.


As I said, no hurry


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## Quake1028 (Jul 11, 2010)

David, you might be interested to nkow that The Cost of Betrayal is already downloaded on my PC and will be the very first ebook to ever grace my new Kindle 3.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Quake1028 said:


> David, you might be interested to nkow that The Cost of Betrayal is already downloaded on my PC and will be the very first ebook to ever grace my new Kindle 3.


That is awesome! Harruq and Qurrah, now in 50% higher contrast


----------



## Victoria lane &amp; R.T. Fox (Nov 10, 2009)

I have finally broke down and downloaded The weight of blood. I am going to the dark side and read some syfi  for a change. Good luck kid


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

I had to go to page 8 to find this thread?!?!

Well, I just finished reading THE COST OF BETRAYAL. Tessanna is one scary witch... but change the W to a B.

Qurrah has a redeeming quality about him, but he needs to shuck (not replacing any letters there) Tessanna. Like most men, he is twisted by her sexual wiles.

I want to read book three now, but alas... my own work calls soon. I know I won't be disappointed.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Both Qurrah and Tess are very much damaged individuals. Putting them together just...yeah. Book three focuses a ton on the two of them at the beginning, and you'll see a different side of Tess throughout much of it.


Spoiler



Aullienna's death really, really messes her up.



I'm glad you read and enjoyed it, John. And don't worry about what page this sucker's on, that's what Jeff's awesome thread at the top is for .

David Dalglish


----------



## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

I keep hearing about Tess everywhere.  I really want to read her books soon.  Once I finish reading Dance of Cloaks (I'm a few chapters into it), I'll definitely go back and read the Half-Orcs.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

DArenson said:


> I keep hearing about Tess everywhere. I really want to read her books soon. Once I finish reading Dance of Cloaks (I'm a few chapters into it), I'll definitely go back and read the Half-Orcs.


She's just one of my favorite characters. I made someone damaged, hyper-sexualized, and with split personalities...and then gave her the powers of a goddess. She's my wild-card in any scene, though I've had a friend or two call her 'overpowered'. 

David Dalglish


----------



## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> She's just one of my favorite characters. I made someone damaged, hyper-sexualized, and with split personalities...and then gave her the powers of a goddess. She's my wild-card in any scene, though I've had a friend or two call her 'overpowered'.
> 
> David Dalglish


Plus


Spoiler



she looks a bit like Laila


.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

DArenson said:


> Plus
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


About to start writing book five, and somehow I'm going to sneak in a halo over her, just for you.


----------



## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> About to start writing book five, and somehow I'm going to sneak in a halo over her, just for you.


Really? That's funny. Because I'm writing a sequel to _Flaming Dove_ titled, "A Dance of Capes", and it includes a samurai-mummy girl.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

DArenson said:


> Really? That's funny. Because I'm writing a sequel to _Flaming Dove_ titled, "A Dance of Capes", and it includes a samurai-mummy girl.


ROFLMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


----------



## Guest (Aug 31, 2010)

Dito


----------



## Quake1028 (Jul 11, 2010)

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3AJEBV6Q98EGS/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm


----------



## Guest (Sep 2, 2010)

Exactly what are the qualifications for being a Half-Orc


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Quake:

I'm giddy. I was wondering if I'd be able to live up to your praise for your first book, but...just...



> In turns I felt drained, sad, heartbroken, uplifted, terrified, hopeful and repulsed. I have no qualms saying that not only is this the best book I've read this year, it's one of my favorite books of all-time.


I'm just shaking my head in wonder. Thank you so much.

And Dave, we talking like an honorary Half-Orc, or actual bloodlines? I could probably go find my Half-Orc Recruiter's guidebook somewhere around this mess...

David Dalglish


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Quake:
> 
> I'm giddy. I was wondering if I'd be able to live up to your praise for your first book, but...just...


I found Quake's review "helpful."

The one that says, "Without giving away too much, [then SPOILS the story]" I found NOT SO HELPFUL!!!!


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Thanks Moses  .

That review you voted down, that one is the one that stung the most. He gave the first book five stars, absolutely loved it, and was one of my very, very first reviews. To suddenly have him so angry with the second book, and apparently give up on the series (he hasn't reviewed any books of mine since) made me rather sad.

But then I get one like Quake's and it makes everything all right.  .

David Dalglish


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

I just left a comment on that review, David.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Does anyone remember that old Sesame Street song?

"One of these things is not like the other; one of these things just isn't the same."










Those are the 'featured' books at the iBookstore (photo taken by a friend) in the Science Fiction and Fantasy homepage. You've got Robert Jordan, George Martin, two Guild Wars books, Eric Nylund, and...my Omnibus.

That's right. Some person or robot at the iBookstore evidently thought I belonged on the splash screen among some of those names (Martin?? Jordan??). Friggin' made my day. Sadly, I have no Smashwords numbers to see how much of an impact this made, but man, it still is neat to see, if even only for a moment.

David Dalglish


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

That's amazing, David!  Well done!


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Character discussion of main anti-hero...


I'm chiming in late here, and I'm also not sure how much use my feedback is going to be because I haven't read the book yet. It's purchased and next on my list, though - I swear  Well, by next... I'm re-reading a series right now and I've got about 8 books left. I'll finish them before the end of the month, probably, though.

Anyway... enough rambling!

My thought which I wanted to share is that there comes a point with a character where I either want him to redeem himself or for something good to go his way, etc. OR I want (badly) for something bad to happen to them, for them to get their comeuppance, so to speak. Again, without having read the book my input is very limited and maybe not even relevant, but I figured I'd just chime in that you don't want people to be turning the pages only because they want to see the karma bus run over Harruq  Or is that the karma horse when it's the fantasy genre?


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

DDP:  Double posting as I was scared if I just did an edit the edit would get lost.  Anyway - it just occurred to me, for ME, as a reader, the best way for me to forgive a character is to make it clear that
A) They are the protagonist, I'm supposed to want to like him, even if he is an anti-hero
B) Make it obvious that some other character forced / tricked him into doing whatever evil deed.  Then the RAGE I feel about the act gets transferred to the bad guy, even if it was the "good guy" who did it.  Further, I then entertain fantasies of the karma horse arriving in the form of GoodGuy finding out what a scumbag BadGuy is and proceeding to metaphorically (or literally) clean his clock.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I understand you wanting good characters to eventually be rewarded, and bad guys get their whallops. Thing is, real life isn't that way, and neither is my story. As a narrator, I make it clear who I feel is good and who I feel needs smacked around, but the story's the boss. By the end of the series, the good guys will have won, and the bad guys will have lost. But on the way there, though, characters will die, bad guys will succeed beyond their dreams, and things can get very, very dark...

