June 2023 - BON VOYAGE!
I've got a new book out. I know, I know - you're thinking "Charles always has a new book out. Booooring." You are not wrong. My output troubles even me from time to time. But trust me when I tell you this one is different.
For me, at least.
I started working on THE ENDLESS VESSEL in earnest almost four years back. If you look back through the posts for "Novel 4," you'll see that I started talking about it ages ago. It completes what I call my "three questions" trilogy, alongside THE ORACLE YEAR and ANYONE.
I put more effort into my original novels than anything else I do. Making them always tears me apart and puts me back together again, this one more than most. It took me about twice as long as I expected and required more base-level research than anything else I've ever written. But now it's done, it's out there, and people are reading it and reacting.
They're saying good things, thank god.
I love this book, and I hope you will too. If you click the link below, you'll go directly to my Endless Vessel page on my website, which will give you purchase links, a summary of the book, a list of shops selling signed copies, and more.
And now, just what you were waiting for... hype!
Amazon named it one of The Best Books of 2023 (So Far) and made it an Editor's Pick for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy.
One of Goodreads' "Readers' 54 Most Anticipated Books of Summer"
Included in Gizmodo's list "Add June's New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books to Your Summer Reading List"
Tor.com featured it prominently, including an excerpt, which you can read by clicking on the image below.
THE NICE THINGS PEOPLE SAY
Am I going to quote every review here? No - but if you hit the book's Amazon or Goodreads page, you'll see that it's landing the way I wanted it to, which was as a transportative experience that sticks with readers, while still being fun and propulsive and awesome. I did an event this past weekend at the great Golden Notebook bookstore in Woodstock, NY, and the moderator compared it to prime summer blockbuster Spielberg. I'll take it! A few other fun quotes:
“Exploring the necessity of human connection with incredible depth, Soule serves up a delightful cocktail of dystopian and science fiction, with elements of historical fiction as a cherry on top.” — Library Journal
"Wonder, whimsy, science and fantasy come together in Charles Soule’s latest, a highly original ode to finding happiness." — Books, Bones, Buffy
"Once you start reading, you will not want to put this book down." — Red Carpet Crash
Here's what some awesome Bookstagrammers had to say about it:
“...Charles Soule has channeled history, science and drama to create a story for the ages—a story of hope and love and possibility. This is a novel you will not soon forget.” - Iamauthoret
“If you love science fiction, history, fringe science, mysticism & so much more, I highly suggest this book.” - General.fiction.reviews
“...this book takes readers on an unexpected journey through science, history, and dystopian time to unearth the beautiful light that makes humanity worth saving.” - Just_another_mother_with_books
“This book defies genre and is the perfect mixture of fantastical adventure and heart.” - thisdadreads
“...the common thread of wanting to uncover the secrets and what is going on really keeps you on the edge of your seat and will intrigue you and keep you engaged…” - Mandj_bookalicious
(And then my favorite...)
“I have no idea how the author came up with this idea. It’s madness from start to finish.” - Vellichorblues
Click the image below to read Best Thriller Books' review, if you're looking for more - it's an in-depth look at the book I thought was particularly good.
I've been doing the circuit to promo the book both online and off - one of my favorites was a chat with Alex of Star Wars Explained. We spoke about EV and, obviously, a lot of Star Wars. This was a good one.
ENDLESS VESSEL ON THE ROAD
I've already done the first few events on my summer book tour this summer, up at Golden Notebook in Woodstock and an amazing photo of me enjoying some truth bombs being dropped by my amazing moderator, award-winning author Alex Segura (if you haven't checked out his book SECRET IDENTITY you really should) at the NYC stop at Greenlight Books in Brooklyn:
I hit the west coast next week, signing in LA on Wednesday, Portland, OR on Thursday and Seattle, WA on Friday. I'll be joined by incredible people like Dana Schwartz, Brian Michael Bendis, and Chris Schluep and, hopefully, you!
Check the graphic below to see if I'll be stopping in a city near you! Click the image below, to head to my site, where you can find more info and RSVP for your event, which is always really helpful for both me and the bookstore.
COME SAIL AWAY
I feel like I'm running the risk of overhyping my book, since my guess is that many of you have already heard about the novel, and might already have a copy (or even have read it.) Well, WHATEVER, PAL! This is a victory lap for me, and I'll celebrate if I want to!
Speaking of that, a couple of quick bits of news - for those who supported my Kickstarter in March/April to get the limited-in-number companion novel to Endless Vessel, THE CHRONICLES OF THE LAZARENE - the book is being designed now, and we'll be sending it to the printer imminently. It's still on target to be delivered to all backers later this summer along with whatever else you may have ordered. The special edition version of Endless Vessel has been shipping as well, and should be in most of your hands already. That's this beautiful beast (photo by @TalkingBay94 on Twitter):
If you have no idea what those things are, but have just realized you have a deep-seated desire to get the companion book or the special edition, you can click here to go to the "late participation" page for the Kickstarter, which will let you order some of the items from the campaign.
I also have a lot to talk about in the Star Wars world, and the EIGHT BILLION GENIES world (merch is coming! The beautiful hardcover is out next month and will have a special limited edition cover at San Diego Comicon! Ryan Browne and I are already talking about our next thing!) and other stuff too, but I'm going to save it for the next update.
That's the scoop, I think! Time to take a well-deserved rest and... eh, who am I kidding? It's time to start working on the next story.
See you next time!
--Charles