Empire and Animal - my Ongoing Fantasy Serial

[Jeff Xilon]

Hi all,

I'd like to tell you about my Fantasy Serial Empire and Animal.

The tl;dr version:

I'm writing an ongoing fantasy serial that you can read at JukePop Serials - Empire and Animal. It's free so please stop by to check it out.

The long version:

Last summer I sold a short story to JukePop serials. Though it was a complete short story it also set up a fantasy world I wanted to write more in. With the pick-up by JukePop I suddenly found myself committed to doing just that.

So I got a cover:

And I wrote a blurb:

For 200 years, The Empire has been forged by its slaves, and its slaves have been forged by magic. What will happen when slave and citizen alike begin to question what it means to be soulless?

And I got to work.

Empire and Animal is serialized, ongoing and episodic.

Serialized means I release installments or chapters one at a time. Due to some personal life issues that happened right after it started my original release schedule was erratic and rare. Now things are running smoothly. I'm trying to put up a new installment every week, with twice a month being an acceptable minimum.

Ongoing means the story isn't finished yet! Seven chapters have been released so far and there will probably be upwards of 40 at a minimum. There is currently not a set ending because it's also...

Episodic. I am way too inexperienced an author to attempt writing my first novel while the readers watch! So E&A is a collection of shorter stories (everything from flash to novella is possible) that share the same setting (physically and temporally) and sometimes the same characters. If you've ever read the old Thieves' World books or collections of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories you'll have an idea of what I mean.

If you'd like to check it out it's free to read, just follow the link above. I think you need to register with the site to read more than the first chapter. This is because you can "+vote" for any serial chapter you enjoy. These need to be tracked carefully because the top authors on JukePop will earn some money every month/quarter/year. Registering also lets you bookshelf the serials you like so you can be notified when new chapters go live.

If you've read this far let me just say - thanks! Your interest is appreciated. If you do go read E&A, and like it, please remember you can vote for every chapter and it wouldn't take that many new readers to thrust me into the top 30.

Also, due to the nature of this story I'm happy to take requests! If there is a character, idea or place in an episode that you'd like to see take center-stage in an upcoming story just let me know.

This week I'm posting the ending to the 3rd E&A story, "Hybrid". Before it came "Salatis and The Dog" and "The Turn of A Coin".

Finally, any feedback, constructive criticism or review is greatly appreciated. Especially from anyone in the Mythic Scribes community where Fantasy Storytelling is what's on everyone's brain.

Thanks for a bit of your time,

Jeff.

 

[J. S. Elliot]

The first short-story is indeed a worthy read, and I'd recommend it to others. I particularly enjoyed the world building that was introduced, and the fact that the standard way of life is undergoing subtle disruption. I look forward to seeing how this simmers over the next installments.

 

[Jeff Xilon]

Thanks for taking the time to give it a try SeleneHime, I hope you'll enjoy the second and third E&A story as well. Whether you do or don't please feel free to share your thoughts with me and others. I'm always interested in how others see my work. And I'm always looking to improve with the help of feedback.

 

[Jeff Xilon]

I just wanted to mention that the final installment of the third E&A story is now up. This story, "Hybrid", follows a junior alchemist of the Fleshcrafters Guild. Her response to the cut-throat internal politics of the guild might well change the guild, and the world.

Find Empire and Animal here: JukePop Serials - Empire and Animal

 

[J. S. Elliot]

Just a note that I'll have more time after my finals are over (two weeks), so I can finally read the rest of what you have published. ^^

 

[Jeff Xilon]

Good luck with your exams SeleneHime. E&A will be there waiting for you and anyone else who wants to check it out. It's not going away, it just keeps getting bigger and hopefully better. The fourth story "Empire's Son" began last week and its second part should be up in the next day or three.

 

[Jess A]

I'm going to read this over the next few weeks. I really like the idea of animals transformed into humans and the social questions it poses. Thanks for posting! I'll give feedback when I've read enough.

Do you answer this question in the serial - what happens when a Soulless is returned to animal form, as Salatis suggests in the first chapter? Do they maintain human thought, human memories, emotions...etc?

 

[Jeff Xilon]

I'm going to read this over the next few weeks. I really like the idea of animals transformed into humans and the social questions it poses. Thanks for posting! I'll give feedback when I've read enough.

Do you answer this question in the serial - what happens when a Soulless is returned to animal form, as Salatis suggests in the first chapter? Do they maintain human thought, human memories, emotions...etc?

Well, the way I was thinking for that first chapter they certainly maintain a good amount of their human self for at least a time. I haven't yet addressed the issue of what would happen to someone changed into an animal and left that way forever (or for a very long time).

EDIT: Oh and thanks for your interest! I hope you enjoy it.

 

[Jess A]

Well, the way I was thinking for that first chapter they certainly maintain a good amount of their human self for at least a time. I haven't yet addressed the issue of what would happen to someone changed into an animal and left that way forever (or for a very long time).

EDIT: Oh and thanks for your interest! I hope you enjoy it.

Enjoying it so far!

Yes when I got to the end of the chapter, and the dog turned on the boy, my question answered itself. I think it'd be interesting to see what did happen long-term.

Also:

I suppose if someone had the mind (and backing/funding/safety) to do this - if a scientist or group of scientists truly wanted to determine if humans and animals-turned-humans were different, they could transform some animals into babies - and raise them with a human control group. you'd do a sort of placebo/blind trial thing where the animal-babies and human babies (who eventually grow up) didn't know who was human and who was originally an animal.

To make it viable you'd have lots of groups with different factors, or control certain factors (setting, how they are raised etc). Nobody would be branded. And perhaps nobody would even be told of the experiment but they would be observed (given some false reason as to why they are being examined or given frequent questionnaires etc).

I think too much?

 

[Jeff Xilon]

I think too much?

Well, maybe not. Keep reading. There may be some things closer to your mark than you expect.

 

[Jess A]

Well, maybe not. Keep reading. There may be some things closer to your mark than you expect.

Sure - and you did say we could make 'requests' with ideas! I'm hoping to get more down time to read more, I've read a few chapters so far. Loving your short stories. I write short stories set in my universe a lot as well, sometimes to get a feel for what's going on elsewhere, or the culture etc. Sara Douglass published a collection of her short stories on her website - I adored them. Her books are wonderful. I think it's a great idea because it's that added bonus for fans.

 

[Jess A]

EDIT

Bloody web page doubled my post (hopefully didn't triple it)...apologies!

 

[Jeff Xilon]

Sure - and you did say we could make 'requests' with ideas! I'm hoping to get more down time to read more, I've read a few chapters so far. Loving your short stories. I write short stories set in my universe a lot as well, sometimes to get a feel for what's going on elsewhere, or the culture etc. Sara Douglass published a collection of her short stories on her website - I adored them. Her books are wonderful. I think it's a great idea because it's that added bonus for fans.

Oh, requests are definitely welcome. I had only meant that you weren't thinking too much. More like you were right on the mark, for at least some folks in the E&A world. However, I will make sure to bring some extra focus in an upcoming story to the person or people who might be surreptitiously doing the kinds of experiments you mentioned.

Sorry for the late reply, still sorting out our new place after moving apartments. I've started playing catchup today.