Out of interest:
Retribution Falls: 133,423
The Black Lung Captain: 158,801
The Iron Jackal: 174,904
The Ace Of Skulls (rough draft): 183,609
See the trend there? I’m sure there must be some equation for this. I’m a zesty campaigner versus bloat in F/SF books, and I’m very aware in my own books that any scene in it needs to justify its inclusion. Yet even keeping it as trimmed as I possibly can, plotlines multiply, characters grow and demand more page time, payoffs need to be paid off… more and more needs to be fitted in. And there was a hell of a lot to be fitted in to this last book. You’ll see 
I actually thought AOS was shorter than Iron Jackal till I totted it up. No wonder it took me so bloody long!
Anyways, I’m embarking on the edit proper tomorrow. Am actually quite excited to get out the editorial axe, even though I don’t usually have to swing it much these days, what with my hyper ruthless plotting techniques. Probably it will still end up the longest of the four, but that’s only natural. Each of the three previous books set up many things for the biggie at the end. So, er, here’s hoping you all like the finale! No pressure :-/
I’m so excited it should be illegalized. x] It’s like Christmas all over again.
Released for Kindle on day-1?
I would think so, in the UK at least. US might have to wait a bit longer until Titan release it over there; I’m not sure. For those who are waiting, I still don’t have US release dates for Iron Jackal and Ace of Skulls, but they’re coming.
I think when a series is being wrapped up it’s fair enough to be a little longer. Plus it sounds like the series wasn’t initially conceived as a four parter so it seems likely you need to fit a bit more in to round it off. Then again you could be cruel and just have the Ketty Jay crash and kill all within her. That would save some words…
Yeah, that happens in chapter 3. The rest of the word count is me apologising.
Chris. Don’t get me wrong, I love you as an author but if you have killed the Ketty Jey crew in Chapter 3 then I will find you and make you eat all all of the Ace Of Sculls copies that will ever be available.
If you have killed the Ketty Jay crew AT ALL, I. Will. Find. You.
*SPOILER* It’s okay if Jez is still dead though
I remember when I first read Retribution Falls, right when I saw Harkins and Pinn I thought “Those are the guys who will die” (I mean, come on I read Malice and Poison first.) But then they started to develop as real people and I was actually SCARED that anyone would die.
I remember when Jez “died” at the ball, I nearly passed out. She is my favourite character and I was so devastated. I guess that’s probably why I liked The Black Lung Captain so much, since Jez was pretty much the main character.
I’m sorry for rambling. It’s very late here and chances are there are a crap load of grammar mistakes. But whatever. Good luck with the Ace of Skulls!
I know this may be off topic but will there be a sequel to pandemonium? It was amazing, that was why I was wondering, thanks for taking time to read and reply to this
Short answer: I’d love to do one, I intended for there to be one, but I can’t do one until Scholastic US say I can, as they have to pay for all the artwork etc. I’ll let you know as soon as I do!
Looking forward to the conclusion (hopefully a bit more fulfilling than The Fade).
Now that you’ve finished the story have you at any time been tempted by or perhaps have already jotted down any new story ideas that take place in the same Ketty Jay universe? I would think the whole Century Knights group (assuming any survive the fourth book) would be fun to write about ….. especially if a young Darian Jr. was their newest recruit. Cheers.
Well, I’ll try not to disappoint you quite so much this time.
As to other ideas, yes, I have lots of ideas for further stories in the KJ universe but right at the moment I’m not intending to write any. Am still editing the Ace of Skulls and once that’s done I’m going to really, really need a break from that world for a while.
Phew – it’s a bit of a relief that someone else is fairly pedantic about plotting first and writing second. Not that I’ve written anything close to the volume you have even in one novel, of course, but my creative writing course at university seemed to imply that I should just wing it and I was starting to wonder if I was doing something wrong.
Anyway, I’ve adored the last three Ketty Jay books and anticipate this one with fervour.
If the conclusion to Ketty Jay is more fulfilling than The Fade, that would be something else. The Fade was such an excellent book, beginning to end. Very few books have been able to develop a world so vivid in so few words, IMO.
Really looking forward to The Ace of Skulls, probably my most anticipated release this year. And while it’ll be a bit sad to read the final pages of the crews story, I’m also really looking forward to something completely new from Chris.
Yay! Another Ketty Jay book soon! I’m a huge fan of all your works, (particularly Poison, Malice, and the Storm Thief) and I anticipate this with bated breath
Best of luck!
Just to clarify … I thought The Fade was a very good book. Just felt that the ending didn’t live up to the rest of the book which I thought was excellent. A solid A- overall =) IMHO
Both my wife and I are really looking forward to The Ace of Skulls. The only trick is going to be who gets to read it first …. would it be considered bad form to lie to her about the release date and read it on the sly? She had mentioned earlier that she would leave me for Darian Frey if the opportunity ever presented itself….. and Darian misleads women on occasion…. Works for me. Cheers.
Hey, literally just finished reading The Iron Jackal. Such an incredible book and series in general. Wishing desperately that I had The Ace of Skulls to pick up at this moment. This leaves only a few more of your books to read. Then I can officially say, that I have read all of your books.
You’ve been my favorite author for 7 years now and that’s not about to change. Love your work. I’m aspiring to be at the very least half the writer that you are. Hoping that by reading your books I’ll get there.
Thanks Chris. Congratulations on finishing the series.
Hello Chris,
It’s me again. I just recently turned 20, and as I mentioned before I am an aspiring writer. I don’t have anything published yet, but would like to began serious work on my first novel. I write on a daily basis, and have done my level best to hone my skills as much as possible. I was wondering if there are any huge tips you could give me for getting started. Anything at all would be great. Also, when you begin work on a plot line, do you figure out how the story is going to end before you do anything else, do you start with the ending and work backwards, or do you start with the end and then go back to the beginning and work through? Or, do you just dived in head first and run with it?
Aww Chris. You just said you have MORE ideas for the Ketty Jay crew, even though you don’t want to write ANY? Man, I’d finally come to accept the end of the Ketty Jay, but now you say you have more ideas… No matter what you say Chris, there’s always gonna be this little irrational part of me saying “A new book might come out!” *Sigh*
Just discovered the Ketty Jay series recently. I just finished The Black Lung Captain and I’m hoping to order The Iron Jackal from The Book Depository as soon as I can (it looks like it’s not available in the US at the moment).
I’m totally in love with this series. Just wanted to say great work, and can’t wait to read AoS too!
@ Zachary – I’ve done it lots of ways. Nowadays I plot out the book before I start writing it, generally beginning to end, so I know the ending before I start. It still changes as I write it, but there you go. There’s no right way to do it, you just have to try everything and find whichever way suits you best.
Hey Chris,
Thank you. That’s exactly what I needed to hear.
Hey Chris,
Im a Chris Wooding fan boy. I just see the name Chris Wooding and I am sold (reading the back of the book will just spoil the fun).
Anyway, I don’t want to get into a tit for tat conversation but when I try to convince my friends into crazy ass books instead of “normal” fiction cause normal life is just too boring I recommend The Fade. I’ve bought it twice and sent to friends in Florida and Perth and both had deeply satisfied feedback afterwards lol.
Keep you the good satisfying work lol
Gerard (Ireland)