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Emelan #12

by Tamora Pierce

Tris enrolls at the mages' university in Lightsbridge under an assumed name, in an attempt to become an ordinary mage practicing normal academic magic (spells, charms, potions) with no one knowing her real name or power.

What are you working on now/next?
Tammy is currently polishing the first book in a new series about Numair/Arram Draper. Her next commitments are to books two and three, after which she will start work on a book in the Circle universe following Tris as she attempts to get her ordinary mage’s credentials at Lightsbridge.

What is the future of the Circle Universe? When will you write the book about Tris at Lightsbridge?
The answer to this question will probably disappoint you. The future of the Circle Universe depends on Scholastic, as the rights holders, not me. And, unfortunately, I don’t think Scholastic is interested in future books. We’ll have to see. I still owe them one.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic, Fiction, High Fantasy, Adventure, Young Adult Fantasy

Hardcover

About the author

Hey, folks! I just discovered that apparently I have given some very popular books single-star ratings--except I haven't. How do I know I haven't? Because I haven't read those books at all. So before you go getting all hacked off at me for trashing your favorites, know that I've written GoodReads to find out what's going on.

I return to my regularly scheduled profile:
Though I would love to join groups, I'm going to turn them all down. I just don't have the time to take part, so please don't be offended if I don't join your group or accept an invitation. I'm not snooty--I'm just up to my eyeballs in work and appearances!

Also, don't be alarmed by the number of books I've read. When I get bored, I go through the different lists and rediscover books I've read in the past. It's a very evil way to use up time when I should be doing other things. Obviously, I've read a lot of books in 54 years!

I was born in South Connellsville, PA. My mother wanted to name me "Tamara" but the nurse who filled out my birth certificate misspelled it as "Tamora". When I was 8 my family moved to California, where we lived for 6 years on both sides of the San Francisco peninsula.

I started writing stories in 6th grade. My interest in fantasy and science fiction began when I was introduced to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J. R. R. Tolkien and so I started to write the kind of books that I was reading. After my parents divorced, my mother took my sisters and me back to Pennsylvania in 1969. There I went to Albert Gallatin Senior High for 2 years and Uniontown Area Senior High School for my senior year.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, I wrote the book that became The Song of the Lioness fantasy quartet. I sold some articles and 2 short stories and wrote reviews for a martial arts movie magazine. At last the first book of the quartet, Alanna: The First Adventure was published by Atheneum Books in 1983.

Tim Liebe, who became my Spouse-Creature, and I lived in New York City with assorted cats and two parakeets from 1982 - 2006. In 2006 we moved to Syracuse, New York, where we live now with assorted cats, a number of squirrels, birds, raccoons, skunks, opossums, and woodchucks visiting our very small yard. As of 2011, I have 27 novels in print, one short story collection, one comic book arc ("White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion") co-written with Tim, and a short story anthology co-editing credit. There's more to come, including a companion book to the Tortall `verse. So stay tuned!

Reviews

[Sytc]

2013: All I can say is that I've been waiting for this book to come out for the last 10 years. Since Shatterglass came out definitely. I just counted the number of years in my head and I realized it was crazy - Tamora announced the concept for this book on her website 10 YEARS AGO and I'm still waiting for it. For a time, the publication date was set at 2008, then 2009 and 2010 and then when 2010 came and passed, suddenly it was 2014. A part of me tells me not to keep my hopes up for 2014 because I know it could be pushed back even more.

Will I ever get to read this book before I get old and die? I don't know, but it's seriously killing me. I don't think I've ever waited for anything this long before. Please, please, please let this come out in 2014...

Edit 2014: Well, 2015 now. What's another year when you've already waited this long........

Edit2 Jan 2015: I'm not even surprised that the date's now at 2016.I've had over a decade of this kind of disappointment year after year, thinking I would celebrate all my "landmark" years growing up with the publication of this book (elementary graduation, high school graduation, college graduation!!!) and fearing that by the time the book finally came out, I would have grown up and changed so much that the book wouldn't even be something I'd enjoy reading anymore. It's clear that after so long, I've become unnaturally attached to the idea of this book.

Edit3 May 2015: I'm sure you guys are like me and check back every so often just to make sure the publish date hasn't budged. Well it hasn't yet. We're good.

Edit4 Jan 2016: Happy new year. As we might all know by now from Tammy's AMA last year here, this is now "a way off." As we settle in for another long round of waiting... reads lots and have a great year folks. Let's check back in next year.

Edit5 Feb 2017:2017 means it's the fourth anniversary of this comment being posted! Not much has really changed over the past four years, but the update is that Goodreads says publication date is 2018.... though Tammy said last year in her March AMA that she expects 2020. There are times when waiting for this book feels awfully dramatic. Every year I'm amazed by how much I still want this book. You'd think after 14 years I'd feel a little less about it, but nope, it's still got a stranglehold on my poor elementary-school heart...

