Hello, friends and enablers!

Slightly different focus to this particular letter. I’ll get back to keeping updating you on THE LAST KING OF OSTEN ARD very soon, but this time I want to tell you about a number of events happening around ‘Otherland’ — both the fictional universe and the online game.

Yes, Otherland. The books that seem to become more disturbingly real with each passing decade. I’m so sorry! If I’d known, I would have put more charming cat pictures in Otherland to make the future easier to take.

Anyway, I’m writing a new story set there, expecting to release it for sale in the summer. It features — surprise! — Orlando Gardiner.

As a character Orlando always fascinates me, but especially now, after the first set of books, because though he’s technically dead, he lives full-time in a virtual universe — an entirely imaginary place. And that universe itself is alive and changing. The Other is gone but the Otherland universe remains a character in its own right.

The new story will be set in the world of 5Isle, which was created for the game version of Otherland. The story (at least at this moment) is called “The Ghost Prince and the Peach Maiden” and it will star Orlando and a few old favorites but will also introduce the Chinese-mythology-based world of 5Isle. It will also deepen and expand some of the mysteries that began in “The Happiest Dead Boy” — most importantly, how is a virtual universe, at least this one, different from a REAL universe . . . and how is it the same? (Someday, all of these bits and pieces may wind up as the foundations of more Otherland novels, so they’re also an example of me thinking my way through various interesting problems and situations.)

Speaking of 5Isle, here’s a little bit of info about the Otherland GAME, which for so long was essentially moribund, but now looks as though it’s being resurrected.

Any project that translates itself from one form to another changes along the way – it has to – and the game was designed to show some of the diversity and strangeness of the Otherland universe, including its “real life” parts as well. The game’s original designers concentrated on some things I’d passed over lightly, which is fun to see. More importantly, I think there’s lots for the book people to discover and enjoy in the game, and lots for gamers to discover and enjoy in the books. Win-win!

The Otherland game is free to play, but THIS VOUCHER has been created especially for this mailing list (that means you!):

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It includes these in-game goodies:

* 1 costume built especially for gamers activating the voucher DETAILS OF COSTUME

* 125% XP boost for 4 hours (this raises experience points from vanquishing enemies or questing for 4 hours, points necessary for levelling up)

* 1 small MetaMorph ticket (MetaMorph is where players can change their characters’ appearance; hair, face, body, skin, the whole customized shebang. It’s part of that “real life” aspect of the game and the books, along with many other hangouts and meeting places.)

And here is the how-to of redeeming that voucher:

* Start the game – you’ll find it on steam http://store.steampowered.com/app/376310/Otherland_MMO/ — and enter Otherland.

* Proceed until you enter Lambda Mall

* Go to the voucher shop next to Lots of Slots shop. A pop-up will appear where you can enter your voucher and your goodies will be send to you via in-game mail. You can collect your mail using the mail UI.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There’s an interview coming soon, in which I sit down with Joerg Hoffmann from the games‘ operator Game OL GmbH to discuss the complete redesign of the UI and the overhaul of almost every aspect of the game. AND THERE WILL BE A QUIZ, so take notes. (J/K) Links to the interview will follow in our social media. The Otherland MMO is slated for a completed overhaul in summer; that’s also when my new ‘Otherland’ story will be published as an Amazon Single.

Last but not least: for all you Tad-Enablers and Friends of Beale/Williams — an important announcement! With much work from Deb and some very, very helpful friends, we have a Tad Williams merchandise campaign coming VERY SOON. You will probably see a couple of Otherland tee shirts – maybe the t-shirt you always dreamed of in your weirdest fantasies. (Don’t worry — your secret is safe with us.) We’ll let you know the details shortly.

Stay tuned. And next letter, in all likelihood, I will be back to explaining my tortured, misunderstood genius and why EMPIRE OF GRASS should be nominated for a Nobel Prize.

For length.

PS from Deb: some important and very new news!

Tad is up for a number of awards at the moment. Anyone can vote in these first two: the Locus Awards (THoWWL for Best Fantasy Novel) https://locusmag.com/2018-locus-Poll-and-survey/ (note: you don’t have to take the survey); the Gemmell Awards (TWC for Best Novel in The Legend Award) http://www.gemmellawards.com/legend-award-2018/. Tad is eligible in the Hugo Awards (THoWWL for Best Novel: also please write in or suggest the Osten Ard books for newish award, Best Series) – to vote for the Hugos you have to be a member of last, this, or next, years’ conventions). Please let the world know your love for Tad’s books and VOTE where you can.

And finally, EXTREMELY NEW NEWS – yesterday Tad yes to being a Guest of Honor at 2019’s World Fantasy Convention in LA, end October. Yesss!