As for your double post  :

A) I don't like that idea. I want a character likable because he's likable, not because I've declared him the main character and therefore you have no choice (i.e. Eragon).

B) That feels like cheating. Harruq willingly does some terrible things in this novel. Trying to blame it on others, or cast off his guilt is something, well...it's something his not-so-nice brother will do. And there's a reason Harruq is the main protagonist and Qurrah ends up being an antagonist.

Oh, and hurry through those 8 books already, sheesh. Slowpoke  

David Dalglish


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

It sounds like you've done some really interesting, unconventional things with this series, David. It's going to be fun to read through them and see how it all works out.


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> I understand you wanting good characters to eventually be rewarded, and bad guys get their whallops. Thing is, real life isn't that way, and neither is my story. As a narrator, I make it clear who I feel is good and who I feel needs smacked around, but the story's the boss. By the end of the series, the good guys will have won, and the bad guys will have lost. But on the way there, though, characters will die, bad guys will succeed beyond their dreams, and things can get very, very dark...
> 
> As for your double post :
> 
> ...


 I'm workin' on it, Bossy! And Dance of Cloaks sounds reeeaaallly good to me.

Just to clarify...
A) I'm not saying the author should do that (declare the character likable b/c he's the lead), I'm just saying I, personally, tend to do that. I try really hard to like the lead character, until I just can't for whatever reason.
B) No, no... Harruq shouldn't blame others or be whiny. Yuck. And of course he's not going to paint his brother as the bad guy. It's his brother, sheesh  As the reader, though, if I can think to myself "Oh, H. would never have done that if that jerk Q hadn't done/said thus and so" that's another matter.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Arkali said:


> As the reader, though, if I can think to myself "Oh, H. would never have done that if that jerk Q hadn't done/said thus and so" that's another matter.


Aaaah, well in that case, it's pretty clear in book one that Harruq does what he's doing because of an unconditional love for his brother. Remove his brother, and a prophet named Velixar, from the picture and Harruq's just a nice ol' boy. In fact, there are times when you can glimpse this when he's alone with a certain elf.

Dance of Cloaks is probably the best written out of everything I have. It's about as good an introduction to me you can find. 

David Dalglish


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## Learnmegood (Jun 20, 2009)

I just finished reading The Weight of Blood, and I highly enjoyed it.  I would have preferred a bit more hot elf-on-elf action and/or do-it-yourself spellcasting instruction, but other than that, I can't complain.  I guess I never really got a good visual in my head of what the 2 main characters should look like though.  I kept imagining Qurrah as a sickly green version of Professor Snape, and Harruq as Shrek with a mohawk.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Learnmegood said:


> I kept imagining Qurrah as_ a sickly green version of Professor Snape_, and Harruq as Shrek with a mohawk.


That it too freaking funny, and more importantly, not that far off the mark.


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

I just finished, too, and went ahead and wrote you a short review (Anne Victory). I dunno - I don't do long reviews. Seems like most of the time people are writing a frikkin' book report complete with plot synopsis and I always think "You know, I CAN read. Darned synopsis is up there in product details. Just tell me if you liked it or not, and if not please don't just say it sucked - expound." The fact that it's also 1 am might have had something to do with the shortness of the review 


Spoiler



Anyway - I will say, since you were asking about this upthread - towards the end I was kind of hoping Qurrah, Harruq and V would all die. For some reason I just didn't FEEL Harruq's conflict. He almost did come across as a stupid orc. I also really didn't buy H & A falling in love. Dunno. Your battle scenes were pretty awesome. Characterization - not so much. Sorry - that probably sounds harsh. I'm not meaning for it to be. I just kept wanting for SOMEONE to stop the slaughter, you know, 'cause it didn't seem like they were going to stop on their own. And the scene where he kills Aurelia? "I didn't mean to." WTF? He's not a child. Stabbing someone in the gut kills them, you dumbbunny (thought to H)!



Lessee - darkness. I dunno what some people are reading, but I honestly didn't find it all that dark. Sure, it wasn't all sunshine and roses, but nothing really horrified me or anything.


Spoiler



I honestly felt queasier when they killed the ambassador elf (we later found out it was their dad) than I did the Cornrows scene. Though Cornrows was pretty bad (in a good way), don't get me wrong.



ANYWAY! To sum up: I enjoyed the book. A lot. I read it in about a day and a half and I immediately, upon hitting 100%, went and bought 2&3 plus Dance of Cloaks, which ought to tell you how much I liked it  Thanks for a good read


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

DDP: Just a small bump for the half-orc since I saw he's online 

Edit: About 25% into Book 2 and I have to say I'm LOVING it. Very attached to the brothers now, and also the mercenary guild.


Spoiler



I'm a bit fearful for Qurrah - his chickie has the hair on my neck standing on end and scares me he's going to go back to the dark side.


 But just wanted to say how awesome it is


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Sorry, was subbing and reading this during my 'planning' hour. Turns out I could read the thread but the filter would kick in when I tried to respond. Silly computers.

Lessee, where to start...

Oh, first off: thanks for the review 

Glad you're attached to the Brothers now. Reading the first thread, I was kind of baffled how you could like the book as much as you did when


Spoiler



you still wanted Harruq and Qurrah to, well, die.


Yes, Harruq can be an idiot at times. Book one is certainly not where the best characterization is at. It's basically all a set-up,


Spoiler



just trying to get Aurelia with the Tun brothers


. As you can sorta now see, everything falls into place once they


Spoiler



join the Eschaton


. It's only going to get better. Qurrah/Tess prove to be a wonderful counterpoint to Harruq/Aurelia in so many ways.

I'm really glad you're enjoying it as much as you are, especially to already be like, 30,000 words into the second!

David Dalglish


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

You're welcome  I don't do a lot of reviews (too darned lazy) but I figure if I do reviews on indy books that'll be a good turn for the authors, so that's going to be my policy 

It was kind of a funny thing in book 1 - I didn't want them to die, because logical brain says "If they die, that's the end of the story, dummy" But still, every time it looked like a close one part of my was wanting them to get nailed. Horrible of me, I know. Now, in Book 2, I'm genuinely fearful for the characters. I just finished the chapter


Spoiler



where Qurrah and Tess get jiggy with it


 and I really want them to be okay, but I have a baaaddd feeling about it. *sigh* BUT! Definitely liking, a LOT. And I loved Dieredon in Book 1 - I'm looking forward to seeing him soon in 2


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Dieredon has a small role in book 2. He's almost non-existent for book 3, but comes back pretty big in book 4. He's just one of those guys I like keeping around. Never know when he can bail me out of something stupid I wrote earlier  

Qurrah and Tess are very, very polarizing, and you'll see why. You can see it in some of the reviews. Some readers are sympathetic. Some want them dead, and the sooner the better. I can't wait until Shadows of Grace finally hits. So many readers that want absolutes are going to be shell-shocked (and probably pissed off at me.)

