THE PHOENIX

I had a great time writing THE PHOENIX.   I took a different tack on it than I think the fans expected, and I've never been entirely sure whether the "experiment" worked.

Rather than doing a somber and weird mystical book for the Phoenix clan of magicians, I decided to do a Hong Kong kung fu magical action story.  This was inspired mainly by a few Japanese/Chinese sword & magic films that I'd seen as a child.  (I've since seen many, many more.)

So, I packed the book with as much action and weird magic as I could manage.  (While still adhering to the game storyline.)  I had screaming jellyfish demons, flying razor-edged hats, tiny samurai warriors, an undersea tower, a demonic "conscience" for the hero, and plenty of sword play.

Counterpointing this very light-hearted cinematic approach to the story, I had the main character, Tadaka, slowly descending into madness.  (Along with the rest of his family and clan.)  Does the end justify the means?  I think this story makes my feelings pretty clear on that point.

The fact that the book is the middle part of my "trilogy" made it all even trickier.  I had to resolve the storyline, and at the same time set up the rest of the story to come.  I've heard some criticism that the story isn't "finished," that it just ends.

Those folks are wrong.  The story does end.  It's very clear what has happened to The Phoenix clan and what's going to happen next.  The final unusual touch is that I implied the resolution rather than actually spelling it out.  I thought the tale would have more impact that way, but apparently I confused some people.

I won't ruin the story by spelling it out for you here.  Read it and see if you can figure it out.

This book had the mistfortune of coming out the same year as THE LION.  It, too, was eligible for the Origins Award, but I decided to put my backing behind The Lion for an Origins Nomination.  The strategy worked, as The Lion was not only nominated, but it won the Origins Award that year.

This book, though, has a great place in my heart.  All of the main characters were great to work with, and I think it has the best cover of any book in the series.

You can buy THE PHOENIX at Amazon by clicking on the title at left.