First Page Look: A New Magic Kingdom Short Story

arc-unboundWhen I asked Terry to write a short story for Unfettered II, he said he had just the right idea.

A Word/Void short story.

Months went by as he worked on a super secret novel project—no, we still aren’t talking about it really yet—and when I asked him if he had finished the short story he smiled sheepishly and said, “I got a better idea. What if…”

And just like that, Terry went to work on a new Magic Kingdom short story featuring Ben Holiday, taking place after the events of A Princess of Landover. It must have been a tale that had built up inside of him because it took him mere days to write it. And once I received it and began reading, it left me cackling all day long.

But building and editing anthologies is a strange business and I am still learning a great deal about it. One of my authors needed a bit more time for his Unbound contribution, which pushed Unfettered II into mid-2016. I didn’t like that you guys would have to wait until then to read a new Magic Kingdom story, so I moved it up into Unbound!

Unbound publishes on December 1, 2015, right in time for the holidays. And it features one of the best line-ups you’ll see in any anthology.

Here are the formats it will be available in:

Notes: The hardcover ARC ships earlier than the final trade hardcover and is not proofed, does not feature the final interior artwork, has a different dust jacket, and is limited to 250 copies. Pre-ordering for the ebook will begin next week. And those who own the Signed & Numbered edition of Unbound have first right of refusal for the Signed & Numbered edition of Unfettered II.

To celebrate Unbound and its announcement here, I’ve decided to post the first page of An Unfortunate Influx of Filipians by Terry Brooks:

Brooks_1st Page

Anyone out there excited for a new Magic Kingdom story? I think you guys are going to love it!

Post your comments below!


12 responses to “First Page Look: A New Magic Kingdom Short Story”

  1. Looking forward to it. I’m currently writing, so new stories from my favorite authors refreshes me. Mostly, I can’t wait for chronicles.

  2. Landover is my favorite!
    This page read so fast.
    Terry really knows how to flow a page and get the reader to turn the page…..quickly!!
    Cannot wait for short story to publish!
    Thanks Terry and Thank you Shawn for all you do!!

  3. Shawn,
    Will Terry also be contributing to UNFETTERED 2? Maybe that Word/Void short story he had originally been contemplating…? 😉

  4. I can’t wait for it to come out. I love the Landover books. I love Terry Brooks books. Whenever I go into a bookstore the first place I go is straight to the fantasy section to see what books of his I’m missing.