David Dalglish


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

LOL  How long on Book 4, btw?  I mean, I've still got plenty to read, don't get me wrong, but... yeah.  :cracks the whip:


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Sad truth is: I don't know. It's written, and I've done my edits. I'm just waiting for my outside editors to send me the book back, as well as Peter to start work on the cover. Trust me, I'm just as impatient as anyone else to get this sucker out and for sale  .

David Dalglish


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Heh.  Cool beans.  Well... I'm off to read some more.  Must... see... what... happens.  I may be back in a minute to hurt you if something happens that I think is going to happen. :mock glare:


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Arkali said:


> Heh. Cool beans. Well... I'm off to read some more. Must... see... what... happens. I may be back in a minute to hurt you if something happens that I think is going to happen. :mock glare:


Hrm. I may have to hide when you actually hit the very end....


----------



## Guest (Sep 18, 2010)

Hey Orcy,
5 pages of posts and 5 books and a 6th soon to be. Prolific! You'll soon be as famous as Archer.
Good going and good luck!


----------



## Guest (Sep 18, 2010)

Those orcs are pretty cool.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

davethedc said:


> Hey Orcy,
> 5 pages of posts and 5 books and a 6th soon to be. Prolific! You'll soon be as famous as Archer.
> Good going and good luck!


Oh, good Lord. 

--definitely NOT famous (yet possibly infamous) Archer-Paladin
(Hey, David--recall the scene where the 'monk' gets his ears pulled off? Hooo-aaaah!  )


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Archer (the Paladin) said:


> Oh, good Lord.
> 
> --definitely NOT famous (yet possibly infamous) Archer-Paladin
> (Hey, David--recall the scene where the 'monk' gets his ears pulled off? Hooo-aaaah!  )


Good thing my world isn't a human-only campaign...and no Bards!


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Hrm. I may have to hide when you actually hit the very end....


Nah. The ending was pretty good  I swear, I could smack both brothers around a bit, though *sigh*


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Arkali said:


> Nah. The ending was pretty good  I swear, I could smack both brothers around a bit, though *sigh*


Dear lord you're flying through them. I'd swear you started Cost of Betrayal like, what...yesterday? Day before?

David Dalglish


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Something like that - I'm a quick reader LOL  Would it scare you if I said I was 8% into The Death of Promises? 

PS:  Devourer of Books was a clue 

PPS:  *sigh*  Don't spoil it for me, but... I really want there to be a happy ending for Tessana and Qurrah, too.  I've a bad feeling there won't be, but I sure do hope for them


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Arkali said:


> PPS: *sigh* Don't spoil it for me, but... I really want there to be a happy ending for Tessana and Qurrah, too. I've a bad feeling there won't be, but I sure do hope for them


Sometimes I'm just amazed at how drastically different people can react to my characters. My latest reviews (other than yours) kept hoping for Qurrah and Tess to die. You're hoping for them to have a happy ending.

I almost sent you a PM to let you know whether or not they'll have a happy ending, but you insist I not spoil things for you, so I won't. 

David Dalglish


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Heh. I keep seeing things that make them redeemable, such as


Spoiler



when they pay for their supplies by taking out Tory at the bridge


 At this point, I'd only hope they died if it saved another character I like better. Like if it was between them and the entire Eschaton, excluding Hurruq, then I'd probably prefer for them to die.

It's kind of funny - at this point I don't see them as evil so much as not knowing any better / batdoo crazy (pretty sure profanity is frowned upon here ) Qurrah reminds me of my stray cat, Tuxedo. Tux is very sweet and affectionate, but if he's lying down and you pet him he'll swipe at you. That's after rolling over and exposing his belly for you to rub and looking really cute. Hubby and I think he's NEVER had a home or much human interaction so what I think is going on is that he craves affection but at the same time it scares him because he's vulnerable, so he wigs out and swipes at you. Pretty much what I see Qurrah doing.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Hrm...I think you'll like book four. A lot. Now if only I can get the dang cover and edits in....


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

okes the editor and artist:

Tell them they need to hurry up - I'm at 25%   I have to say, your editor has done a pretty good job.  I've spotted a couple of errors, but not anything more than what I see when reading a trad. published book.  Oh - is DoC (Dance of Cloaks) a sequel, prequel, or spin-off / same world but not related?  That one's next


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Arkali said:


> okes the editor and artist:
> 
> Tell them they need to hurry up - I'm at 25%  I have to say, your editor has done a pretty good job. I've spotted a couple of errors, but not anything more than what I see when reading a trad. published book. Oh - is DoC (Dance of Cloaks) a sequel, prequel, or spin-off / same world but not related?  That one's next


I've got that question answered pretty thoroughly in its other thread, but the main idea is it is sort of a Haern spin-off, standalone, that takes place about 6 years prior to The Weight of Blood.


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Cool. I love Haern  And GRRRRR.


Spoiler



Tess and Q just fell in with Velixar. Now, that S.O.B. - I hope he dies. I hope Tess finds out it's him that killed Aellienna and she roasts him. And I could smack Q for being stupid, too.



ETA: The above statement reminded me of our discussion before I had read the books where I said that as a reader I could forgive characters for quite a lot if there was a scapegoat of some sort to place the blame on. Velixar fits the bill quite nicely


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

DDP: Omigod. Okay, Qurrah and Tessanna just ticked me off soooo bad


Spoiler



when they killed the priest. Now I can't think of her name. But it really did tick me off to the point of being ready to hope they die again. *sigh* Part of what kills me is Qurrah talks about wanting to be strong, yada yada, and yet he's letting three different people manipulate him and lead him around by the nose. Grrrr. Also - it was a bit of a disconnect that they find out that Velixar killed Aullienna and they're ticked for all of a minute and then "Oh, well. Let's follow him anyway!" I did a serious WTF at that.



Anyway, please don't take any of the previous ranting as me not liking the book. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't want to discuss it


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Incoming giant block of spoiler text!



Spoiler



Them killing Deylsia is Qurrah's lowest point. He himself clearly understands this (the cutting of his eyes so he cries tears of blood). He's given up, now. He's kept his promise; he'll burn the whole world down for Tessanna, and that's what he's doing. Forget Harruq, Aurelia, Delysia, and all the rest of the world. It doesn't matter anymore. If Karak keeps his promise, he'll escape it all with Tessanna. It's desperation is what it is. He tried putting his faith in Velixar and Karak...and look what it's gotten him.

As for Qurrah being 'strong'...that's the whole point. He's a fool. He's a coward. His strength is built on lies and blood. Harruq cast off Velixar's strength at the end of Weight of Blood. Qurrah, however, donned his robes. Harruq was willing to be something better. Qurrah knows only sorrow, death, and ego.

