Reader Alert!
by Linda Evans
Far Edge of Darkness is the first half of an unfinished story that was meant to continue in Unholy Trinity. Why isn't the story finished I plead a combination of ill health and financial need. Far Edge was originally written before my first professional sale and became my third published novel, after Sleipnir and Time Scout, plus the anthology Bolos 3: The Triumphant. I was editing Far Edge and writing Wagers of Sin (Time Scout #2) when a major illness shattered my health and left me unable to write for three years, with a contract for a major series unfulfilled. Wagers of Sin limped its way into print during this time as I struggled to finish the last third of the book (which I have no memory of writing). Jim Baen and Toni Weisskopf stood by me as I put my life back together, an act of faith and kindness for which I will bless them forever. My health remains fragile, which limits my production speed, as does the day job I must keep to hold onto utterly necessary health insurance. That is where the situation stands at present. I'm committed to the Hell's Gate "Multi-Verse" series with David Weber, which must be my highest priority.
If you have read Far Edge of Darkness and enjoyed it, thank you and please accept my apologies for its unfinished state. (I, too, want to get my literary children off that cliff they're plunging over!) If you haven't read the book yet, I will say this in warning: the book's action is constructed so that every single chapter ends on a cliffhanger, including the last one. If you want "the rest of the story" to exist before you begin reading a book, you'll probably want to skip Far Edge of Darkness. But if you are willing to overlook the lack of an ending to the overall story (there is closure of some major plot threads), you're welcome to step onto the roller coaster. Just hang on, because that last drop is a real dilly...
Apologies and Best Wishes,
Linda Evans
ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME
Sibyl Johnson—a graduate student In classical archeology, just this side of her Ph.D., when an anachronism at her dig in Italy causes her career to take a sudden lurch—and suddenly she's a slave in the very society she was studying!
Charlie Flynn—a Miami cop, deep undercover on a Mafia sting operation stumbled onto something he shouldn't have seen, end now he's scheduled for a hit—in the Roman forum. Lagan McKee—once a commando, now a bum, he got caught in a Florida thunderstorm and suddenly he was in Alaska—five years after the storm struck. Now he's slated for a fatal visit to the dark side of Classical Rome.
Three people, all castaways in time, all victims of the same evil hand—all out for vengeance, on the Far Edge of Darkness.
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Product Review
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Product ReviewVery, very good book. Ignore those that feel that the author owes them anything - the book is free, and there is an explanation from the author at the top of the page that the story is unfinished, and why.
There are some really strong ideas here that I haven't seen in other time-travel stories, and the characters are well-drawn and sympathetic. The weakest part for me is the fact that the base has been infiltrated by that particular agency (I hope that isn't a spoiler!) I know the explanation is given, but it just doesn't seem that plausible, certainly post-2001 (remember that this is a 1996 book, and the world was different back then).
I would be delighted if the author (if you read this, Linda) were to revisit this to bring it up to date, do a bit of editing to tidy it up, and add an ending, but this is a cracking good adventure as it stands.Posted on
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Product ReviewLinda PLEEEASE finish this. Unfinished, it's one of the best time travel stories I've read.
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Product ReviewPulse pounding, hard to put down, beautifully constructed--and as the author ruefully notes, in need of a sequel. I finished the book and ran online to find the sequel. Alas, there isn't one. I understand the author's problems. Life bites at times. SO be it...hopefully it will finish up one day. If not, it was well worth reading even as is, the page turning style and suspense making it addictive.
P.s. I'm a little surprised at the white hot anger expressed by some over this obviously needing a sequel. The author was candid online about health problems she has faced; a little understanding perhaps? Plus, it's FREE! Moreover, while I grant the point and of course agree that it should have a sequel, potential readers shouldn't be misled from the nature of some of the comments here: this book does NOT just aimlessly stop, as if in the middle of a chapter or a plot line. It wraps up all the immediate subplots and does have a conclusion of sorts for its immediate purposes. To be sure, it certainly cries out for the next installment, which it sets up. There's a cliffhanger. But it is not exactly as if there were no interim ending and it all just came to a close without purpose. It would be a fine Book 1 of a series, in other words, legitimately published as a book. Look at it this way: The series is not concluded--but Book 1, the part of the series focusing on historical episodes via time travel in ancient Roman times, was. Here's another analogy. If you saw the recently released Resident Evil: Afterlife, it ended in a cliffhanger. So, is that something that should never have been released? In fact, it wrapped up its immediate plot lines and set the stage for the next movie. No one is complaining. Maybe there will never be one. Maybe it won't appear for years. But it was a satisfying story in and of itself, and released as such. If there is never a Book 2 here, so be it. Too bad, but this is still a great read and well worthwhile for what it is.Posted on
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Product ReviewVERY, very well done... BUT IT'S NOT DONE!!!!
You are an evil woman, Mrs Evans (lol)... please find the time to finish this work before pursuing the other stories wandering around that wonderful mind of yours.Posted on
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Product ReviewThe Book is brilliant. Really. I devoured it in one gulp. BUT. It stops right in the middle of the story. Cliffhanger is too small a word. And it has been waiting for a sequel since 1996, so don't get your hopes up. I cannot recommend this to anyone, since the story is unfinished.
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Product ReviewGood book, but I can't in good conscience recommend buying it or other books she's written -- she's notorious at not following through.
Until she finishes this book and book 3 in the Hell's Gate multi-verse, I recommend avoiding her work entirely, for fear of being left with another unresolved cliffhanger for years on end.Posted on
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Product ReviewIt is rare that I have been so upset that the story ended literary of the edge of a cliff, and me yelling "Noooooo, I must find out what happens" Now I find out that Ms Evans has not finished or maybe stared. Lets all buy her stories so she has enough funds to finish. so as I am going to do and buy her books. That way I can find out what happens.
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Product ReviewReally good read, the characters are all unique.
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