The Uprising released six months after The Untenable, then The Chronicle released four months after The Uprising, so you’d expect an equally quick turnaround on The Sacrifice (Erafeen, #5), right? After all, it’s been six months since The Chronicle released.

Alas, it’s not looking that way. December-January seems most realistic.

I underestimated the scope of The Sacrifice. I’m not going to dive into the many nuances of the plot, but I’m sure everyone realizes how much more complex this story has gotten with each release.

Readers know Erafeen has a LOT of characters–and not just fluff characters who are only there to fill space, but characters who mean a lot to the story and have significant arcs of their own. Readers know the many kingdoms, and how each of them plays a part in Erafeen’s story. Readers also know how intricate the magic system is.

I don’t half-ass things. This book is no different.

The thing about The Sacrifice is that it’s not just the fifth book in the series, but it’s the final book in Erafeen’s first act (there are two acts). I’ll refrain from explaining what that means in depth, but I will say this: THIS BOOK IS IMPORTANT. (Don’t worry; the series isn’t over.)

The Jestivan’s first draft was 123,000 words.
The Untenable’s first draft was 180,000 words.
The Uprising’s first draft was 132,000 words.
The Chronicle’s first draft was 140,000 words.

Why am I telling you this? To put the scale of the fifth book in perspective.

The Sacrifice’s first draft is sitting at 191,000 words right now–and I’m not really close to finishing it. Based on the number of scenes I have left to write (according to my outline), this book could fall anywhere between 220-250,000 words long. That’s significant.

Want that put in perspective?

The longest Harry Potter novel (Order of the Pheonix): 257,000
A Game of Thrones: 284,000
The Name of the Wind: 259,000
The Fellowship of the Ring: 187,000

What I’m trying to say is, The Sacrifice won’t be like most books you’ve read. It’s hefty, it’s long, but it’s packed full of substance. In other words: It’s lengthy, but not for no reason. It will dwarf the first four Erafeen novels.

We’ll see how editing goes (when I get to that stage). That will definitely knock that word count down once I tighten the prose and possibly delete any scenes that my editor deems unnecessary.

Anyway, that’s it for the update. I rarely type these things because I always want to spend this time writing the book instead. But, I figured it was overdue.

Remember, you can find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. If you want to talk about the series, contact me via any of those platforms, or you can email me at davidffarris@erafeen.com

Have an ethical day,

Grand Director Farris 😉