528 ratings | 4 reviews | avg rating:4.26

Eric Dontigney’s Followers (177)

Eric’s Bookshelves

to-read (40)
currently-reading (16)
read (539)
business-and-marketing (17)
philosophy (36)
writing (8)

Eric’s Friends (242)

Jessica

460 books | 6 friends

Doug Cooper

493 books | 3,718 friends

Joyce Mari

223 books | 636 friends

Tamara

1,106 books | 5,059 friends

Jeff Stanger

439 books | 838 friends

John

287 books | 29 friends

Christopher

252 books | 79 friends

Amalie Jahn

1,529 books | 944 friends

More friends…

Eric Dontigney

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

https://ericdontigney.com/blog

Twitter

ericdontigney

Genre

Fantasy, Science Fiction

Influences

He wouldn't tarnish other writers by claiming them as influences. ...more

Member Since

May 2012

edit data

Raised in Western New York, Eric Dontigney has lived in New Mexico, Florida, Wisconsin, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. He currently resides near Dayton, OH. He is a fan of photo-realism paintings, coffee and well-made food. He has a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy.

...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Eric Dontigney questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

Just wondering if there were going to be any more books in the Samuel Branch series? I've really enjoyed reading them and was curious what was going to happen to him next.

Eric Dontigney Hi Pcsaust,

First things first, thanks for reading! I'm glad you enjoy the books. I try to keep them entertaining.

In answer to your question, yep, I e…moreHi Pcsaust,

First things first, thanks for reading! I'm glad you enjoy the books. I try to keep them entertaining.

In answer to your question, yep, I expect there will be at least 2 more Samual Branch novels to wrap up the current story arc.

I know the long gaps between the books are frustrating. The biggest challenge for me at this point is coming up with plausible threats that Sam can't simply "Branch smash" into oblivion. It usually takes my imagination a while to supply me with something complicated enough to be worthy of Sam's attention/fury.

The good news is that I've done a little work on Book 4 already. My goal is to get the next book out sometime in 2019.

In the meantime, I've put up a works-in-progress meter on the homepage of my website (http://ericdontigney.com). I don't update the meter as often as I should, but it'll give you a general sense of how close I am to finishing first drafts.

If you liked the Branch novels, you should definitely give my other book - Contingency Jones: The Complete Season One - a try. The majority of people who read the Branch novels and Jones have liked both.

I've also got another book coming out later this summer. It's a paranormal mystery called The Midnight Ground. It's not a Branch novel, but it lives in a similar neighborhood to the Branch books. It might help tide you over until I get that next Branch book written.

Again, thanks for reading!

Best,
Eric D.
(less)

flag

1 like · like
2 comments

What books are on your summer reading list this year?

Eric Dontigney There are always more that I want to read than I reasonably can read. Right now, I'm trying to finish some books that I started and never quite got fi…moreThere are always more that I want to read than I reasonably can read. Right now, I'm trying to finish some books that I started and never quite got finished. Jitterbug Perfume (Tom Robbins), The Omnivore's Dilemma (Michael Pollan), and The Troupe (Robert Jackson Bennett). Once I finish those, and the other stuff on my currently reading list, I'll be moving on to American Elsewhere and City and Blades (both by Robert Jackson Bennett), The Looking Glass Wars books (Frank Beddor), The Thirteenth Tale (Diane Setterfield), and The Musician's Quest (George MacDonald). Assuming that doesn't take me clear to the end of the year, there is theoretically a new Dresden Files novel coming out sometime....someday....eventually. Butcher promised. Also, if Neil Gaiman publishes anything else new this year, I'll read that. (less)

flag

1 like · like
Comment

See all 11 answers from Eric Dontigney…

Combine Editions
Eric Dontigney’s books

Average rating: 4.55 · 18,917 ratings · 655 reviews · 26 distinct works • Similar authors

