After a long hiatus of waiting to be revised, then being revised, the second edition of Warriors of Understone is finally here! Embark on a heroic fantasy that tackles surprisingly deep themes, including class struggle, social mobility, bullying, discrimination, and women’s empowerment. Become immersed in a dwarven kingdom that’s lovingly crafted to bring these fantasy side characters to the center stage and give them a vibrant culture and rich history. Along the way, root for a budding will-they-or-won’t-they romance.
What readers on Goodreads said about Warriors of Understone
“I was immediately immersed into the detailed society and caught up within the caste structure and setting completely. Each character spoke with their own unique voice and pursued a grounded agenda. Their interactions wove seamlessly into a rich tapestry of visceral reality.”
“This book takes you deep into a setting rife with tradition and the stuffy winds of change. The culture is done well and the flavor it is written in is fresh. If you like fantasy at all you will love this book!”
“This book was amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone.”
B.K. Bass proudly presents: Warriors of Understone
The kingdom of Understone is enslaved to tradition and stagnates in isolation.
When an incident in the quarries drags Durgan away from the only life he knows, he becomes entangled in webs of political intrigue, domestic turmoil, and romance.
He must struggle to overcome his common birth and the prejudices of a stagnant society to become one of the warriors of Understone — a sprawling dwarven city deep beneath the mountains, at the heart of a kingdom that has not changed its ways in centuries.
Durgan may overcome opponents with axe and shield, but can he change the values of his people with the same tools?
Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Heroic Fantasy Tags: Dwarves, Urban, Subterranean, Social Justice, Political Intrigue Length: Novella (Approx 125 pages)
If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
Isaac Newton, 1675
When Isaac Newton said this, he naturally was speaking of the progressive nature of scientific advancement. However, the same can be said of many things. In no small way, this applies to literature. Every author has their inspirations, and every book has a lineage that can be traced back to stories that inspired it in the author’s mind.
What Once Was Home, my post-apocalyptic alien invasion novel, is no exception. There is a long history of stories that inspired this book, stretching back through the families of post-apocalyptic and alien invasion books. These families have something inspiring in common: Survival.
I have recently had the privilege of partnering with the wonderful folks at Shepherd.com to present my thoughts on a list of five books that I feel were important inspirations for What Once Was Home. In The Best Science Fiction Books Where Ordinary People Survive the Extraordinary, I share what struck me about five books that inspired my writing. Click the title above or the image below to check it out!
For more recommendations along a similar theme, also be sure to take a look at Shepherd’s Survival Bookshelf for more recommendation lists.
With my recent separation from my publisher, there may be a lot of people wondering what’s next for B.K. Bass. In particular, I want to share the plans for my books.
In short: I’m going indie. I’ll be re-releasing all of my existing titles as new editions, and naturally will be continuing to work on new projects.
The old listings for my books are already starting to come down. This is a bit of a process however, mostly in the hands of the retailers, so a bit of patience is called for at this point in time. While I’d love to get everything relisted immediately, that’s just not going to be possible. One thing I’ve learned about the publishing industry is that it’s a slow-moving machine. Patience is not only a virtue in this game—it’s a mandatory asset.
That’s not to say I’m resting on my laurels, though. While we wait for the necessary transitions to occur, I’ve been working on getting the books ready for new editions. Rather than just taking what was already there and slapping it under a new imprint, I’m working to refine everything. From further editing to fresh formatting and all-new cover designs, each book will be re-releasing with improvements deserving of being labeled as a new edition. This is something I’ve been wanting do do for a while, especially with improving the formatting of some of my older titles, so I’m relishing the opportunity to finally give them the focus and attention I humbly feel they deserve.
What’s the timeline for all this? I don’t have exact dates in mind for everything, but I’ll be working through the catalog from older to newer titles. That means that the first wave of Ravencrest Chronicles books will be re-releasing first. I’ll be releasing them one at a time so they each have a moment in the spotlight, and from there I’ll roll into the other titles. When this process will start is as-of-yet unclear, but I’m anticipating mid to late November for the re-release of Seahaven to get us started.
In the meanwhile, I’m still working on writing! Night Shadow is almost done, and Flashpoint: Cygnus is coming along slowly but surely. Because working on the new editions of the existing titles is the priority right now though, the new titles are going to take some time. Once things are rolling though, I’ll have a lot more time to write and you should see more releases coming from me at a steady pace!
I’m also thrilled to be working with other publishers on anthology projects, including the upcoming Dark Magic Drabbles from Eerie River Publishing, and Tales from the Year Beyond Volume 2 from Skullgate Media. I’m hoping to branch out with more short fiction as well, so with luck you’ll be seeing stories from me popping up all over the place.
