THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED! Thank you for participating! Winners will be announced shortly!
Okay readers: It’s 39 days until Ashes of the Tyrant can land in your hot little hands. That means….giveaway time!
Is she standing on a pyramid? Yes she is.
What’s it about?
After the events of Fire in the Blood, Farideh, Mehen, Havilar and Brin head to Djerad Thymar with Kepeshkmolik Dumuzi at the behest of Mehen’s aunt, the Verthisathurgiesh matriarch, Anala. But what they think will be a quick stopover turns into something far more dangerous when Anala’s son turns up dead in the catacombs along with a dozen other young dragonborn.
Meanwhile Dahl Peredur is in Harrowdale, trying to find a way out of his deal with Lorcan, when a certain Zhentarim agent tracks him down, looking for lost information about an ancient site, The Master’s Library. As much as he wants to keep his Harper life separate from his family, a lost Zhentarim outpost and a family secret mean he won’t get that chance.
That’s…not a bad summary!
I know, right? I’ve been practicing since last year.
I would read that.
You can start with this sample chapter if you like.
I still have to wait 39 days for the book though. Why are you even bringing this up??I told you: it’s giveaway time! You know what to do!
1 Make a comment on this post. You are going to have to leave an email address to do this, but that’s good, because if you win, I will have to have a way to contact you! It must be on this post at slushlush.com, or I won’t count it.
2 In your comment, tell me your favorite nonhuman fantasy race/species. Since Ashes of the Tyrant is where the dragonborn shine, let’s celebrate those peoples who aren’t just like us. They MUST be fictional, but you can draw from books, movies, comics, or TV, and they need to be nonhuman. There are lots of cool human cultures in lots of books, but that’s not this contest. Feel free to include links—we all love being introduced to new stories.
3 From the pool of comments, I will randomly select a winner who will get a signed copy of Ashes of the Tyrant Because at least 100 people have entered, I will give one winner signed copies of the entire Brimstone Angels Saga, and three winners copies of Ashes of the Tyrant!
If you’ve followed along with these giveaways before, you know that’s not all.
- If we get to 300, I’ll add in something special:
Please use responsibly
That’s right! I made two! The scourge pendant auction went so well, I thought I’d offer up another. One winner gets the scourge pendant replica and a signed copy of Ashes of the Tyrant, two people get full series, and three people get signed copies of Ashes of the Tyrant.
- One more level: You guys get this up to 500 entries and I’ll do all of the above, plus the annotated Ashes of the Tyrant. AND I’ll remember to take pictures of some pages. I loved doing this for Fire in the Blood, but I definitely underestimated how much time it took. Show me you really want it, and I’ll make time to do it again.
The contest runs through December 22. I will draw names and announce winners as soon as I can after that. You all should be aware I’m expecting a baby and due December 15th, so there’s a chance you might have to be a little patient as I might literally be in labor when the contest ends. Only one entry per person, but please pressgang your friends. May the odds be ever in your favor, etc.,etc.
I’m panicking! I literally can only think of elves! Everyone will laugh at me!
Elves count! If you love ’em, you love em.
I already have copies of those books.
The nice thing about getting a signed copy of a book you already have is that it gives you a ready-made gift for someone else. Got a DM who’s gone above and beyond? Got a friend you know who would love some Realms novels but doesn’t know where to start? Got a Secret Santa coming up? Ta-da!
Get commenting! (And come back to check out other answers!)
Few additional questions:
If I buy a copy of the book through the esigning and I win, what happens?
You can choose to cancel your order, or have two books and be the coolest kid on the block.
If I won your last contest, am I ineligible?
Nope. Different book, different contest. The only thing that makes you ineligible to win is being me or a member of my immediate family. Because, come on. Especially, you, sister who is two books behind.
I am not from the US. Can I enter?
Yes! But be aware that I may need to choose a slower form of shipping to accommodate you in a way I can afford.
