The Blood King is Book Two in The Chronicles of the Necromancer fantasy adventure series by Gail Z. Martin. It is the sequel to The Summoner, and picks up the action one day after The Summoner ends.
In The Blood King, sequel to The Summoner, Tris Drayke races against time to gain the skills he needs to challenge his half-brother Jared for the throne of Margolan and defeat the dark mage Arontala before the Obsidian King can be loosed from the abyss. Pursued by assassins and caught in a dangerous web of intrigue, Tris’ greatest danger is his own magic. The fate of his kingdom, his lady and his soul hang in the balance. As Margolan plunges into darkness under the yoke of a tyrant, Tris leads an unlikely insurrection, knowing that if he fails, death will be the least of his worries…
For an excerpt of The Blood King, click here
And a different excerpt here
Some Q& A about The Blood King:
Q: Will The Blood King be as long as The Summoner?
A: Odds are it will be a little longer! I turned in a manuscript approximately the same length as The Summoner, but Mark and Christian sent me back to add more details, so it's grown!
Q: I read an advance copy of The Blood King at Book Expo. Has anything changed?
A: Lots! I've added two chapters, moved some things around for greater dramatic impact and included more description at some key points. We think the changes make the book more dramatic and an even more action-packed read.
Q: Who is The Blood King?
A: Jared, of course!
Q: Is that who the lead figure is on the cover?
A: Yes.
Q: What about the other ghosts?
A: After all the people Jared's killed, finding ghosts to be on the cover wasn't difficult.
Q: Does The Blood King finish the story that began in The Summoner?
A: Yes. The story about Tris' quest for the throne concludes in The Blood King. Other books in the series will deal with events before and after The Blood King and with existing and new characters.
Q: Is there going to be a book video?
A: We're in the process of creating a "mini teaser" thirty second book video right now with Circle of Seven productions. They are the California firm that invented the book trailer concept. Right now, we expect to have the mini teaser in time for DragonCon September 1-3. Keep watching this web site--it will be the first to preview the mini teaser!
Q: Will you tour with The Blood King the way you're touring this summer with The Summoner?
A: Let's see how this summer's tour goes! I've already been invited to be a guest author at RavenCon 2008 in Richmond, VA and at ConCarolina 2008 in Charlotte, NC. And I'm hearing from bookstores and libraries already for 2008. If the response I've been getting from radio stations is any indication, I expect radio and podcasts to be a big part of next year's tour. And I'm hoping to start doing some web video clips this fall. I'm also very excited about the book trailer, and hope to do that for future books as well. So I'm sure I'll tour--just how much will be in person and where the live events will be and how much will be virtual, I don't know yet! I'm going to be logging about 1,600 driving miles for this year's tour--not counting 1,000 air miles round trip.
Q: Will this summer's tour have anything about The Blood King?
A: I certainly tell everyone that the book will be out in February and that book 3 is underway. And I'll be blogging and uploading photos from the road. But this year's tour is really focused on The Summoner because that is the book that's available right now.
For more about The Blood King, including the full original artwork for the cover, check out the information on the Hawthorn Moon page as well as content on the partner SF/Fantasy sites listed there--most sites will have the info up indefinitely.
