Revisiting the Saga of the Redeemed
This was the art for the audio book for book 4. (The book isn’t really like this.)
About 12 years ago I got my first book publishing deal with Harper Voyager. It was for my fantasy novel The Oldest Trick, though there was a caveat – they wanted to split the first book in half, but also wanted a sequel, and so began my publishing journey and a fantasy series enumeration that have confused readers ever since.
As my debut novel and my first experience with traditional publishing (or really any publishing), I had enormously high hopes for the series and had upwards of 9 (!) books plotted out and thought I’d be right up there with folks like Patrick Rothfuss and Scott Lynch and Robert Jordan before you knew it, and very obviously none of that happened. The books did on the low side of “barely okay,” I sold a couple thousand copies, and pretty much no one remembers them. (If you remember them fondly, dear reader, that’s so great! I love you and wish there were more of you!)
There are many things I don’t regret about these four books. They made me a “published author,” they got my name in some trade publications, they sort of earned me my agent, and I got a fairly small but not invisible amount of money out of them. I do regret, though, that they never quite found their audience.
I’m writing now because, after some years of them languishing in Harper Voyager’s basement, the rights for these books have finally reverted back to me. They are mine again! What will I do with them? I have no idea. A re-release would be pretty expensive on my end and given how well Faceless Galaxy went, I’m a little leery sinking more money into what amounts to publishing vanity projects.
I would, however, like to spend a second and pitch you – people who never read The Saga of the Redeemed (and that’s most of you, honestly) on why maybe you’d like to pick them up.
The Story: Tyvian Reldamar, our dastardly soundrel of a main character, gets a magic ring fused to his finger that prevents him from doing “evil.” But Tyvian, being a criminal mastermind and generally devious sort, very much would like to do evil, and in particular find a way to get revenge on his former partner who recently betrayed him. But how to do that without doing evil? Hmmmm…
So begins Tyvian’s grumpy, snarky, and very slow journey from despicable villain to (very) reluctant hero. He (unfortunately) makes friends along the way – a teenage pickpocket and a man-eating mother gnoll chief among them – and (sadly) saves the day several times over.
There are daring duels (with swords and/or magic, depending), devious conspiracies, lots of banter, and I swear he swings from at least one chandelier at some point. These are Fantasy Swashbucklers in the vein of the Greatcoats series by Sebastien De Castell or the Gentleman Bastard sequence by Scott Lynch.
The World: I did a LOT of intricate world-building with this series, which floats somewhere around the 17th century-ish in terms of technology and dress, but magic is an (almost) everyday resource, particularly for the wealthy. So there are demon-driven trains and fire-spitting pikes and magic armor but also horses and muddy roads and all the usual stuff you’d find in, say, The Three Musketeers by Dumas.
The Point: The me of my late 20s/early 30s was frustrated with how easy books and particularly movies made redemption seem. There wasn’t enough backsliding, not enough failing and trying again. That, in part, is what this series is about. It’s also about the delicate politics of the haves vs the have-nots, the hazards of revolution, and the pain that comes with political and economic upheaval.
How have they aged?: There are some things that, had I the opportunity, I might go back and change about these books, but overall? I think they stand up just fine to the books of the era in particular. Book 3 (Dead But Once) is honestly one of the best things I’ve ever written. And yeah, every writer feels like, with hindsight, they could have changed this or that and made it into something perfect, but that’s just not what happened. I learned a lot in writing these books, and I’m a better writer for having done them. They could have done with another coat of polish, probably, but so could I, at the time. I think they’re a fun time, anyway. They were born of my love for guys like Raymond E Feist and Robert Jordan and Alexandre Dumas, and they read like it. Mission accomplished.
If you like a sweeping adventure story with a snarky main character and lots of scheming, these books are right up your alley.
So, there you go? Curious? Search around online – I’m sure they’re on sale somewhere. And thanks!
