The Song of Tears Trilogy

The Song of Tears Trilogy follows on from The Well of Echoes Quartet.

Book One: The Torment of The Traitor

Book Two: The Curse of The Chosen

Book Three: The Destiny of the Dead

(The Song of Tears books should be released should be released at approximately yearly intervals, starting late 2006.)

I emailed Ian asking him for more information about the series we're all dying to read, you can see what he said about the first book below.

.....It takes up Nish’s story ten years later, when his prison sentence is up and his father, who now styles himself the God-Emperor, offers Nish the choice to be his right hand man again. By this time J-N has concentrated all power in himself and the tears, and tells Nish that every one of his old friends are dead, though this may well be a lie.

 And it’s also the story of Maelys, a young woman whose old, proud family has been crushed by Jal-Nish, because of their rebellious attitude and because they had minor magical talents. Her little sister, mother and aunts have only survived because of her little sister’s ability to fool Jal-Nish’s wisp-watchers and loop-listeners, devices linked to the tears which spy on people in every village and every street because he doesn’t trust anyone, not even his most faithful retainers. Maelys’ conniving aunts, however, are determined to restore their family to its ancient position, and hit upon a plan to send Maelys and her little sister to rescue Nish, spirit him away, and then for Maelys to seduce him to bind him forever to their family. The objective is for Nish to lead the resistance which has grown up in his and Irisis’s name and overthrow his father.

 Unfortunately Maelys is a shy, bookish dreamer, not a bold adventurer, and she’s horrified and terrified at the thought of doing this. Besides, she knows that no one can overthrow Jal-Nish, who holds all the power in the world. But her mother and aunts are determined and she has no choice. Maelys has to do this to save her family …

The first book is currently titled, The Torments of the Traitor and after the destruction of the nodes at the end of The Well of Echoes we all want to know what's happened to the Secret Art, Ian says;

...There are older powers than those that relied on fields and nodes (people like Yggur and Malien can use them, you may recall), and these haven’t been completely destroyed by the destruction of the nodes, though they have been greatly weakened. So our doughty heroes will have some magic at their disposal, though it will be terribly weak compared to J-N and his tears, so they’re going to have to be very crafty

 Will it come back? I don’t know, and probably won’t find out myself until I’m well into writing the second book. I imagine there’ll be some, at least.

The Blurb for 'The Torments of The Traitor' released by www.Amazon.co.uk is below

After ten years of servitude, Nish is about to be released from the blackest prison of the maimed God-Emperor, Jal-Nish Hlar, his corrupt father. Jal-Nish holds the two sorcerous quicksilver tears, Gatherer and Reaper, and with them controls all of the Secret Art. All opposition having been crushed, he has begun to remake the world in his depraved image.

The only hope of overthrowing him lies in Nish, whom the oppressed peoples of the world see as a messianic figure, the Deliverer for, as Nish was dragged off to prison a decade ago, he wildly promised to return and cast down his father.

Unfortunately Nish is powerless and without allies. But worse, his father wants Nish to become his lieutenant and become as corrupt as he is. Jal-Nish offers Nish everything he has ever desired and, faced with the unbearable alternative of another ten years in prison, he isn't sure he can resist the temptation.