In the meanwhile, thank you to everybody who has supported me so far on this amazing journey. I’m excited to be stepping out on a new path, once again, and can’t wait to see what lies ahead!
Ray Bradbury (AUG 22, 1920 – JUN 5, 2012) was a prolific author who is credited with writing 27 novels and over 600 short stories, in addition to writing several film and television screenplays. His work helped shape the burgeoning genre of science fiction. He was awarded a Pulitzer Citation in 2007 for his “distinguished, prolific, and deeply influential career as an unmatched author of science fiction and fantasy.”
Warriors of Understone has received another review!
M.E. II has rated it 5 stars on Goodreads.
Warriors of Understone is an excellent new novella crafted by the skilled hand of B.K. Bass. I was immediately immersed into the detailed society and caught up within the caste structure and setting completely. Each character spoke with their own unique voice and pursued a grounded agenda. Their interactions wove seamlessly into a rich tapestry of visceral reality.
Everything had a real and immediate feel to it. The story carried me along at a breathless pace, building up to a satisfying finale that I wouldn’t dare spoil for you. I devoured the entire work in one sitting, unable to put it down until I was finished. That, more than anything will tell you how deeply I was caught up in the tale. I was impressed by the detail of character and the depth of setting that Mr. Bass put into so few pages. It’s rare for me to encounter a novella that has such a solidly epic feel. I had the same, deep satisfaction at the end as if it had been written as a multi-book series.
B.K. Bass is a master world crafter and this work shows his skills at their best.
My latest interview with J.D. Kellner of The Wet Ink Project is online!
Find out more about the creative process and inspiration behind The Ravencrest Chronicles, Warriors of Understone, and some deep philosophical questions such as “Who would win in a fight between Legolas and Gimli?”
Today was the official awards ceremony from World Anvil for their annual World Ember event (see my article on this here.) My own work in the challenge was in the short-lists for seven different categories, and I placed in four of them! I’d like to share the results here, along with links to the articles so you can head over and take a look.
(You do not have to be a member of World Anvil to view the content, but membership is free if you think you’d be interested in using the service! Affordable Guild Memberships provide additional benefits, as well! I’m a proud Guild Member!)
Settlement
The settlement template on World Anvil is used for creating anything from a small village to a bustling city, or even a planetary colony!
My article about the city of Northampton won first place in the Settlement category! This is part of my Istaria setting – being developed for an upcoming epic fantasy series called The Faewylde War.
The city of Northampton is the capitol of the Duchy of Northampton and one of four major cities in the Kingdom of Brisland. Of the four, Northampton is the youngest. At the time of the Unification, it was actually the smallest as well. Currently, the city stands with a population of around 15,000 – made up mostly of peasant craftsmen – above average for a city of its stature.
The Organization template on World Anvil can be used for anything from a family to a governmental structure. I have used this quite a bit for kingdoms and religious organizations.
My article describing the Kingdom of Brisland was awarded second place in the Organization category. This is also part of Istaria, and a key part of The Faewylde War.
Brisland is a mostly agrarian kingdom that lies on the southern coast in the east of Istaria. It is bordered by Remaria to the West, Teugoras to the East, and Argastilan to the North. Protected to the north and west by mountain ranges and thick forests, Brisland enjoys a geographic isolation despite sharing its borders with three other nations.
My K.O.B.O.L.D. article took second place in the Vehicle category. This is part of a DieselPunk project that I am co-authoring with Enkelli Arn Robertson, and will soon be presented in an anthology of short stories and novelettes called Tales From the Breach.
The Ko.B.O.L.D. (Korvonium-powered Battle Ordinance Load Distribution) series of Powered Armour was developed at the Peren City Institute of technology in response to the creation of the Operator Guided Robotic Engine (O.G.R.E.) by the Tannenholtz Empire. The KOBOLD armor consists of a core exoskeleton powered by a Sky Crystal-enhanced diesel engine.
This article detailing sleeper ships – or interstellar ships where the crew and passengers are put into hibernation during a long journey – took second place in the Technology category.
To avoid the problems of having a crew spending fifteen years or more on a ship – which include psychological repercussions, needs for habitation space, and systems for renewable supplies of food and water – systems of chemically induced hibernation were developed. With these methods, the crew might pass the years as if one were passing an afternoon with a short nap. Naturally, the process and physical results were much more dramatic than this entails; but the passage of felt as instantaneous as this analogy implies.
My article about the Bravani placed third in the Ethnicity category. This is another part of the Istaria project, to be featured in The Faewylde War series.
The Bravani are a nomadic people who live deep in the forests of Remaria. Their history is older than the Principality itself, and they lay claim to being the original inhabitants of the region. They live a simple life, travelling the forests and occassionally trading with those who live in the Remarian coastal plains.