Edit6 Feb2018:GUYS. This thread is officially half a decade old! In age terms it's a toddler entering kindergarten! I take heart in the fact that Tammy is finally publishing another long-awaited series on Numair this month, and the promise is that after that series is done, THIS IS THE BOOK that will be next! I would say that I can't wait but clearly... I can.

Edit7 April 2019: Just adding another obligatory entry to mark the years. Wow it's been a long time.

Edit8 March 2020 It's weird to think that I'll look back on this update years from now and know that I made it while deep in social distancing and isolation due to coronavirus. You know what would be great to have right now, given that I'm at home all the time and can't leave? This book! This book, which I have waited over half my life for! Regardless... hope everybody is staying healthy, productive and safe. Stop touching your face.

Edit9 April 2021 This has been a really hard year. I know I'm probably not alone in that. Whatever your circumstances are, I hope there was even a little good that came out of it for you - maybe time to read more or a chance to rediscover something you loved that you forgot about. I know there were updates made on Tammy's part, but to be honest, I haven't been following them too closely. But I know many of you continue to update her movements here and I stay updated through all of you! So thank you. Even if I don't respond, I see them and appreciate it!

Edit10 October 2022 Apologies that this post is coming a little late in the year. Unfortunately, the reason is because my mother passed away and I became the primary caregiver for my mentally ill father this year. This post is a bit of a weird place to announce personal details like that, but I also feel like this yearly-updating review has taken on a life of its own, and I feel very responsible for its continuance.

Every time I come back to this post, I ask myself: What does this series mean to me? Why am I still invested? Am I less invested than I was the previous year? This year, there are a few more questions: You're the saddest you've ever been in life. What value does a childhood series have for you right now? If it were to come out tomorrow, would you even have the motivation to read it?

My attachment to Tris and the rest of the Winding Circle kids started because I wanted to be them. I wanted to be the kind of kid who could overcome obstacles and get the respect of adults. As I became an adult myself, it was more about nostalgia. Now as an even adultier adult, I wonder if I would be comforted instead by a tale of a beloved childhood character who I know will go through terrible struggles, but who is almost guaranteed to come out successful on the other end. I wish there was something of the same for real life.

Which is all to say... yes, if it came out tomorrow, I would probably still read it. I think I would love feeling like that kid again. I think I would love to read about a girl-turned-adult-woman who finds closure and steps confidently in the world.

And no there isn't any news about this book coming anytime soon. Which means I'll see all of you next year!

Edit11 December 2023 To think, I almost missed the 10-year anniversary of this review!

I think everyone assumes at this point that this book is not coming, maybe ever. The only inkling of hope is that Tammy's contract with Scholastic will magically expire and she decides to self-publish. But I won't hold my breath. Tammy is also getting older and I imagine at some point she would just like to retire? I will spend the next ten years accepting all of this begrudgingly.

[Samantha Chow]

Sometimes I wonder...

Is this book going to be published in my lifetime?

[Geli]

I've been waiting for this book a decade or longer. But can they please simply give us a date and keep it? Or simply come out and say "Not happening the next 3 years"?

[Mistress OP]

thank you god she's finally writing tris' book.


update 6 years later.

She wrote the mage book instead. I've kinda been waiting for the circle of magic to open tris book for years. I feel like she's one of the hardest characters to write for her and Daja. They have this vibe to them that at the time she started writing the series wasn't fleshed out by most writers anywhere on the planet. There were no rails for those types of characters in books currently. Tris and Daja were off the path. Even a little bit of Sandy. I feel like Sandy I would class her in a Frozen style character now. Although, I feel like Sandy had more depth to her. More duty and more depth. Anyway, I just want to say I'm still waiting and thank you for writing this series. I grew up Bi, alone and freaking out. I was evil because I was bi and I could "make a choice" if I wanted to. AT least if that's the way my mind took it. when I made the "choice" I was being evil. Ya, looking back it was kinda fucked up for a pre-teen to think like that. I didn't really have books with characters like the ones you wrote. They weren't characters of color mostly either. Thank all the same. You saved me.

[Tokies]

thank you god she's finally writing tris' book.

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sad that it sounds like we won't ever get this book. On Tamora Pierce's website, she's said that Scholastic, who hold the publishing rights, have expressed little interest in finishing the series with Tris's book. I'd very much have liked the completion of that final entry to the story arc, but unfortunately it doesn't look like it's going to happen.

[~♥*Marianna*♥~]

@Scholastic, when I catch you Ricky! Ricky! When I catch you!! 🤨🤨