Penguin-Putnam and I have come to terms on a third "Arthur" novel. Tentatively titled "Fall of Knight," it will pick up where the previous volume, "One Knight Only" left off, and will continue the adventures of Arthur Penn, Gwen, Merlin, et al.
I won't discuss details of the plot at this time, especially since world events wound up changing the plot of "One Knight Only" so monumentally. I have a basic storyline in mind, but we'll see what's happening in the world when I'm actually writing it.
Taking a guess, it will see print some time in 2006.
PAD
Posted by Peter David at April 28, 2004 02:10 PM | TrackBack | Other blogs commentingWOW, this just made my day. I was hoping that we hadn't seen the last of Arthur. I can't wait to see where it ends up--keep up the great work, PAD! But how can I wait til '06? *sigh*
Chris
Which reminds me that I still need to pick up "One Knight Only." I'm so far behind on reading novels that I've been trying to avoid buying more until I've read some of the older ones...although I've made some exceptions. "Tong Lashing," for example, which I bought before I'd gotten around to reading "The Woad to Ruin" because I wanted all three in hardcover.
I have books I got for Christmas 2001 that I haven't read yet. I need more time...
Paul
Hunnh. I wonder if it'll be any good. I'm a huge fan of "Knight Life," but I thought "One Knight Only" was awful. All the reasons to enjoy Arthur's further adventures; the politics, the interplay between Arthur and Gwen, Merlin -- they were all systematically removed and absent for so much of the book that it didn't really feel like it was continuing to explore the ideas and themes of the original. Percival handling most of the quest left Arthur an impotent protagonist, the main conflicts of the book had little or nothing to do with Arthur's presidency and his poltical exploits. The story might have been better off as something entirely independent of "Knight Life."
Just my opinion, of course.
I really hated "The Woad To Wuin" for similar reasons; =the ideas and themes of the original book, "Sir Apropos Of Nothing," were ditched for a story that didn't really relate to the original. On the other hand, I thought "Tong Lashings" surpassed the first book in the Apropos series, and I would be very happy to see "Fall Of Knight" do the same.
Most cool. I haven't actually picked up _One Knight Only_ yet, but I enjoyed KL a lot and look forward to this one.
TWL
Woo hoo! Now all that's left to hope for is someone to pick up the the last two Apropos novels you had in mind.
Wow, how often do I seem to be mirroring Tim?
(I haven't yet read One Knight Only, but loved Knight Life. Especially the New Yorker jokes, and the two references; the coconuts, and the Final Fantasy sweatshirt.)
You know, I tried to read 'One Knight Only' when it first came out. I was merrily going along only to stop, close the book and calmly throw it in the trash when the 9/11 analogue started. I'm happy I did my part for your sales, but I am *so* tired of reading about 9/11 and thinly veiled references to it. Did it pick up after a chapter or two, or did the book continue to dwell upon the events?
Yes! I loved "Knight Life," and while I sense some truth resonating in Ibrahim's problems with "One Knight Only," I did enjoy it too. I wondered if you'd be able to tackle what will happen next now that Gwen (SPOILER WARNING) has drunk from the Grail(END SPOILER WARNING), and what this will do for her relationship with Arthur, and I can't wait to see.
I had much bigger problems with the ending of "Tong Lashing" to say nothing of the stupidity of Po not knowing the truth about Veruh Wang ho until it was stated outright to him, and it almost read like you were trying to get me to accept Po as a member of an alternative way of life, which I didn't buy.
Nonetheless, I'm crossing my fingers that someone in Hollywood smart enough to see a good enough, and not incompetent enough to screw it up will snap up both trilogies and make movies out of them.
What? I have to wait one and a half to two years for the next "Knight" novel?
AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!
(offtopic)
Any chance of the Smallville/Angel threads starting up again?
Anybody know the name of the book PAD wrote about a wolf bitten by a werewolf??I actually liked it and am looking to find a copy .
You and other pros could steal Brad Meltzer's idea and post some preview pages of your work and maybe the first chapter of your novels. Who nows? It might work:
http://www.bradmeltzer.com/novels/index.html
I disagree with some people here regarding "One Knight Only." (This is kinda a spoiler, so if you haven't read the book feel free to skip...)
Having spent a semester studying ancient epic poems in a mythology class, one of them being "Gilgamesh," I rather enjoyed Gilgamesh and Enkidu making an appearance in the story. The dialogue between Arthur and Gilgamesh is one of the best parts of the novel. On one side of the argument is Arthur, who can be seen as a metaphor and/or symbol of the western world. On the other side is Gilgamesh, a mythological King from Ancient Babylon who stands for Middle Eastern views and ways of life. Yes there were lots of political references, lack of Gwen, and other things that were pointed out by others here on the board. But that was necessary for the theme and plot of the book.
I enjoyed "Knight Life" for its whimsicalness (and have yet to find someone I've recommended the book to who disliked it) and “One Knight Only” for its reflection of the changing world around us. I look forward to “Fall of Knight” and cannot wait to see what the novel entails. ^_^;;
Mike Zeidler: "You know, I tried to read 'One Knight Only' when it first came out. I was merrily going along only to stop, close the book and calmly throw it in the trash when the 9/11 analogue started. I'm happy I did my part for your sales, but I am *so* tired of reading about 9/11 and thinly veiled references to it. Did it pick up after a chapter or two, or did the book continue to dwell upon the events?"