Again, I would like to thank the team over at World Anvil for creating an amazing platform for the community to develop and share their worldbuilding. There is also a thriving Discord community, a YouTube channel, and weekly Twitch streams in addition to the website itself. World Anvil really is an amazing community on top of being an amazing creative platform. I highly recommend it to any worldbuilder, and even those who are just organizing thoughts for an upcoming RPG campaign or writing project. You may be surprised how much your imagination is sparked just by dipping your foot into the waters.
As December rolls up on us, I have a very exciting project that I am about to embark upon. World Anvil has a huge event this month called WorldEmber, and I’m setting a goal for myself of writing 50,000 words.
For those who don’t know, World Anvil is a worldbuilding site that provides a place to organize and display worldbuilding projects. It is geared towards both tabletop RPG gamers and authors. More than this, it is home to an amazingly welcoming and cooperative community.
Worldbuilding is the process of constructing an imaginary world, sometimes associated with a whole fictional universe.
WorldEmber is the big worldbuilding event of the year, and can be compared to NaNoWriMo. It is a challenge to the entire community for each writer to produce 10,000 words in their worlds. In addition, there are stretch goals at 25K, 50K, 100K, 150K, and a whopping 200K!
There are also a number of prizes involved, totaling over $1,000 in value. I am proud to say that Kyanite Publishing and I are sponsors of the event; with two copies of The Ravencrest Chronicles: Omnibus One – Premium Hardcover Edition being offered as raffle prizes for those who meet the 10,000 word minimum.
Again, I will be participating in the challenge with a personal goal of 50,000 words, which meets the “Novel Achievement” goal for the event. I will be working on one world as a focus for the event, and am using this opportunity as motivation to work on a project i have had simmering in the idea fire for quite a while now.
The Eldaran and the Drakhari have been at war for eons. In a desperate gamble to turn the tide, a powerful Drakhari wizard develops a spell that can tear apart the very fabric of reality. In doing so – he also discovers a way to create passages from the Faewylde to the mortal realms.
Caught between these two armies of immortals is Liam, a simple city guardsman just hoping to make it through his mandatory years of service peacefully. When an Eldaran named Sira comes to him for help, he discovers how little he actually knew about not only his own world, but also himself!
This is just part of the world of Istaria, the setting for a project tentatively titled The Faewylde War. I am planning – at a minimum – a trilogy of full-length novels in this setting. This will be an epic medieval fantasy series with magical forces, political intrigue, personal moral dilemmas, and a number of other themes explored. This is my most ambitious project to date; and I am very happy to have World Anvil as a platform to not only assist me in organizing the development of this project, but to also share with you everything about the world as it grows! If you click on the map above or here, you will be taken to the home of this world and be able to watch it develop over the coming month.
Please be aware that while I will still be working full-time on my duties at Kyanite Publishing during this month with the usual level of maximum effort, I will be devoting more time to this project. Response times to messages, emails, or other requests may vary as I commit to blocks of writing time. I will still have regular dedicated office hours Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8am – 12pm CST, in addition to being available at many other times that will vary as the workflow demands.
I hope to see many new faces join us over at World Anvil. Don’t forget that the challenges are all based on page likes on that site, so be sure to sign up for a free account and hit the like and follow buttons if you think I’m doing a good job with Istaria!
The next wave of Ravencrest books are coming up in the second half of 2019. Unlike the episodic nature of the first wave – which focused on introducing key characters and the setting – the second wave will be a serialized epic told over the course of four novellas.
A mysterious cult has infiltrated every part of Seahaven, from the most respected nobility all the way down to the dockworker’s guild. Gareth leads the charge in unraveling this dark conspiracy, joined by friends old and new.
Keep an eye out for more information about Midnight Masques, Tapestry of Lies, Cult of the Shadow Queen, and Upon a Black Wing, all coming in 2019!
His first title with Kyanite Publishing LLC, “Night Shift,” is a science fiction story about a detective in the fictional city of New Angeles. Readers familiar with the science fiction subgenre called “cyberpunk” will appreciate the crime-ridden, dystopian setting. “Night Shift” was originally a serialized story Mr. Bass released online. He’s especially fond of serials and novellas that can be collected into longer works because they’re sized for today’s busy audience.
More information about Night Shift can be found at bkbass.com and Goodreads.
In New Angeles, crime is part of the daily business of running the city. But when a routine murder investigation starts turning up more questions than answers, homicide detective Harold Peterson finds himself unraveling a decades-old conspiracy that leads him to the highest echelons of the mob and the city government. As various threads start to come together, the big picture is revealed to be more than he ever bargained for. As bullets start to fly from both directions, the only thing Harold knows for sure is that he isn’t being paid enough to deal with this.
B.K. Bass, Author and Editor 