Elves no question about it. The very first race that got me in this amazing world 😀
It’s hard to pick just one! Thanks to Bob Salvatore I really like his dark elves! But I also like Dragons, and halflings. But thanks to GRRM and HBO my favorite non-human race I like are the White Walkers. Not a lot written about them, not a lot touched on in the TV series, so I think I like them the most recently is because no one really knows what they want or what they’re like, and they are really cool!
Dwarves. I have never given it much thought as to my favorite race but as you presented me with the chance to think of it Miss Evans, I must choose dwarves. The reason for this being their unshakeable loyalty, gruffness, and tough love. Tough love is something seen far to scarcely and I think it is paramount in attaining a strong relationship or friendship. I’m not even a gruff person myself, but I’m constantly reminded of old timers that I have had the pleasure of spending time with who will say what they are thinking without reservation. Dwarves shall be my answer, and my answer shall be Dwarves.
I would have to say my favorite race would have to be the Kender. They don’t have a care in the world, not afraid of anything and if you aren’t currently using something it automatically is fair game to become theirs! BRING ON THE ASHES ASAP. I’ll have 13 days to read it before my classes start back up!
Fraggles, because they dance their cares away. They save worries for another day. And they get advice from a sentient trash heap!
This is a no brainer for me Aasimar why? Because I always play a Paladin in any game that gives me the option and Aasimers make awsome paladins ! First time I played on in DnD my heart was set.
It was the first time I really got into role playing that I heard of this race and my original Aasimar paladin will always have a 7 page biography worth of space in my heart.
The Dwemer from the Elder Scrolls games. They were elves that were called dwarves. They were extremely mechanically inclined. Their homes were filled with steam pipes, gears, mechanical spiders, robotic defensive mechanisms. One day, the entire race vanished for reasons not known.
Being a big fan of conflicted characters and anti-heroes like Elric I’d have to say a half/demi-human. Typically a half-elf with the advantages of each race and conflict of each as well.
Drow…because you never know what to truly expect from a damn Drow.
Aasamar
For me it has always been Elves, regardless of ethnicity, although I’m partial to Moon Elves. Regardless, they have been my favorites since I first fell in Love with Tolkien’s portrayal of them and then fine authors within the Forgotten Realms. I have always appreciated that despite them being other-worldly and beyond us in many ways, they are close enough to still form a connection.
Love your books!
It is hard to pick a favorite race, but overall I’d go with the common elf. If I can get specific I’d probably go with the Fey’ri tiefling-elf equivalent from D&D 3.5.
Kal’dorei. They have a very rich and sometimes fantastic history. Their culture is one of beauty, grace and humbleness, although have been shown to be extremely savage and impulsive when provoked; the contrast is one that I really enjoy.
Sadly I find they are used for little more than driving plots or cameo appearances these days. They are elves from the Warcraft universe.
My all-time favourite non-human race? Why, oh why? I’m not a racist…lol. But if I had to choose one to have as a friend… it’d be a Nac Mac Feegle. wiki Because they’re fierce warriors despite fitting in your pocket. They’re blue, but never down. And they got kicked out of the fairy realm by the (evil) fairy queen for being drunk and disorderly…
Dragons! I’ve always found it fascinating how there are always so many ways that dragons are rdeoicted in different fantasy series. Sentience, language, magic abilities, and even if they care or not about mortals. Even in the real world, different cultures have their own interpretation of dragons. I wonder what sparked people’s imagination in the past to create such beasts? (My $$ is on dinosaur bones)
I’ll be honest, I spent about 10 minutes trying really hard to think of something unique and not say elves, but that would just be a lie. It’s impossible for me to say that they haven’t been my favorite though. Like others have said, it was the first race that I played, the first race that I “rooted” for, the first race that introduced me to fantasy, etc, etc, blah, blah.
Tieflings! I can’t really explain why, I just like them.
Dragons hands down. They’re why I got into fantasy in the first place. They’re just so diverse and fascinating.