As for Aullienna's death...it was months ago, so the wound wasn't as fresh. And it did horribly affect Tess...but she's good at hiding it (obviously). She's good at keeping it buried. But look at her immediate reaction. Qurrah tells her Velixar was responsible. How does she respond?





> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> "Do you know what I want?" she asked. Tears filled her eyes as he shook his head. "I want to live in a world where I don't feel my mother watching every step I make, preparing me for a fate I don't want. I want to live where no god will meddle in our lives and kill those we love to ensure our paths."





Spoiler



She wants out. She wants to escape. The world she lives in is full of people that hurt her. She'll work with Velixar because doing so gets her what she wants. Besides, she still blames Qurrah for Aullienna's death, yet she loves him and stays with him. If anything, shifting the blame to Velixar is easier for her.



Oh, and the fact that I can make you upset by what characters do...that makes me smile, Arkali. And everything you've written only convinces me all the more how book four will blow your socks off.

David Dalglish


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

I'm really looking forward to it.  I'll probably finish 3 this evening sometime - darn work, can't read like I want to - and then Dance of Cloaks.  After that, I'll probably work on some of the free promotional books I've got or start reading samples.  Should keep me busy until 4 comes out


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

http://journalofalways.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-death-of-promises-by-david.html

Figure while I'm here, Rob Duperre just put up yet another wonderful review of book 3 on his website.

David Dalglish


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## StarGazer (Jun 8, 2010)

I'm about 7/8ths of the way done with Weight of Blood. Overall, I am enjoying the book quite a bit. Very well done. If I might critique a wee bit I would have say that I would find it very hard to believe that


Spoiler



Aurelia would ever forgive Harruq after what he's done. I mean she even witnessed him cutting down her own people right in front of her. He then proceeded to run her through on his sword. Yes, although he then healed her afterward he also, for all inents and purposes, killed her. Then afterward he goes into all of the even worse atrocities he's committed against men, women and children when he slew the entire village. After all of this how could she possibly even trust him much less love him?


 I'm sorry I just can't fathom how that would ever happen. Just seems to be a bit of a stretch there.


Spoiler



Unless of course Aurelia is completely twisted in her own right. 



But other than this I am finding myself hooked on the storyline and will be purchasing the next one. I simply must see what happens!


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

You're right, it's a bit of a stretch. In the grand scheme of things,


Spoiler



Aurelia is supposed to represent Grace. When she knows of Harruq's wrongs, she forgives him of them, but also expects him to do them no longer. That, and let's face it, people will do stupid things for those they love . She also has a very, very good idea of who/what Velixar is. Can people fall in love and forgive members who have left the KKK? Were former thieves/murderers? Many times, they may not, but I try to believe that Aurelia is better than that, could forgive even when many people will shake their heads and say be done with.



Sheesh, soon this whole thread is just going to be a giant black blob of spoiler text. You'd think we were discussing an M. Night Shamy movie, not some silly half-orcs.

Really glad you're enjoying the series, StarGazer. You're more than free to disagree with me, btw. I know what I tried, but that doesn't always mean I succeeded, or even knew what the heck I was doing in the first place .

David Dalglish


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Yay for spoiler tags!! Oh - I saw your post about the review, I'm just holding off 'til I finish the book so there's no chance of spoilage. I'm thinking...

HEAVY DUTY SPOILER on Book 3!!!


Spoiler



That the brothers are going to be the worldly avatars of the two gods. I just read V's little exchange with Karak which reinforced that. Errrm. Sill praying for a happy ending. Though I'm not going to cry if Qurrah and Tess get a stake through the eyeball at this point 



StarGazer, I agree with you, but I just kind of suspended disbelief on that one. That said, I think you'll enjoy books 2 & 3. I know I am


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

After a long stretch with basically NO time to read, I know I am now getting sucked in to 'Dance of Cloaks'. You're right, David...the second half really starts to weave together.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Archer (the Paladin) said:


> After a long stretch with basically NO time to read, I know I am now getting sucked in to 'Dance of Cloaks'. You're right, David...the second half really starts to weave together.


OMG a post without spoiler tags!!

And I'm glad, Archer. It was kind of amusing reading your interview with Derek Prior. The whole while I was just mentally counting off "There's a reason she wouldn't like Half-Orc series, there's another, ooh, there's another!" 

David Dalglish


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

David,
I think the spoiler tags are exactly what the KB members want.
In an author's thread we look for discussion of the books.
And it is more interesting to be able to discuss the characters and their motivations with you.
I have been quietly following this discussion because I made comments fairly early on and have enjoyed the back-and-forth of other readers with you.  
Another neat result of this style forum is that we get to ask you "what were you thinking"   and have you tell us.
I find it interesting that you say you have used the "no redeeming virtues" presentation of the brothers in the first book to highlight the "total forgiveness" and "love is blind" concepts.  As I have said before, being that blind makes the blind character unappealing to me.  As in "anyone that dumb can't be worth reading more about".  But I am.  I have book two on my toberead list.  Just a lot of books there now.

Cheers,
Just sayin.......


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I have no ill will toward the spoiler tags. I just found it amusing that we had like, 5-6 posts in a row with massive amounts.

And I absolutely love this back and forth. Having readers treat these characters seriously, want to know why they'd do this and disagree with why they'd do that; it's just wonderful. It makes me a little sad to see Arkali is done with the third book. I'll have to wait until book 4 now to get more fun discussions with him (her?) 

Weight of Blood is rough in several things, and by no means was your early review or comments off the mark. I made several changes to the book based on some of your remarks, to try and address your concerns as well as a few others brought up as well. Book 2 is a big step-up, and I do hope sometime in the distant future your TBR pile manages to shrink enough you can sneak me in  .

David Dalglish


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

I is a her   

That said... something has been eating on me for a few days now.  Totally meant as constructive criticism, but I'm starting to gnash my teeth every time characters strike their swords together.  I realize it's used as a salute and all, and maybe it's because I read so fast (if I read slower it wouldn't seem like every 5 minutes someone is striking their swords together)   But seriously, there's a lot of combat in your books - not complaining, as I said in one of my reviews, IMO you write some of the best combat scenes I've read.  But I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that the characters do that action at least 20 times.  It just seems like it happens a lot - enough to where I started consciously noticing it, anyway.  So - that was meant to be constructive, not nit-picky   And I'd be interested to know if anyone agrees or if I'm just a weirdo


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Hrm, quite possible. I'll do plenty of things, and it is only when someone brings it up that I'll even be aware of it. Now that I know, I'll skim through. At the very least, I can promise book four won't have people doing that too often. I'd hate to make you gnash teeth and all


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Hrm, quite possible. I'll do plenty of things, and it is only when someone brings it up that I'll even be aware of it. Now that I know, I'll skim through. At the very least, I can promise book four won't have people doing that too often. I'd hate to make you gnash teeth and all


LOL That's me channeling Harruq  I think the WORST ever (and I'm amazed her editor didn't catch it) was this romance book I read. The heroine was the responsible type but her sister was pretty much devil-may-care. Anyway, the author described the sister as "feckless". Nice word. Not one you hear every day, so it kind of sticks out in the brain. Well, it quickly became apparent that the author REALLY liked that word. She probably used it at least 25 times in 200 pages. Several years later I don't remember the name of the book or the author but I still remember the "incident" and how much it aggravated me  I kept thinking "I'm glad you learned a new word. Can I interest you in a thesaurus?"