	Unintended Cultivator: Volume One (Unintended Cultivator, #1) 4.52 avg rating — 4,875 ratings — published 2023 — 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
	Unintended Cultivator: Volume Two (Unintended Cultivator, #2) 4.57 avg rating — 3,903 ratings — published 2024 — 5 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
	Unintended Cultivator: Volume Three (Unintended Cultivator, #3) 4.59 avg rating — 3,055 ratings — published 2024 — 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
	Unintended Cultivator: Volume 4 (Unintended Cultivator, #4) 4.55 avg rating — 2,335 ratings — published 2024 — 5 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
	Unintended Cultivator: Volume Five (Unintended Cultivator, #5) 4.54 avg rating — 2,119 ratings — published 2025 — 6 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
	Unintended Cultivator: Volume 6 (Unintended Cultivator, #6) 4.59 avg rating — 1,534 ratings — published 2025 — 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
	Unintended Cultivator: Volume 7 (Unintended Cultivator, #7) 4.63 avg rating — 755 ratings — published 2025 — 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
	Falls (Samuel Branch, #1) 4.24 avg rating — 90 ratings — published 2010 — 6 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 Midnight Ground (Adrian Hartworth Book 1) 4.01 avg rating — 69 ratings — 3 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 Samuel Branch Omnibus 4.56 avg rating — 50 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

More books by Eric Dontigney…

163 posts
Eric Dontigney's Blog

A Long Overdue Update

Okay, so the last year has been…exciting. Busy. Life-altering. The on-a-whim cultivation novel that I started posting to Royal Road took off in ways that I simply could not have anticipated. One thing led to another, and I got a publisher for Unintended Cultivator. Thanks, Shadow Alley Press, you guys are awesome!

If you’re just here to learn about Unintended Cultivator, here’s the snapshot. Volume

Series by Eric Dontigney

Unintended Cultivator (8 books)
by

Eric Dontigney (Goodreads Author)

4.56 avg rating — 18,560 ratings

Samuel Branch (3 books)
by

Eric Dontigney (Goodreads Author),

Sarah Blank (Editor)

4.40 avg rating — 213 ratings

Contingency Jones (4 books)
by

Eric Dontigney (Goodreads Author)

4.71 avg rating — 17 ratings

Eric is Currently Reading

Eric Dontigney is currently reading

The Devil in the White City

by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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 21, 2021 02:52AM

Eric Dontigney is currently reading

Indie Publishing for Profit: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Into the Stores (Author Fundamentals 2)

by Chris Kennedy (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Oct 30, 2020 10:50PM

Eric Dontigney is currently reading

Scout's Honor (Scout's Honor #1)

by Henry Vogel (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Oct 26, 2020 07:45PM

rss
Eric’s Recent Updates

Eric Dontigney rated a book it was amazing Scourge of Thorns (The Strong Gods, #1) by eden Hudson (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
Aug 08, 2025 10:18PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Scourge of Thorns by eden Hudson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Scourge of Thorns by eden Hudson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Eric Dontigney finished reading 5,000 Words Per Hour: Write Faster, Write Smarter by Chris Fox (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
Jun 04, 2025 01:24AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of 5,000 Words Per Hour by Chris Fox. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — 5,000 Words Per Hour by Chris Fox <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Eric's books…

Quotes by Eric Dontigney (?)

“Being friends with someone, even loving someone, doesn’t mean that you have to accept everything they believe. More to the point, you should run from anyone who tries to tell you otherwise. That kind of person isn’t anyone’s friend. Real friends, real loved ones, can disagree about important things and remain close.”
― Eric Dontigney, Unintended Cultivator: Volume One

2 likes

“Something I learned the hard way is that it’s easy to convince yourself of ideals when there’s nothing around to challenge those ideals. It’s easy to think that you’re above doing something when there’s no chance that you’ll ever be put in a position to do that exact thing. When you travel, when you face new circumstances, the world has a way of confronting you with those choices.”
― Eric Dontigney, Unintended Cultivator: Volume Two

1 likes

“A friend of mine told me once that not everything was her business. Curiosity”
― Eric Dontigney, Unintended Cultivator: Volume Five

1 likes

See all Eric Dontigney's quotes »

Eric’s Quotes

“Nihilism brings us down to earth by forcing us to confront our puniness, our failures and our finitude. It reminds us that we are not gods, and thus helps to put us back into our appropriate place.”
― John Marmysz, Cinematic Nihilism: Encounters, Confrontations, Overcomings

tags: nihilism

4 likes