Terraria: Wrath of Cthulhu Update Released!

The major update for Terraria Legends Book 1, Wrath of Cthulhu is now live!

It might take a while until your device says there's an update (most have a way to check for an update!), but you should be receiving the update for FREE if you already own the ebook!

If you haven't read the first book yet, now's your chance to jump in!

Here's a link to the Amazon listing, but it should be available from any major book store of your choosing: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NC0TMUU

To give you a quick idea of how BIG of an update this is, the original version of Wrath of Cthulhu was ~29,000 words, and it now stands at ~39,000 words! That's 10,000 more words of action, adventure, and terror!

With this blog post, I'll be covering some of the changes, both big and small, that I've made to the first book in the Legends series.

This should go without saying, but if you haven't read the book, or want to be surprised by the changes, you should stop reading right here and skip to the bottom of this post!

============SPOILERS BELOW FOR WRATH OF CTHULHU!============

First off, let's go over a few of the smaller changes I've made to the book.

I would say 90% of the added words are just me fleshing out existing parts of the book, giving them more vivid detail and action!

For example, here's a look at a small excerpt from the new and old versions.

OLD
"Looking at his feet, I saw some small globs of green gel-like material that had not dissolved into the ground. He was right!"

NEW
"Looking at his feet, I saw some small globs of green gel glistening in the sunlight. They hung across the blades of grass like a sticky dew. He was right!"

In that short example, you can see how the gel went from plain "green globs" to a clear picture of a sticky, green, shiny, gel. A big improvement!

------------

Another thing I worked on was how certain characters spoke in the book. Take a look at this example of Frederick speaking as Allison patches Alex's wounds up:

OLD
"“Humph! Back in my day, we just rubbed some dirt in it!” I heard Frederick chuckle."

NEW
"“Miss Allison, may I say you do fantastic work!” I heard Frederick chuckle behind me."

Now that sounds much more like the polite Frederick we all know and love! I checked all the dialog in the book to make sure everyone was saying something that made sense for them.

One problem I ran into with this was Cody. At the beginning of the book, he almost has a robotic way of talking (which is on purpose), but I never really explained why he talks like that. Here's one of the reasons I gave for him talking so strangely at times:

NEW
"I turned around to ask “Of what?” but he was already gone.
Cody’s airheaded nature makes a little more sense now that I know what had happened to him. Who wouldn’t be a little out of it after a horrific event like that attack on his city?!"

The book goes on to explain why some of the other things he says seem a little "off" at times too.

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In addition, I better explain why certain things happened in the book, like why a merchant would show up:

NEW
"“Why would a merchant move in just because I have money? How would they even find us?” I questioned.
“Many traveling merchants wander all around this area,” Cody answered. “If we ran into one, they might be willing to stick around and help us out with supplies.”"

Much more believable than "get some money and a merchant will show up!"

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Those were a tiny sampling of the vast amount of minor fixes and additions to the book.

Now, I'd like to explain my reasoning behind what I consider to be the three "big" changes I made which resulted in some new content for the book!

The first thing I changed is having Alex learn a little more about the Corruption through a conversation with someone (I won't spoil who.). My reasoning for doing this is at the start of Book 2 "World Eater," Alex seems to have a pretty good idea of what the Corruption is and where it came from, but it was barely even mentioned in book 1!

The second bigger change I made was in regards to some of the tactics Alex used in the battle against the Eye of Cthulhu. There was really only two moments or so involving the grappling hook that I changed around to make more sense story-wise. Alex ends up making the same blows but uses some of their other equipment instead.

The final, and biggest, change I made, was I added a reason for the Eye of Cthulhu to show up in the first place! I won't spoil it completely, but let's just say that someone was up to some, "suspicious" behavior...

============END OF SPOILERS============

To finish up this post, I just wanted to remind you that the story itself is nearly exactly the same, so don't worry! Alex still fights the same fights, has the same emotional moments with their friends, and stares down the gaze of Cthulu! As I said in my other post, these same events still happen, just with more detail and intensity!

Still, maybe you didn't like these changes, or are worried that I might do this to all the books? Fear not!

While I do have plans on making some minor revisions to World Eater (along with the first two short stories), I also have no intention of changing anything substantial with the newer books (think Skeletal Horror and later), aside from fixing some grammar and spelling errors.

Having said all that, let me know what you think of the changes, and I'll catch you in the next blog post!

Keep adventuring!

What's Next After Mechanical Menace!

Seems like just yesterday I released Mechanical Menace...
...Oh wait, that was practically yesterday! (At least from the date of writing this blog post!)

After every big release or exciting event, the question I get asked the most, and the one I ask myself the most, is always; what's next?

The next Legends book is of course in the works, but it's very early in its development. However, before I really dig into that next book, I want to take care of something else; updating Legends book one, Wrath of Cthulu!

Before you start yelling at me for even thinking of touching the original book of the series, hear me out!

Wrath of Cthulu is pretty lacking compared to the other books in the Legends series. My writing has greatly improved throughout the books, and as a result of that, Wrath of Cthulu is no longer up to par with the other stories; especially in length and detail! (Length-wise, we're talking ~29,000 words versus Mechanical Menaces' 80,000 words! Although I have no intention of making the book that long.)

Please, put your torches and pitchforks down!

First off, I am NOT changing the story at all; I think the story itself is great! Alex will still fight the same fights, have the same emotional moments with their friends, and stare down the gaze of Cthulu.