----------



## Guest (Sep 21, 2010)

There is no such thing as too much sword clashing!  JMHO    I really liked The Weight of Blood David...  Just sayin.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Stephen King gives a similar example in On Writing of an author using the word 'zestful' like a hundred times in some sci-fi novel. He swore to never use it in his own books for the rest of his life.


----------



## StarGazer (Jun 8, 2010)

geoffthomas said:


> ....(clip)
> I find it interesting that you say you have used the "no redeeming virtues" presentation of the brothers in the first book to highlight the "total forgiveness" and "love is blind" concepts. As I have said before, being that blind makes the blind character unappealing to me. As in "anyone that dumb can't be worth reading more about". But I am...(clip)


LOL, that's a creative way of describing how I feel as well.


Spoiler



Especially since she was never intimate with Harruq and really didn't know him for very long.


 Boy, if I had a wife that dumb, *ahem* I mean forgiving, I could probably get into some serious trouble... j/k.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

StarGazer said:


> LOL, that's a creative way of describing how I feel as well.
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


Hahahah. Technically they were supposed to have known each other for several months, but I think I did a poor job conveying the passage of time.


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Stephen King gives a similar example in On Writing of an author using the word 'zestful' like a hundred times in some sci-fi novel. He swore to never use it in his own books for the rest of his life.


LOL That's pretty funny. Repetitive word use is something I tend to notice. I mean, some words it's no big deal, they're common words, if that makes sense? But feckless and zestful are uncommon enough that your brain picks up on them. Not the first time, or even the second time you use it, but eventually.



StarGazer said:


> LOL, that's a creative way of describing how I feel as well.
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


I kind of felt like


Spoiler



the relationship would have been sold a bit better if there'd been a bit more interaction / intimacy shown. Not necessarily physical intimacy, but emotional, counts as well.


 It didn't hugely bother me that it wasn't, though, because a) it's a fantasy novel, not a romance and b) you're a man (no offense )
EDIT: Did not get the sense of several months. I had in mind 3 or 4 weeks.

Oh - just finished the book! Yay! I'm off to leave a review on Amazon and also check out the review you linked up-thread.


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> http://journalofalways.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-death-of-promises-by-david.html
> 
> Figure while I'm here, Rob Duperre just put up yet another wonderful review of book 3 on his website.
> 
> David Dalglish


Great review!


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Just a little reminder that Amazon has put Weight of Blood up for the wonderful price of FREE. Hope you enjoy all! I'll see you at the bottom of the TBR pile  .


----------



## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

Did you know that your book is now #43 in the top 100 free list?

*And I'm not stalking you this Saturday morning, just perusing my various sites while my 5 year old bounces around the living room in his bored frenzy*


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I might have noticed...not like I'm staring my numbers and ranking and refreshing every 30 seconds. Course not.


----------



## opuscroakus (Aug 7, 2010)

Hey David!

I saw this on Amazon last night while checking my own stats, and wanted to tell you a whopping congratulations!  Quite an accomplishment.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Thanks! It's all still a little crazy. Feel like I won the Amazon lottery or something...


----------



## opuscroakus (Aug 7, 2010)

I know, right? That's exactly how I felt when Chapter One of _*The Gaslight Journal * _ hit #1 for the week of August 17th on the HarperCollins web-site AND was nominated last week for book-of-the-month at the NightReading publishing site. Fame feels like a free-fall--you can't control it, and when you thud, you hit hard.

I nearly downloaded it, but realised it wasn't quite my genre.

Got a question, so will send you a PM in a sec.


----------



## rcordiner (Jul 4, 2010)

Well done David - you deserve it.  Downloaded the first one - it will be near the top of my TBR pile (have to finish Portal first) - then I will get the rest.


----------



## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

The Weight of Blood is #1 in Epic Fantasy!

NUMBER ONE!

David, are you crying yet?


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I, uh...*clears throat*

Yes. I might be enjoying myself. Just a little.


----------



## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> I, uh...*clears throat*
> 
> Yes. I might be enjoying myself. Just a little.


My God, man. Just a little? You should be running through the streets in a chicken suit, banging two pots together, shouting "HALF ORCS FOREVER!" at the top of your lungs.


----------



## opuscroakus (Aug 7, 2010)

I'd say you have a right to.  Maybe doesn't happen that often, so enjoy it!


----------



## opuscroakus (Aug 7, 2010)

Oh...AND, Joe Konrath mentioned you in one of his recent blog posts.


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Ooooh!!!! Book 4 is out   I know what I'm reading at lunch


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Arkali said:


> Ooooh!!!! Book 4 is out  I know what I'm reading at lunch


Got the original post fixed up with the new release, which is beyond exciting. Feels like it has been forever since I published a new Half-Orc book. I hope you enjoy, Arkali. The ending is...well...let's just say I highly doubt you'll see it coming. 

David Dalglish


----------



## William L.K. (Aug 5, 2010)

David,

Congrats on all the exciting news!!!!!!
I have some catching up to do before I get to your newest release.  But I am looking forward to reading it as soon as possible!

Again, congrats!
I am so happy for you!


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Got the original post fixed up with the new release, which is beyond exciting. Feels like it has been forever since I published a new Half-Orc book. I hope you enjoy, Arkali. The ending is...well...let's just say I highly doubt you'll see it coming.
> 
> David Dalglish


Can't wait  I downloaded over lunch, but wasn't able to read more than a few pages - sis-in-law came over. Bah!


----------



## Quake1028 (Jul 11, 2010)

Guess I know where $10 is going when I get home.


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Nah, only 3...

:boogies:

I am SOOO excited that this got released - I was thinking I'd have to wait a while, still.


----------



## Quake1028 (Jul 11, 2010)

I have been bad and still need volume 3 and 4, Dance of Cloaks and the novella.


----------



## Quake1028 (Jul 11, 2010)

BTW David, my nook Wi-Fi is named Qurrah, so there are more than a few of us who love the character. My Droid Kindle app is named Harruq .