New Story on Beneath Ceaseless Skies: Slayer of Dreams!
Exciting news, everyone!
Great cover art, right? Check out “Through the Corpse-Door” by RI Sutton, as well!
This month, I have another story up on Beneath Ceaseless Skies titled “Slayer of Dreams.” It’s a fantasy set in a kind of ancient Greco-Romanesque world in which dreams are power and can be wielded as weapons of control. It’s a cool one and I’m very proud of it. It marks actually the third story I’ve written in this world, but the first I’ve published in a long time. The first two (“Dreamflight of the Katatha” and “Upon the Blood-Dark Sea”) can be found on my Bibliography page (or maybe on my Goodreads page), though they might be a tad challenging to track down.
Anyway, I hope to do more work in this world soon.
BCS is a particularly good venue for publication since their work is available for free online! Anybody can read it! However, it takes money to run a quality magazine, so I’d encourage you all to support Scott H Andrews and all his good work over there. Check out their Patreon here and get access to early releases and help keep BCS alive!
In other writing news, an anthology I was in a couple years back (The Digital Aesthete, edited by Alex Shvartsman) has been translated into Chinese! My story “The Laugh Machine” can be read (in English) over on Future Science Fiction Digest’s website, along with all the others, but it’s very exciting to have a whole new group of readers potentially find my work. I’ve now been translated into two other languages (German and Chinese). I’m going international!
Many thanks to Alex Shvartsman for getting this translation to happen!
More writing news to follow in coming weeks, I hope! Thanks for checking in, and have a great start to your summer, everyone!
Coming Soon: Were-2!
Wouldn’t you like to hang with these charming characters?
Hello, friends!
The wonderful folks over at Zombies Need Brains press are launching (or re-launching) another themed anthology on Kickstarter ! It’s called Were-2 (there’s a pun in there, somewhere), and it will feature myself (and a bunch of other very talented authors) as an anchor author! Here’s the pitch:
It’s the night of the full moon, but there are more than mere werewolves skulking the streets. In WERE-2, we return to the back alleys in the dead of night to discover what other were-creatures might see you as prey. A were-raven? Were-squirrel? Were-octopus? You won’t know until you hear that rustle of feathers next to your ear or smell the brine of the sea in that gust from the window. Writers are asked to give us their most creative were-creature, with only one rule: No werewolves allowed! Edited by S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier, WERE-2 will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each. Anchor authors include: Randee Dawn, Auston Habershaw, Gini Koch, Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. Martin, Harry Turtledove, Tim Waggoner, Jean Marie Ward.
Doesn’t that sound fun? Well, if you want to bring it to fruition, you’ll need to back the kickstarter, which is starting up very soon! There are lots of rewards and perks for being an early adopter, too, including lots of opportunities to have your name tuckerized into various stories.
As a final incentive, I’ll give you a sneak peak at the story I’m preparing for the anthology. It’s titled “Were-Brad.” Here’s a brief excerpt:
The night I first changed, I was at home in my bed because I am a good boy. I was not being bad at all. I was not chewing on the kitchen table leg, even though it is fun, and I was not barking at raccoons outside, even though they should be the ones in trouble and not me.
No. I was being good. I was sleeping in my warm bed in the kitchen while Brad was in his warm bed and asleep, and I was not even trying to get into Brad’s warm bed, even though his bed is warmer and softer than mine. And also big enough for both of us. That is not me being bad. That is just true.
The moon was very big that night, and it shone on me in my bed, and instead of nothing happening, which is what is supposed to happen, the moon decided to make me different, which is not what is supposed to happen. I grew large and my fur fell off and my nose got small and my teeth got blunt and my paws became long and floppy while my ears got short and stiff, and I felt cold even though I was in my warm bed.
I stood up, but standing up was wrong because my hind legs were stuck on wrong and my forepaws hurt when I pushed them against the kitchen floor and so, instead of standing on all of my legs, I stood up only on my back two.
