I'm still 60 pages shy of finishing the first round of edits in Book 4 but I'm already coming up with ideas for Book 5. I'm trying to hold off from making too many in-depth plans or putting anything to paper since I need to keep my head in Book 4 but the ideas I do have seem pretty promising.
For Book 4, the question I wanted posed to readers at the end was if Roan had known about BBG's plan at the beginning of the plot would he have done anything to prevent it? This was effectively brought up at the end of Book 4 and I think most readers will have problems answering this, mainly because of the difference between Roan at the beginning of the story and Roan at the end of the plot. Basically, Roan was so transformed by the events that transpired through the plot that he no longer had the boyish innocence he boasted at the beginning of the series. At this point in the books, he is embittered and jaded by the reality of war and the effects resulting from it. He has come to terms with the fact that he is no longer leading a resistance in just one country but is instead the mastermind behind a war where he struggles just to keep his nations alive while soldiers are being targeted behind every corner.
Book 5 is going to be a REALLY tough one to edit. I already ran through it once and rewrote it. The rewrite was actually a merger of two books that didn't have enough plots to stand alone. Aspects were added, characters were removed, some rewritten. Now that I'm revisiting it I realize that the characters I added in are terribly forced and don't fit the overall plot, which means they now must be removed, which means that I basically have to rewrite this story again. Keeping those characters merely provided a substantial arc and I really don't need an arc that large in the series when it will only be ending in two novels.
So I think I'll be removing the Narron/ninja theme in this book and instead replacing it with a plot entirely surrounding the Steppers. I feel like focusing on the Steppers will work so much better and would allow me to keep the second half of the Book 5 rewrite (the part that I really treasure) and also answer readers' questions about the Steppers. They haven't been investigated too deeply despite having their first appearance in Book 1. Book 2, Roan battled a Stepper and also acquired his Stepper captive Arobin. Book 3 has a little more Stepper action but they didn't become a big part of the series until the last book with Roan meeting Arobin's kid brother, Tuck, and learning that the Steppers are being genetically altered.
So I guess Book 5 will be surrounding this idea. I love the Steppers as a part of my writing universe. They are an enigma even I desperately want to know more about. Even my beta readers have requested more background on them. I'll drop a few Stepper names in the coming weeks as the characters become more three-dimensional.
In addition to the Stepper theme, I'm also looking forward to having two romance arcs in this book. Tuck, Arobin's kid brother, will be faced with getting back together with his ex while Roan, yes, our dear Roan Leah, will be meeting his flame. We will also be returning to the Shukara desert (where we haven't extensively traveled since Book 2) and meeting Rand and his beloved Sella, who is due to deliver her firstborn soon.
Since we will be returning to the Shukara it can be expected that there will be some extrinsic themes going on. Book 2 was a fiercely religious novel due to the religion of the extremist Ial and Kadinrail and this book will be dealing with something similar.
Which brings us back to the basic question of the novel. I don't officially have a plot for this book like I said but I do have ideas. One of which will bring our Serpent's Prophecy from Book 1 back to the spotlight as Roan is forced to choose between living as the Serpent from legends or the young man he feels challenged to be. It won't just be Roan who faces this though. Tuck, a couple new characters alongside the Stepper theme, and Roan's own team will be facing the reality of their fate. I guess the initial basic question of this novel is do we all have the freedom to select our own destinies or do we already have fates selected for us by the gods?
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