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Quake1028 said:


> I have been bad and still need volume 3 and 4, Dance of Cloaks and the novella.


Oooh. Yeah. Ten it is, then. I still need to READ the novella, even though it's sitting on my Kindle. It'll have to wait until after book 4 



Quake1028 said:


> BTW David, my nook Wi-Fi is named Qurrah, so there are more than a few of us who love the character. My Droid Kindle app is named Harruq .


Too cute!


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Quake1028 said:


> BTW David, my nook Wi-Fi is named Qurrah, so there are more than a few of us who love the character. My Droid Kindle app is named Harruq .


Oh that is just awesome. Appropriate you named the Nook 'Qurrah' and the Kindle 'Harruq'. The nook is clearly the evil one .


----------



## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

Steven tells me book four is the only one he has left.  You better get to writing more soon.  He gets a little hard to live with when he doesn't have his favorite authors to read.


----------



## caseyf6 (Mar 28, 2010)

David, congratulations and...  I grabbed the first book (hey, free, gotta try it)-- I am NOT usually a Fantasy reader.  My older dd and brother will tell you it's like pulling TEETH to get me to even pick one up that they have suggested-- which annoys them since they are always right about books I'll like.

Well...I couldn't put it down.  I kept thinking "I should put this down and I'll finish it later after reading one of MY books"...well, now your books ARE "my" books because I'm hooked.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, then acted on faith and downloaded the next two (this was just before 4 came out).  I can't wait to get to them. 

Harruq and Qurrah are amazing characters.  Neither is all good, neither is all bad (although I enjoy Harruq better and understand what is meaningful for him a little more).  I love that his father is Ahrqur (forgive me if I misspelled it as I only rememberd it had all the letters from the brothers' names).  This is a surprisingly complex storyline with characters who feel very real.  I say "surprisingly" because I doubt Harruq or Qurrah would seem very deep or complex if you met them on the street.  

I'm really not a Fantasy reader.  Elves and gods and kings and etc just aren't my thing-- but I AM a story reader.  And I really enjoyed this one.  Thanks.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Casey, that's a wonderful write-up, and I couldn't be any more thrilled. All I want to do is entertain people, and to have my book remain good enough to keep a hold of you like that is just fantastic. More exciting, I can assure you the second book is much better when it comes the characters and their development. You're in for a fun ride, and I can't wait to hear what you think about the later books.

Thanks so much!

David Dalglish


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

About half-way through... ARRRGHHH!!! Must... read... FASTER!  I wanna know what's going to happen next...

This will soon be followed by "Are we there, yet?!?"

Speaking of which -- how's book 5 going?


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I'm going to have to hide from you when you hit the end of book four....

And gearing up to start book 5. Trying to finish up updating websites, getting print version going, etc. Technically I wrote about 40k on Sliver of Redemption six months ago, but I tossed 20k of it recently. I'm much happier with the new direction I'm taking.

*prepares his hiding place for when Arkali finishes*


----------



## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

How many Half-Orc books will there be in total?


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Five. Sliver of Redemption will be the last in the official Half-Orc Series. I'll still have plenty of characters and stuff to do, but I'll be beginning fresh. I"m kind of looking at the Drizzt Series, how he has Trilogies and Groups of books linked together, even though it is still often the same character. I've got stuff planned for after book 5, but at the end of book 5, I'll still give a very solid, satisfying ending.


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

:stalks into the thread:

Okay, where are you?!?!? 

Seriously - wow. Blown away. I'm kind of sad I discovered your books before they were all done - I wanna know what happens next... now. Lessee...



Spoiler



Haern?!?!?  Omigosh. 'nuff said. But... how could you?!? Agggh! Well, with D. gone, I can kind of see that he was ready to move on, too. But still... 
Qurrah? I'm glad he finally got some sense about him. Finally.
Tess? ARRRGGGHHHH!!!! Nitwit.



That's as coherent as I can be right now


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Aah, I love when I get to have full conversations with spoiler text .



Spoiler



Originally, Haern wasn't going to die. Didn't plot it out that way at all. Dieredon was supposed to be the one. But stupid Haern had to leap off and save him, and by that point, my hands are tied. Still...in a world of dark priests and necromancers, never trust a man to stay dead...

The revelation at the end SPOILER ALERT TWICE about Qurrah's redemption, that's been weighing on me for awhile. I have no clue what people will think. I hope people will be glad, and trust me to see it all through in a way that will feel real and respectful to both the characters that are dead and the ones who remain and are still hurting. I've already written up a conversation between Qurrah and Aurelia, and it is one of my favorite pieces of writing so far in the entire book. The link between them is so crucial to his survival. Because many (in book) still want him dead. Qurrah's trial is coming.

Tess? Yeah, she's hurt. She's scared. She's going to immediately regret it. For the beginning of book five, she gets separated from him for a lengthy period. Her and Velixar...I wouldn't call it dating. She tries to see if what she had with Qurrah she can have with Velixar (the emotions, the willful dominance, etc, not the sex). My wife (god bless her sadistic soul) thought it sexy as hell. I think it's horrendously disturbing.



Whew. I'm so thrilled by your reactions, Arkali. It's clear I've entertained you, you're attached to the characters, and I love it. Sadly, you'll have to read other people now. It's not you, it's me. I need to finish that last book .

David Dalglish


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

LMAO I'll survive, I'm sure 

Seriously, though - your wife sounds like a character - I'd probably love her. Yeah, Tess didn't think that one through, I'm thinkin'. I could choke her. That said, in her honor...









Note: The chart I stole for this was originally how to tell if your female character is a cliche, or some-such. I'm NOT saying that at all. It just made me giggle... the
Level of Crazy > sane: Nope.
Level of Crazy > sociopathic: Maybe.
Level of Crazy > Bat****: Tess, they're calling YOU! 

Edit: Had to fix something on the image  
2nd edits: 'nother tweak. Not a flawless photochop, but good enough for a giggle, hopefully 
3rd edits: I'm on a roll - just posted a review for you


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Hahhahah. That's awesome. But I'd argue Tess isn't completely totally insane ALL the time. Sometimes it seems she's the only one that really knows what's going on...

Anyway, thanks for the review!

David Dalglish


----------



## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> But I'd argue Tess isn't completely totally insane ALL the time.


That just ramps up the crazy


----------



## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I just read a spoiler I shoudn'ta read. I really like the guy, too, after reading about his life at a younger age.

David, others are pushing you for book five, can I ask you to take your time? I just started this massive Dragonlance trilogy, and you're the one who said you have read a lot of them, so that's why I picked them up at the used bookstore. Besides, I'm broke these days. So it will be a while before I can pick up book four, much less five.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I don't expect to release another book until 2011, not unless I just absolutely tear through book 5. You have plenty of time.