Dragons. Specifically, the dragons in the Naomi Novik alternate history series. They speak, have awesome personalities and then carry humans to war. An awesome and unique way to write a powerful species.
Thanks for doing what you’re doing – this series is fantastic!!
The first thing to pop into my head was an old favorite growing up: the mystics from The Dark Crystal. And then I remember watching LotR: The Two Towers for the first time. The Ents were surprisingly awesome. And that reminded me of the Forestals in The Chronicles Thomas Covenant. No wonder my friends think I’d be a druid if I lived in the Realms.
I’m going to have to go with half-elves. It feels like cheating, but they’ve been a separate race in multiple editions of player’s handbooks since as long as I can remember, so they should count for this.
There’s just something about the likelyhood (disregarding adventurers usually having shorter than average lifespans) of outliving your human relation while still being a mere child in the eyes of your elven heritage that does it for me, in particular since I like characters with long backstories but who still have a lot of life left in them.
Looking forward to the new book! I’ve got to say I’ve been playing tieflings since 3rd, and using (as a DM) tieflings since 2nd, and have been really happy to see an author really delve into their history and lore. Such a fun class to RP!
Dwarves are my favorite race for a few reasons. They almost always seem to be good. They value family and kinship above all other things, even if that family is not Dwarvish blood. They also have a cool accent and normally fight with huge weapons (which can be comical with their stout size).
Halflings. I used to say Tieflings or Aasimar and I still love them, but I’ve always really loved Halflings. There’s just something about them that makes me chuckle whenever I read them, even if what they’re doing isn’t exactly something I should be chuckling at, like associating with certain shady netherese informants. Gotta love an entire culture that loves to eat, wander and generally be comfortable and relaxing.
I’m still waiting on a friend to write up a D&D adventure so I can play a Halfling Sorcerer who becomes a pirate and constantly has to refrain from burning the ship down when the crew gets on his case about his height – or tries to put him in a bucket so they can lower him down the side to repair canon ball holes in the side of their ship with his spells!
I’d have to say the Warforged, from Eberron. They’re really unique for D&D races – intelligent golems built from stone, metal, and wood to be unquestioning soldiers for the kingdoms who own them. But after the war ends they’re suddenly lacking any purpose, trying to fit into cultures they’ve never experienced (having never had childhoods), just naïve soldiers with no war to fight and no common ground with any civilian – they literally don’t even eat, breathe, or sleep. Some try to just keep following orders by doing near-slave labor for the first dockworkers guild that will hire them, while others try their hand at being alive by wearing clothes, lying in a bed, and mashing food in their metal jaws, but they all have to deal with the prejudices, fear, or even outright hatred of the flesh and blood people around them. There’s really a lot of stuff to explore psychologically, but there haven’t been that many Eberron novels so far.
It’s hard to pick just one. But if I have to it would be the Orcs of Warcraft. FOR THE HORDE!!!
Drow, Dwarves and Wookiees would be my runners up. “GRRRWWAARRGGHH!!”
The Genasi would be one of the most interesting for me. In the Star Wars RPG there were these bunny Squibs that were also very interesting.
For me, it’s orcs. They’re usually shown as brutish, cruel and cunning… Because they are! Their culture is usually bred around war and savage domination… Orcs are the embodiment of the survival of the fittest.
Besides, there’s something liberating about letting out a loud war cry before smashing your enemies.
D&D has all of the races I can think of from fiction, and I’ve been trying to find a favourite that is not dragonborn (because that feels like attempt at flattery). However, it is dragonborn.
They are large for being “medium” by the rules, they are tough as dwarves but with a wider set of “obvious” or mechanically supported set of classes for playing them. Too bad that no one else cares about bringing light into the dungeon =(
Oh, and this was why they were my favourite even before the posts about dragonborn culture leading up to Ashes of the Tyrant. The culture part just pushes them even further into first place.