What WILL change, is you will feel every impact of Alex's sword, hear your armor rattle as the Eye of Cthulu roars, and truly feel like you are standing in the arena facing down the first Prime Evil!

For example, here's a quick sample revision I typed up just now using a section from Chapter 3 in The Wrath of Cthulu:

ORIGINAL
"The banging on the door got louder, and I started to hear other sounds hitting against the door. It sounded like something soft and squishy, like a wet sponge being stomped on. I decided it could not hurt to create a small opening above the door, and peek out to investigate the new sound."

REVISION
The banging on the thin wooden door grew louder. Whatever was on the other side wanted in; badly. The planks of the door began to bend and creak to the point that I thought they might break! I started to hear other sounds thudding against the door alongside the heavy blows. It sounded soft and squishy; almost like a wet sponge being stomped on. I decided it couldn't hurt to create a small opening above the door to peek out and investigate the new sound.

In this sample revision, the moment went from "I'm worried about what's on the other side of the door," to, "I'm scared about what's on the other side of the door; I better find out what it is now before it breaks it down!" The story itself is still the same; a monster is on the other side of the door. The moment, however, is much more interesting.

On a fun side note, did you know this isn't the first revision to Wrath of Ctuhlu? Did you also know that the 1st edition of Wrath of Ctuhlu didn't have illustrations? When World Eater got them, I went back and gave Wrath of Ctuhlu them too!

Let's quickly look at some pros and cons of doing a revision like this:

Pros:
-If you already bought the Wrath of Cthulu ebook, this is a free update for you!
-If you're new to the series, this gives you an even better first experience.
-If you've already read the Wrath of Cthulu, you can now go reread it to learn some new things and experience the battles in even more detail!
-This should be a quick project since I don't need to write a story from scratch or make a cover/illustrations.

Cons:
-Some people may truly love the original story exactly how it is, lack of detail aside.
-Making changes could affect the overall story in the long run. (Even though I'll be extremely careful not to!)
-Regardless of how quick it is, in the end, it's still a delay towards Legends Book 6.

I'm sure there are nearly countless pros and cons to a situation like this, but just from the main ones I can think of, it's clear to me that it needs to be done!

Stay tuned here (or on my Twitter) for updates on the revision, teasers from it, and to know when it'll be released! Optimistically, I'm hoping to have it done in a week or two, but I won't know for sure until I dive into it.

Until then, keep reading and adventuring!

Terraria: Mechanical Menace Now Available!

Book 5 in the Terraria: Legends series of books has been released!

It's been a while in the making (5 months roughly?!), but I think it will be well worth your wait!

Remember back when Flesh and Blood came out, and it was the longest book in the series? It has now been dethroned by Mechanical Menace, which clocks in at 80,000 words! (Flesh and blood is 63,000 words, for reference.)

You can pick up this newest book in the series at the usual places, but here's a link to the Amazon listing!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MCDNXHJ

Before I go a little more in depth about this book, here's the summary you'll be seeing online!

"A dark trinity of shadows is cast across the land of Terraria! Alex has left the town in search of someone who can help with the twin threats of the Corruption and Hallow. It's been nearly a year now, and Alex still hasn't returned to town! In our hero's absence, ancient evils conspire against them. Eternal machines thought lost to time begin to stir from their slumber, awakening more powerful than ever and with a new target. If there's any hope of stopping this mechanical menace, someone needs to find Alex, and fast!"

Like most of the books in the Legends series, I was presented with some unique challenges and choices that could only happen with this series. My readers (you!) have made it very clear what you do and don't like about the books, so it's always important for me to write and please more than I disappoint.

Many of you have given me great suggestions for adventure ideas, treasures to find, and so on, and I just want you to know that I am listening! I check nearly every review or comment posted about my books where and when I can. While I'd love to add everything everyone suggests, that obviously wouldn't be so great for the story. (It's difficult enough to juggle all the crazy loot Alex finds!)

In the future, I'm planning on running a few contests of sorts where you will get to vote/decide on things that will get added to future books! If that's something you'd like to be a part of, stay tuned wherever you can! (Here on the blog, my Twitter, etc.)

As always, I'd like to extend my thanks to all of you! Without you, these stories would have little purpose. Each day, more and more people discover the epic adventures of Alex and their friends, and I couldn't be happier to have you all aboard for the ride!

Don't forget that you can always leave a comment here or reach out on Twitter if you have ideas, questions about the books, or just want to say hi! I always try my best to answer back!

2018 was a busy year for me; I ended up writing and publishing 4(?!) books! Here's to 2019, and to even more great stories! (In Terraria, and beyond!)

(You didn't think I'd leave without giving you another teaser for the book, did you?!)

From Chapter 8 in Terraria: Mechanical Menace

BZZZZZZzzzzzuuuUUUUuuuu!
Another bellowing mechanical buzz echoed over the tree line, followed by a low and consistent hum. Every hair on my body stood on end; I could feel them brushing the inside of my armored shell.
“YEEOUCH!” as I went to grab my metallic, cobalt naginata weapon, I suddenly received a sizeable static shock.
Maxwell let out a similar yell as he tried to grab his weapon.
“What gives?!” he grumbled.
“Static electricity!” I called up to him.
“From what?” he answered back, jumping down to stand by me on the field.

“That,” I replied gravely, pointing towards the horizon.