And Reed, you know darn well if you send me a PM asking I'll fire off a PRC file of book 4 to your email inbox  .

David Dalglish


----------



## Quake1028 (Jul 11, 2010)

David - Do I need to read Dance of Cloaks before the novella?


----------



## Guest (Oct 13, 2010)

Good luck with Book 4's release! Looks like it's doing really well!


----------



## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Please call me Robin, David and everyone. And David, I don't like to take advantage of your good nature. Though I would trade a copy of my upcoming (if I can afford a cover of any kind) horror collection.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Quake1028 said:


> David - Do I need to read Dance of Cloaks before the novella?


Novella is just a standalone horror. It's also a minor backstory for Mira, but that's more of a bonus for those who have read book 3.



foreverjuly said:


> Good luck with Book 4's release! Looks like it's doing really well!


So far it's doing just fine. Couldn't be happier. Thanks Jason!



R. Reed said:


> Please call me Robin, David and everyone. And David, I don't like to take advantage of your good nature. Though I would trade a copy of my upcoming (if I can afford a cover of any kind) horror collection.


Ahem, Robin...you wouldn't be taking advantage of my good nature. You would be accepting a gift freely given. But if it'd make you feel better, go right ahead and swap me with a book of yours.

David Dalglish


----------



## Quake1028 (Jul 11, 2010)

Sweet, I will read the novella next. I'm going to read 3 4 and ADoC next month in a Dalglish frenzy . Can't wait.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Quake1028 said:


> Sweet, I will read the novella next. I'm going to read 3 4 and ADoC next month in a Dalglish frenzy . Can't wait.


You can't wait? I can't wait to hear what you think. Anytime someone loves book 2 that much, I always get a little antsy, worrying that book 3 won't live up to expectations. Fingers crossed.

David Dalglish


----------



## robertduperre (Jun 13, 2010)

Why the hell do I read spoilers? AARGHH!



Spoiler



Now I know Haern dies in book 4, and I'm totally bummed that the mystery is gone. Why don't I just keep my damn pointer away from these alluring black boxes?!?!?!?


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

robertduperre said:


> Why the hell do I read spoilers? AARGHH!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*headdesk*

I ever put a spoiler warning IN my spoiler warning, and still you read on. You need smacked.

David Dalglish


----------



## monkeyluis (Oct 17, 2010)

David!

I read the 1st book over the past week, finished last night and LOOOOOOVED it.  I thought it really was a great story and I look forward to the next one.  I already have all 4 books, it's just a matter of getting to the next one, I want to read a few others in-between.  But really it was a great book and leaving me with wanting to read the next one.  I'll leave a review up on amazon and good reads shortly.

Thanks and keep it up!


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Thanks man, that's about as glowing as it gets, and I couldn't be happier. I do mean this though: the story gets significantly better in book two. You may not believe me, but you will when you reach the end  .

David Dalglish


----------



## monkeyluis (Oct 17, 2010)

I will say, just to be honest, it took me a bit to get through the 1st 20% or so.  Learning the brothers and other characters, getting the story set up.  But after that it picked up fast and like I said I looooooved it, couldn't stop reading.  I had to stop at 95% yesterday at work and wait till I got home to finish it and was like   .  But it was worth it.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

monkeyluis said:


> I will say, just to be honest, it took me a bit to get through the 1st 20% or so. Learning the brothers and other characters, getting the story set up. But after that it picked up fast and like I said I looooooved it, couldn't stop reading. I had to stop at 95% yesterday at work and wait till I got home to finish it and was like  . But it was worth it.


Yeah, I've tweaked the beginning several times trying to get it to flow, but barring a complete and total rewrite, I think I'll have to let it be. It takes about 10% through Cost of Betrayal before the entire cast of characters is introduced. Once that's done, I start having a ball.

Really glad you liked it. I'm always nervous when I find out someone plans on reading something of mine, and its a relief when it pans out 

David Dalglish


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I've talked plenty about how dark the first story may be, and the motivations of the characters. Just thought I'd share a wonderful email I received earlier today about just that.



> Mr. Dalglish,
> 
> My name is Fletcher ----, and I recently finished the first book in your Half-Orcs Series. When I read your authors note, I felt that you were being apologetic for absolutely no reason. Your book had some dark moments, to be sure, but I saw the characters as two impoverished brothers doing anything in their power to stay together and to improve their lot in life. I am an education major at the University of Dayton, and hence spend a lot of time with the City of Dayton's very poor youth. I can tell you some of the horror stories of these young men and women, and it is heart breaking. Your characters motivations were real, and they showed the actions of those who had been abused and hungry for all of their lives. Do not be sorry for writing a book that contained characters that went outside the norm. You captured real emotions with those fictional half-orcs. As an aspiring writer myself, I look up to authors like you who are capable of spinning tales without relying on cliche characters. I look forward to finishing the series!
> 
> ...


----------



## 13893 (Apr 29, 2010)

That's marvelous. How gratifying!


----------



## caseyf6 (Mar 28, 2010)

David,

My older daughter (1 disappeared for two days after she received her Kindle.  No worries--she was in her room.    Later, she told me that the reason she was "absent" was because she was holed up in her room reading your books.

I bought her Dance of Cloaks last night and she squealed.   This is a girl who is not known for squealing.

Casey


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I made her squeal?

Bwhahahahah.

Thanks for sharing that


----------



## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

Hey David,

I've had The Weight of Blood on my TBR pile for a while and it reached the top... I finished it this week and really enjoyed it!  I'm looking forward to the next one.  I put a quick review on GoodReads (I trust those reviews more than Amazon).  I also mentioned that it was a really good read to Jon so he might move it up on his list to do a review on his blog.

Thought I'd send you the note that it was very enjoyable.  You're a great writer (which I'm sure you already know).  

Emily


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Emily! Just read your Goodreads review as well. It's fun to know I made you 'forget' I was an indie.  

David Dalglish


----------



## Emily King (Jun 9, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Emily! Just read your Goodreads review as well. It's fun to know I made you 'forget' I was an indie.
> 
> David Dalglish


You know what I'm talking about, right? Sometimes, when reading an Indie it just doesn't flow as smoothly or there are blatant errors that stick out. I think Jon mentioned that sometimes they don't feel as "polished" or fine-tuned. Me, I'm not a writer, so I don't know if I'm conveying what I'm trying to say.


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Emily King said:


> You know what I'm talking about, right? Sometimes, when reading an Indie it just doesn't flow as smoothly or there are blatant errors that stick out. I think Jon mentioned that sometimes they don't feel as "polished" or fine-tuned. Me, I'm not a writer, so I don't know if I'm conveying what I'm trying to say.


I know exactly what you're talking about, and trust me, I view it as a high compliment.