For me, it has always been dwarves (dwarfs). I know, but they’re just short fat humans! Well.. so are some of us! I like their history, their lifestyle, their attention to crafting and stonework.
I’m torn between Ludo, the gigantic beast in Labyrinth, and Goblins. I know Ludo was tortured by goblins, but everyone has a Good and Bad side. . . right ?
I’m going to say halflings because I like the idea of being unassuming and underestimated. Also, the first D&D character I ever created was a halfling.
Do Time Lords count? They’re not humans. They’re from another planet and have two hearts, can regenerate and travel through time and space. Also, snappy dressers.
As the DM in our games, I get to be any of them so it’s hard to pick just one. Then there are all those weird and wonderful races in movies and TV series. So it’s a toss up between the Tiefling (I want to play a Tiefling Barbarian who was raised by Hell Hounds) and Cybermen. The Cybermen always got a lousy deal – some of the worst costumes in the early days of Dr Who and they always lost badly. Technically, they’re of human stock (so are Tieflings!) but surely they count as non-human, since they’re so divorced from what humans should be? I choose the Cyberman and I hope this comment isn’t deleted.
Tharns, from John Carter of Mars series.by Edgar Rice Burroughs.A savage race that had it’s own code of honor that rivaled many of their neighbours.
I’m going with gloamings, from the 3e Underdark book, for overall coolness. I like unusual/quirky races in general; writing/playing them is a good challenge.
Thank you for writing great books and giving them away!
For me it’s Beholders – they’ve been around for 40 years and still going very strong, indeed they are iconic in terms of representing D&D.
mmmm… I think I’ll go with Elans.
Since I first saw’em in 3rd edition, i loved’em.
Human looking, sizzling with raw psionic power, able to sustain their bodies without the need of drinking and eating, but doing fine just with the power of their mind?
Did I remind you that they’re immortal?
I’ll have two, thank you.
I used to love the Dwarves: They were tough, stalwart, loyal, and didn’t take crap from anyone. But lately I’m torn between the Drow and the Tieflings: I like races that people look down on, and underestimate; races that have to work extra hard in order to be heroes.
Elves are my favorite. Since I read Tolkien, and also for the work of Elaine Cunningham in the Forgotten realms who inspired many D&D elven character I’ve played through the years. For me they are deeply emotional and complex being and I can relate to that.
And, thank you for your amazing work with the brimstone angels series! It’s a genuine pleasure to read your books!
Dragons! Of course its dragons 🙂
For different reasons, I’ve always been torn between Elves and Dwarves. Elves because they’re magical, beautiful and long lived. Dwarves because of their sense of honor, duty and kinship (much like your Mehen).
For a less common race, I love Robert Jordans Ogier.
The Drow… Jarlaxale has sealed the deal. but aside from liking one character, the innate abilities, the immense cold calculating, and the lithe form and long years… the Drow.
Kobolds are my spirit animal. Not entire sure why, but they have held a special place in my heart and in my games. Though the pixies from the Dresden Files series are close.
I absolutely love the Ogier in the Wheel of Time series. I love their calm and patient dispositions, the way they look at the world, and especially their tree singing.
I love the Twi’lek Race From star wars. Jedi or not they are very cool looking and well in all of the cartoons and book I feel they have the most Presence and developed grouping threw out all of there appearances and they come in Red, Blue and Green I think the skin tube hair things look cool and the red Twi’lek look rely cool when they are Sith.
Half-orcs all the way 🙂
While I do have a fondness for Salvatore’s dark elves( who doesn’t love Drizzt?), I must confess to an even greater fondness (or obsession) with dwarves. Given their short stature, they are almost always overlooked, which actually gives them a giant advantage. They are sturdy, strong, and can be a little ill-tempered, and they are extremely loyal once you have won their trust.
Half-Elf/Half-Dragon. I know i kinda bent the rules there with that being 2 species but I cant help it they are just so cool and powerful.
The fae, nothing quite like a dark, fierce group to make you scared of the woods again.