Late-night Thoughts

I'm having trouble sleeping once again and so I'm browsing the internet tonight in search of information on a new book coming out that I've been dying to read. It's called Shadowrise by Tad Williams and it's the third book in what is now going to be a four book series. Originally it was three, but there was just too much to tell so it was extended.

Now, I am a huge fan of Tad Williams and I've been following the progress of this book for around a year now, ever since I went to the library and snatched up Shadowmarch on a whim I've been obsessed with the series. That little factoid shouldn't be so surprising as those of you who know me know that when I find a book I *really* like, I become obsessed with it quickly and want to read it over and over again. The good thing about the Shadowmarch series is that there is so much going on within each book, there are little things here and there that are missed in the first reading that I get to pick up in the second or third....or hundredth.

It happened by chance one day when I was in the library looking for a new Sci-Fi/Fantasy book to get into. Before this I had never even heard of Tad Williams before. What first caught me, obviously, was the cover art for Shadowmarch. Just looking at the hardcover copy of the book made me want to read it. Then of course I read the back of the book to get a feel for the story and walked directly to the counter. As long as that book is I think I devoured it within a day or two. After that I ran and picked up Shadowplay, the second book in the series.

Once again I was not disappointed. I think both books are amazing and I am so excited to see how everything turns out. I will note that part of Chapter 3 of Shadowrise was released by Tad sometime last year, and being a member of his message board I quickly jumped at the opportunity to check it out. I was a little reluctant because I knew I would have to wait to read more, but I just couldn't resist. And I'm glad I didn't. The little bit of the book I got to read was great. Well, recently I have been following Tad's wife on Twitter, where she releases excerpts from his books, and I have been given another gift of getting to read even more of the third book.

The official release date is March 4 and I for one will be at the nearest Barnes & Noble to pick it up. I don't actually own the other two, but they are on my list of books to buy in the near future as I would like to revisit them again. It's been long enough I think that I can go back to them without seeming completely obsessive. ;-)

One more thing to note is that the fourth installment of the series is called Shadowheart and is set to be released "shortly after Shadowrise". We all know how these things go and it could be a little while before it comes out, but I for one, am really looking forward to it.