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

caseyf6 said:


> David,
> 
> My older daughter (1 disappeared for two days after she received her Kindle. No worries--she was in her room.  Later, she told me that the reason she was "absent" was because she was holed up in her room reading your books.
> 
> ...


Win.


----------



## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

So, I bought my in-laws each a Kindle this past Christmas and put them on my account because they'd never figure that part out... I loaded 'em up with books. On my FILs, I put all kinds of fantasy, sci-fi, etc. I didn't even remember everything that was on there.

So, he cornered me last weekend when we saw them and starts telling me about this book he's just finished reading. He won't shut up about it. I'm trying to listen, but I'm not a Fantasy fan and what he's saying is basically going over my head (or through my ears quite honestly). He's telling me a story about someone traveling or something... then he said "yeah, he was a half orc" and it hit me... he was reading Weight of Blood.

So, of course, I pipe up "Was it Weight of Blood or something like that? Oh yeah, that's David Dag-something. It's a whole series, I think we have the first and second one maybe. He's a regular on an online message board I read. Genuine, nice guy." I didn't know a 60 year old man could be so excited... he went nuts asking about what the others were about. Thank goodness we just put a wireless router in his house so he could look it up!

So yeah, now I gotta buy the rest of them. Me and my big mouth! LOL - I don't mind, always willing to buy books for someone, especially those that love to read as much as he does (he's read like 60 books since he got it!)... but now he's going to continue to yak in my ear about them. Love you, David, but not my genre, no matter how many times I try (although I have sampled your writing and it's gorgeous, I must say!). 

Anyway, you have a fan in central Texas. And he's completely sucked in. Can you write subliminal messages in the next one that say "your daughter in law is only pretending to care and doesn't really understand what you are saying about the orc people" ?

kthxbai.

(I was smart enough to get hubby to promise to read it so his poor dad would have someone to share with!)


----------



## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

What a freaking awesome way to start the morning. I can't stop laughing.

I'm vacationing to San Antonio in two days. I have no clue where he lives, but if he wants to grab a signed copy of an Omni of all 5 books, have him email me (addy is in the back of every book).

And sorry you have to endure discussions about orcs and elves and things you can't stand. I'll make sure I add this scene to my next book:



> Harruq: "Nobody understands orc people. They only pretend to care."
> 
> Texman: "But my daughter-in-law likes hearing about you!"
> 
> ...


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

CandyTX said:


> I didn't know a 60 year old man could be so excited...
> 
> Anyway, you have a fan in central Texas.


Well, now David has at least two _excited/old_ Central Texas fans.


----------



## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> What a freaking awesome way to start the morning. I can't stop laughing.
> 
> I'm vacationing to San Antonio in two days. I have no clue where he lives, but if he wants to grab a signed copy of an Omni of all 5 books, have him email me (addy is in the back of every book).
> 
> And sorry you have to endure discussions about orcs and elves and things you can't stand. I'll make sure I add this scene to my next book:


*laughing at quote* That's funny. He'd probably read it and then come find me to tell me ALL about it. It's cute really, he knows how much I love to read, so he tries so hard to connect with me on that level, but we read completely opposite books. (And it's not that I can't stand elves and things, it's just one of those things that doesn't click - you should try another genre so I can become a David Fangirl) 

Thanks for the offer but he's a couple of hours away. Maybe for his birthday or father's day I'll buy a paperback copy and send to you to sign and return or something. I hope the other books are as exciting for him. He's a healthy (he could totally out run me, Jeff!) 60 years, but I was waiting to see if he was going to have a coronary when I told him there were more... I didn't tell him there's another series. I figured that might be too much.

Okay, I can't figure it out from the thread... is book 5 the last book or are you actively writing more in the series? Just wondering, he'll ask when he finishes them all next week, I'm sure. LOL


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

The end of book 5 I discuss it. There will -eventually- be more, but I'll be moving ahead five years, and starting over so people who haven't read all the original books can still hop in without being lost. I probably won't start the first of that until late this year.

And you'll escape him knowing about another series for only a little while. I stuck a blurb for Dance of Cloaks in the back of book 3


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## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> The end of book 5 I discuss it. There will -eventually- be more, but I'll be moving ahead five years, and starting over so people who haven't read all the original books can still hop in without being lost. I probably won't start the first of that until late this year.
> 
> And you'll escape him knowing about another series for only a little while. I stuck a blurb for Dance of Cloaks in the back of book 3


Oh, you <insert bad word here>, just couldn't wait until book five, could you? I'm sure he'll find out anyway, he knows how to Google very well. LOL.

Okay, good.. so I don't need to stalk you for book 6 (feel bad for Imogen Rose, I bug her weekly for the next book - that makes you guys write faster, right?)

Anyway they are all bought and on his kinde and I emailed him to tell him. I see them again for Easter. I'll take booze.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

CandyTX said:


> Okay, good.. so I don't need to stalk you for book 6 (feel bad for Imogen Rose, I bug her weekly for the next book - that makes you guys write faster, right?)


Well, it makes us drink more...


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## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> Well, it makes us drink more...


Ah, that explains the scene with the orc and winnie the pooh then!  Thanks again, David. My FIL really did enjoy your book. I just thought it was funny and had to share. Glad you got a laugh (and hey - you're famous!)


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## Ryne Billings (May 15, 2011)

Hi David, I just wanted to say thank you.

I've always been a big fantasy fan, but I never read an "indie" book before picking up The Weight of Blood. It was $0.99 at the time, but it was worth ten times that to me. While you didn't have the world building that I would have liked (or had a map, which I love to have with me as I read), you became one of my favorite authors easily.

The very nature of the main characters moved me. It was my first experience with fantasy characters that had a more Sword & Sorcery feel to them. I couldn't help but like Harruq, though I wasn't exactly a fan of Qurrah. That's mainly because I like warriors more than mages though. But still... I loved how the story progressed. They felt so real to me. Their darkness truly made them stand out.

I'll confess that I've only read The Weight of Blood though. I plan on reading all of the others after I finish writing the book that I'm working on. I don't read books while I write though. I tend to get influenced too easily.

Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks for introducing me to indies. Since discovering your work, I've found a few other indie books that I truly love.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

That's awesome Ryne! Always happy to be, well, a gateway drug to other fantastic indies


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## Ryne Billings (May 15, 2011)

It always feels surreal when an author that I really like actually responds to something I say. Definitely gives me a reason to like indies more and more.

Oh, and I forgot to mention it, but I actually bought The Cost of Betrayal back when I bought The Weight of Blood, so I actually already own two of your books. I'll need to reread The Weight of Blood though. I read it back in October or November, which was around the time I got back into writing more frequently.

I'll make sure to leave a review this time though.  

Edited for typo.


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