It’s been a while since The Specter of Empire campaign reached its successful conclusion. So I wanted to share what’s happening elsewhere in my haunting cosmos.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Souldancer, winner of the first Dragon Award for Best Horror Novel. To celebrate, I’m producing a new special edition alongside an all-new companion novella, The Other Side of Fear.
The new Souldancer hardcover features a new cover and interior artwork. And the new novella fills in more of the larger story surrounding Soul Cycle Books 1 and 2.
The anniversary campaign funded on its first morning and is closing in on its second stretch goal! At $6,000, custom endpapers illustrated with a map of the Strata will grace the Souldancer special edition.
Conceptual mockup. Commissioned artwork will differ.
If The Specter of Empire was your introduction to my fiction, I’ve also added Nethereal, the first published Soul Cycle novel in paperback, hardcover, and eBook formats as an easy starting point.
And for collectors, the campaign features a historic first: Your chance to claim one of five bespoke 10-inch statuettes of Souldancer's flagship character, Astlin.
Finished proof copy. No two hand-painted statuettes will be exactly alike.
If you’d like to own the new books and help us reach that $6,000 milestone, you can find the Souldancer 10th Anniversary Special Edition through the link below:
Some quick but big news: As of this writing, all rewards for backers who have completed their surveys have now been shipped! Even more exciting, most of the items included in those rewards have been delivered. And the rest are on the way to backers with answered surveys.
Sincere thanks once again to everyone who made The Specter of Empire campaign a success! Our hope is that you enjoy your well-deserved rewards. And we'll keep you updated as further developments occur.
And a helpful reminder: If you haven't yet answered your backer survey, please complete it at your soonest convenience so we can deliver your rewards.
Thanks again!
Warmest regards, Brian Niemeier Specter of Empire Campaign Manager
Quick but important update: Alll physical and digital reward items claimed by US domestic backers who completed their surveys within 48 hours have now been sent!
Thanks again for your patronage. Keep an eye on your mailbox and your inbox to make sure you receive your items.
Fulfillment continues for all our valued backers. So if you haven't answered your survey yet, please complete it at your soonest convenience to help ensure swift and accurate fulfillment of all your awesome rewards.
Thanks to your enthusiasm and support, The Specter of Empire campaign has officially wrapped: fully funded and then some. Not only is the new novel going into production, but two interior art Stretch Goals were unlocked along the way:
The Warlord concept illustration
The Sword Demon concept illustration
These pieces will appear in the Special Hardcover Edition. Also, they will be included in the Digital Art Pack for all backers. You’ve helped make this the definitive edition of the book, and I’m grateful for every one of you who came together to make it happen.
Fulfillment is already underway.
Files are being finalized, assets are being organized, and physical production is now moving forward. I’ll keep you posted as major developments proceed, but for now you can expect reward items to begin shipping soon.
Thank you again for backing this project, spreading the word, and pushing us across the finish line. This book exists because of you.
