The Lonely Fortress Arrives!
Welcome back to another episode of what has become a biweekly blog! This week, we’ve got an exciting thing to talk about, because the Lonely Fortress is now out! Let’s dive right in!
The Lonely Fortress
At long last, Harmonizer’s sequel has been published! This should have happened two months ago, but better late than never! Before we go any further, behold, the Lonely Fortress!
After finishing her quest to the north, Vianna was content to enjoy her hard-won life, but her world comes crashing down when Estria's cure fails and Aiya shows symptoms of the Violet Death. Furious over Estria's seeming betrayal, Vianna, Feera, and Garrin return to the Tower of the Gods to confront her, but there they learn the truth of the insidious infliction. Their planet is dying, and the only way to save it, and all those affected by the Violet Death, is to reach the planet's core and trigger a manual purge. With their new quest set before them, the trio plots a course into Tan'tria's frozen north to find the Lonely Fortress and fell its Guardian, Garondar, but these aren't the mountains they once knew. In order to survive the frozen north, Vianna and her friends will have to learn to fight as one, or risk succumbing to the shadow of steel!
From the moment the first word was typed in Harmonizer, I knew this book was coming, and I knew exactly what would happen in it! Though it seemed as if the story of Harmonizer might be over with the first one, I always knew from the beginning that the Violet Death wouldn’t be fully eradicated. After all, I know what it actually is, and that’s the story we start delving into with this novel!
The Lonely Fortress is the first book to really start delving into the villains and antagonists of Harmonizer. On one hand, we have the Guardian’s. These are ancient entities designed to protect the planet, and the only way to heal the planet is to get through them. Think of them as wayward white bloodcells thinking they are fighting an infection when they’re really not. They were tasked with keeping anyone out from the heart of the planet, and even though Vianna’s intentions stem from a place of good, the Guardians have no way of knowing that. In that sense, they are not villains. That honor belongs to the other faction.
The Steel Legion are the primary villains of the story. These are a faction of sellenians from across the ocean that have mastered the art of steam and metal. This particular wing of their force is led by a sellen named Aridon, a vicious warlord known for his lack of mercy and dogged stubborness in the pursuit of his objectives. Because he is uncompromising, that means those anywhere near his area of operations are simply a threat that must be removed, including the innocent villages of Tan’tria. Following the failure of Falgrin, Aridon isn’t willing to risk anything else going wrong as they close in on yet another Guardian.
On the opposite side of the coin are our protagonists! Vianna, Garrin, and Feera all make a return! Banding together once again, they are finally ready to face the remaining Guardians in order to try and save Aiya from the Violet Death once and for all! In this story, we’ll learn a little more about each of them as they once again venture into the depths of Tan’tria. They’ll each showcase the new skills they’ve cultivated in the interim between books, and we’ll see just who they are really determined to become!
Stampede
With the Lonely Fortress finally being released, it’s time to turn our gazes forward to Stampede! Originally, my plan was for there to be a three month gap between books, but… well, now there’s only a one month gap! Yep, you read that right! Stampede should be releasing in about a month based on my current trajectory! Compared to the first two books, I fully believe that Stampede is going to be an incredible entry into the story! There will be adventure, heart racing danger, and, most importantly, a cantankerous old merchant who really likes to talk in the third person! Oh, and there’s a big lizard! Get ready! The Stampede is just around the corner!
Conclusion
That’s all I have for this week, mostly because I actually need to go and work more on Stampede! We’ll be back in… at least two weeks? We’ll see! There’s a LOT of stuff happening, so we’ll see what time allows! Until next time, cheers!
The Flying Fennec