218 ratings | 54 reviews | avg rating:4.09

William’s Year In Books

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William Ray

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

https://www.VerinEmpire.com/

Twitter

VerinEmpire

Genre

Fantasy

Influences

Tolkien, Lloyd Alexander, Joseph Heller, Arthur Conan Doyle, H.R. Hagg ...more

Member Since

July 2012

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William Ray is the author of Gedlund, named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2016, as well as The Great Restoration and other forthcoming tales within the Verin Empire setting.

Originally from North Carolina, he currently lives in Reston, VA with his wife and dogs. A graduate of Ithaca College, and Wake Forest's School of Law, he has worked in television, retail, patent prosecution, trademark law and other irrelevant nonsense. To paraphrase Lloyd Alexander, however, if being a life-long lover of fantasy literature qualifies one to write it, then he is well qualified indeed. ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

Who is your favorite fictional couple, and why?

William Ray There are so many greats, the answer changes with my mood! I've found though, that as I've grown older, stories of the meetcute and subsequent courtsh…moreThere are so many greats, the answer changes with my mood! I've found though, that as I've grown older, stories of the meetcute and subsequent courtship are far less appealing than stories subsequent to all that.

The simplest, shortest answer is Gomez and Morticia Addams, of the Addams Family, who have one of the best married romances in fiction - they are two unstable people in a stable yet passionate marriage that each relies upon and each contributes to. It's the romantic choice, but it feels too easy... this is Goodreads, so I should endeavor to be more literary!

Lu Bu and Diao Chan, of the Chinese classics surrounding the Three Kingdoms era spring to mind. She is originally just a lure, but stays with him after her mission is accomplished, and ultimately it is only through the helpless indulgence of his love for her that Lu Bu is defeated. I find it fascinating because of the mystery to it... did she fall in love too, or was she always working to be his undoing? Was she a patriotic martyr or the passionate lover of an unsteady war-lord? He was pushed into political marriages - did she stay his concubine out of affection, or fear, or guile? Many versions of their story have been written, and for some reason it's always a relationship that sticks out in my mind.

And, of course, who could deny the allegorical utility of O. Henry's Jim and Della from "Gift of the Magi"?

If we veer away from 'good' romances, Morn and Angus in Stephen Donaldson's sci-fi novel, "The Real Story" are a well-written couple. Their relationship is horrific, but deeply affecting and a compelling read, even though it makes my skin crawl.

I bear a similar affection for Jan and, well, everyone else, in Jesse Burlington's "The Folly of the World"; the romantic relationships there are compelling, even if none of them are healthy.(less)

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

William Ray From the bottom of the deck, wherever possible.
Music helps me, and I've found that on occasion focusatwill.com can work wonders.…moreFrom the bottom of the deck, wherever possible.
Music helps me, and I've found that on occasion focusatwill.com can work wonders.(less)

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Combine Editions
William Ray’s books

Average rating: 4.13 · 132 ratings · 54 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	Gedlund (Tales of the Verin Empire #1) 4.19 avg rating — 72 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Great Restoration (Tales of the Verin Empire #2) 4.08 avg rating — 25 ratings — published 2017 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	a Case of Eager Heirs 3.80 avg rating — 20 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Shadow Debt (Tales of the Verin Empire #3) 4.33 avg rating — 15 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Series by William Ray

Tales of the Verin Empire (3 books)
by

William Ray (Goodreads Author)

4.13 avg rating — 132 ratings

William is Currently Reading

William is currently reading

The Lost War (Eidyn, #1)

by Justin Lee Anderson (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 07, 2025 07:18PM

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Promise of Blood (Powder Mage, #1)

by Brian McClellan (Goodreads Author)

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Jun 06, 2022 10:30PM

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William is currently reading The Lost War (Eidyn, #1) by Justin Lee Anderson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 07, 2025 07:18PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
William rated a book it was amazing Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 07, 2025 07:14PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
William entered a giveaway Hijinks Investigations by Jeffrey L. Kohanek (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 05, 2025 05:54PM · like · see giveaway · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Hijinks Investigations by Jeffrey L. Kohanek. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Hijinks Investigations by Jeffrey L. Kohanek <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
William finished reading The Road of Storms (The Seven Swords #6) by Anthony Ryan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 28, 2025 10:14PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Road of Storms by Anthony Ryan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Road of Storms by Anthony Ryan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
William rated a book it was amazing A Pilgrimage of Swords (The Seven Swords, #1) by Anthony Ryan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 15, 2025 08:03PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Pilgrimage of Swords by Anthony Ryan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Pilgrimage of Swords by Anthony Ryan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
William rated a book it was amazing City of Last Chances (The Tyrant Philosophers #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 18, 2024 08:19PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
William rated a book it was amazing To Steal the Sun by S.M. Carter (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 08, 2024 07:46PM · like
William and 10 other people liked Dom's review of To Steal the Sun: "I read this book for Team Bookborn as part of phase one of SPFBO9. * You can find my full video review here: https://youtu.be/Hz04BxBJFUs * I like a good heist fantasy, and in case the title doesn’t do enough to give it away, let me tell you that this" Read more of this review »
Feb 27, 2024 08:48AM · see review
William rated a book it was amazing To Steal the Sun by S.M. Carter (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 27, 2024 08:45AM · like

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