Me: Beyond explaining how Arthur got to be so wildly popular that he was elected to the Presidency, it didn't really have that much effect over the remainder of the plot; that instead dealt with the Grail motif.
Looking forward to "Fall of Knight." And hey, maybe you can get PP to give Apropos a try, too.
I haven't read 'One Knight Only' yet because not a single one of the local bookshops has a)received copies yet and/or b)managed to hold on to their copies long enough for me to even get on the waiting list to receive them. And now that the biggest chain of bookstore in the country has currently suspended new book shipments while they upgrade their inventory software I have no idea when I will be able to get it. (Yes, I know I could just go to Amazon, but that would require me using my credit card right before my huge expensive vacation!)
Absolutely loved 'Knight Life' though and I am eager to read the rest of the trilogy :)
It's great to heart that there's another "Knight" novel coming. Unlike some, I found "One Knight Only" to be nearly as fun to read as "Knight Life". Sure, the story went in a direction I hadn't expected, and removed my favorite character of the first book (Gwen) from most of the action. But I still enjoyed it none the less, IIRC.
Congratulations on coming to terms with Penguin-Putnam, PAD.
I'm finishing up 'Tong Lashing' now, and I'm loving every sentence. The Apropos books are among some of my all time favorite novels - and I can't wait to get started on the Knight books. One question though, with a 2006 print date for ‘Fall of Knight’, and considering your obviously busy schedule, will we have to wait till after 2006 for the next Apropos book? Assuming you plan on revisiting the character sometime.
Fantastic PAD:
I can't wait to read the next Arthur book. I still am keeping my fingers crossed that you will be able to revisit Sir Apropos in 2005/2006.
Regards:
Warren S. Jones III
YIPPY!
PAD, I was at D*C 2 years ago when you did a reading of One Knight Only. Will you read to us again of Fall of Knight?
The child at your feet,
LR.
I dont know what those yahoos are talking about I loved both Arthur books and look forward with anticipation to the third.
Very cool!!
Any chance you can let us know about any other books or novels you have coming up? Something in New Frontier, hopefully?
Speaking of New Frontier, you can hear a digitally-remastered encore of Peter's reading of the Kobayashi Maru sequence from "Stone and Anvil" on the hour-long 21st anniversary episode of "Destinies-The Voice of Science Fiction." The program airs tonight (April 30) at 11:30 PM on 90.1 FM, WUSB, Stony Brook, NY, and can be heard online at www.wusb.fm. Within the week, the show will be rebroadcast in rotation at www.cosmiclandscapes.com.
Other features of possible interest include Keith R.A. DeCandido reading a preview of his upcoming novel "Dragon Precinct," music from Danny Elfman's "Hulk" score, and Julie Schwartz (recorded in August, 2000) discussing the origin of the annual award presented in his name at Dragon*Con.
Peter, did you know that "Sir Apropos of Nothing" will be released in July in Germany? The ad says (translated): "Apropos: Black Adder has a brother! David's excellent novel mixes classic fantasy with humor and suspense."
Now I only wished they'd use the original cover and not that aweful new drawing. Urgh.
Peter: Congrats! Knight Life was the first book of yours I read (back in the '80s, when I had no idea who you were, and merely picked up the book because I'd read Camelot 3000, and had a yen for contemporary Arthur stories). Now here's hoping that some publisher will see the potential of Sir Apropos.
Oh, and Jennifer: Have you read Brenda Clough's How Like a God?
I would love to see that now also. And btw PAD are u receiving my e-mails for the interview for the Portuguese Site.
Mike Zeidler: "You know, I tried to read 'One Knight Only' when it first came out. I was merrily going along only to stop, close the book and calmly throw it in the trash when the 9/11 analogue started. I'm happy I did my part for your sales, but I am *so* tired of reading about 9/11 and thinly veiled references to it. Did it pick up after a chapter or two, or did the book continue to dwell upon the events?"
Michael Pullmann: Beyond explaining how Arthur got to be so wildly popular that he was elected to the Presidency, it didn't really have that much effect over the remainder of the plot; that instead dealt with the Grail motif.
Luigi Novi: That's not really true. The entire Arnim Sandoval aspect of hte story was a thinly veiled Osama bin Laden metaphor, and Arthur's response to it, right down to his comment about people being "with us or against us" is hardly obscure in its intended real-life analogue. This entire aspect of the book defines the political elements of Arthur's life in the story, including its ultimate fate.
Mind you, despite my earlier comments about my problems with the book, I still enjoyed, as it is rare that I do not enjoy anything Peter writes. My review for "One Knight Only," btw, can be found at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0441010571/ref=pd_bxgy_text_1/002-9658771-9568847?v=glance&s=books&st=*, where it is currently the 2nd review down. (A shame they mutilated the line from the book that I quoted at the beginning of the review to the point of destroying its humorous meaning, though.)