I had changed.
I had become a Brad.
I just figured – why not go the other way? Why can’t the beast become the man? This story is for all of you who love dogs and also all of you who enjoy silly animal-related hijinks and heartwarming fun, which I feel represents a solid sliver of my fan demographic. Or, at least it should (I have no actual idea).
You may recall that ZNB tried to launch this same anthology a year or two ago, but with two other books connected. That one failed (a bridge too far, it seemed), so they’ve been re-launching them one at a time, to make the upfront costs lower and increase the odds of success. Skull X Bones, their pirate anthology, just launched last year to great success, so we’re hoping to do it again with this one. Won’t you help us out? Keep tabs on this Kickstarter, folks–you won’t want to miss it!
I’m at Boskone 63! Come see me!
Hi, everyone!
Come one, come all (and dress warmly!)
Another year has passed, and here we are back at my favorite convention, Boskone! Granted, part of the reason this is my favorite convention is because I just have to get on the train from my house and I’m there in 25 minutes or so, but one of the OTHER reasons is that it is the best damned little convention in the northeast, even if it is held in Boston in February.
I’m involved in a variety of programming this year, so here’s my schedule, if you’ve a mind to track me down:
Reading: Auston Habershaw
Friday, 7:30pm
Independence Conference Room
To open the con, I’ll be reading from some of my work. I haven’t quite decided what it will be, but depending on the crowd, I will probably be reading from If Wishes Were Retail. Come and listen! (I do the voices!)
Panel: Writer’s Block – Fact, Fantasy, and Coping
Saturday, 11:30am
Harbor II
Description: I had a year-long block and am overcoming it. Here’s how.
That about sums it up!
Autographing: Auston Habershaw, James Cambias, and Fonda Lee
Saturday, 1:00pm
Galleria
Come for Fonda Lee or James Cambias, stay for me! I’ll sign anything that has my name on it! (Please don’t leave me there all alone!)
Panel: Weaving Magic into the Modern World
Saturday, 4:00pm
Marina IV
How do you convince a contemporary reader that magic can exist just around the corner of their everyday life? This panel is all about the craft of writing fantasy set in the here and now. We’ll dive into the techniques authors use to seamlessly blend the fantastical with the familiar, creating a sense of wonder that feels both believable and grounded. Learn how to thread enchantment through a modern setting in a way that lets readers say, “Yeah, I could see that happening,” while still buying into the magic of the story.
Panel: The Lure of the Heist
Sunday, 11:30am
Burroughs
Description: From crime fiction to mainstream movies, the heist plot has rapidly spread, spawning SF/F takes like The Quantum Thief and The Lies of Locke Lamora. Given its immediate dramatic tension, rising stakes, and inevitable plot twist (What’s their plan? Will it work? What clever surprise is the story going to spring?), the heist provides narrative advantages to authors in genres from horror to romantasy. Panelists will examine the heist plot’s versatility and broad appeal and discuss examples.
Well, that’s my weekend sorted! How about yours! Hoping to see you all there!
My 2025 Awards Eligibility!
Christmas, the season of hope.
Across the land, the Nebulas are dusting off their shelves, and the Hugo Awards are awakening from their year-long slumber, and writers everywhere are beginning to remember that, yes, they did write things during this awful year and yes they DO deserve awards for this! And so they scurry off to their newsletters and their barren blogospheres and their half-assed websites and write posts like this one, in the slim hope that people out there have recognized their labors and appreciated them and are willing to tell their friends about their books.
Dear reader, I am one of those authors. I have had a fairly productive year! I have produced good work! So, when you are marking your Hugo or Nebula ballot or what-have-you, please remember my name and these fine tales that I put out in the world.
It’s fun! It’s a quick read! It’ll make you laugh!
Novel: If Wishes Were Retail
Publisher: Tachyon
My humorous tale of a genie trying his hand at running a retail establishment in a mall and the mayhem that follows is a little bit Caddyshack, a little bit Aladdin, and a little bit social commentary. It includes something close to 2-3 jokes on every page, has gnomes wearing athletic socks for hats, and it involves a general strike against unfair labor practices.
Unlike much of my work, this actually got a teeny-tiny bit of buzz. It was an Editor’s Pick over at Amazon! Librarian’s loved it! I got a ton of awesome blurbs from people like Sarah Beth Durst and Daniel Pinkwater. I DARE YOU to nominate it!
Novelette: “In a Desolate Garden”
This is the cover!
(I did not make the cover)
Published in: Analog Science Fiction and Fact, September/October 2025 issue
This story is about the engram of a woman unhappily married to a trillionaire, suffering from depression after a miscarriage, and whose husband is offering to buy her an entire planet to be terraformed for their exclusive use. The trouble is, the planet is already occupied. This is a weird story about love and identity and discovering your own self-worth as well as being a first contact story, a story about uploading consciousness into machines, and about alternatives to human intelligence. I think it’s awesome.
I would say “go out and read it!” but it’s Analog, so…good luck with that. I’ll offer here this little excerpt, though:
She wanted to scream but didn’t feel it in her body the way she should. Didn’t feel that upswell of adrenaline and that brief moment of power before she unleashed it. She had always found screaming cathartic, but there seemed nothing to hold on to, nothing to moor her terror and frustrations.
“Why didn’t you just delete me, like the Barton engram?”
“In joining with what you call the Barton engram, I realized my error. You are not me.”
Claudia steadied herself by looking at the colorful alphabet on the wall. The letters flickered as she examined them. She closed her eyes which were not there, opened them again—at least, somehow, she could do that. “You weren’t self-aware, is what you’re saying? By eating the Barton engram, you became self-aware?”
“I was self-aware before your probe’s arrival. I was not aware of thinking things besides myself.” Not-Barton mimicked a smile, which somehow seemed more genuine than Barton’s actual smiles.
Barton smiled to get things. Barton smiled to work people in that way he did—a back slap, a good handshake, a quick joke. She used to marvel at how he would work a room of investors, have them trailing behind him like puppies, eager for his attention. Claudia liked to think she could coax the real thing out of him—Barton Song, grinning from the heart for once, out of love. She doubted all that now. Told him so a few years ago. It was maybe half the reason she—well, a copy of herself—was here now, talking to some computer program.
“What is going on?” not-Barton asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You are very noisy.”
I DOUBLE DARE YOU to nominate this novelette for a prize. Any prize.
It also has this kick-ass cover!
Story Collection: Faceless Galaxy
New Stories Contained: “Vestibular Dysfunctionality,” “Rates of Acceleration,” and “Infection Vector”
Publisher: JAB Books
I released a story collection this year, too! It’s a collection of all my Faceless stories published to date, featuring a violent and cynical little blob alien on its quest to murder people who deserve it in exchange for extravagant meals and a safe place to hide. It is a book full of weird aliens, bizarre landscapes, and neon-soaked dark alleys full of disreputable characters. I’ve been calling it “alien noir,” but you can call it cyberpunk-adjacent or dark space opera or whatever you like.
I know for a fact at least 6 (!) people have purchased and read this book, so its obvious I don’t need your help nominating it, but in case you are compelled, you cannot, in most cases, actually nominate whole story collections. You can, however, nominate some of the stories. Most of the stories here are previously published, but there are 3 brand new ones. They are:
- “Vestibular Dysfunctionality” – short story (wherein Faceless is trapped on a boat on an ocean world with his quarry and has to plot his escape)
- “Rates of Acceleration” – novelette (wherein Faceless impersonates the bodyguard to a death race contestant marked for assassination and catches some feelings)
- “Infection Vector” – short story (wherein Faceless is contracted by a grieving mother to kill the bird-scientists who engineered a deadly plague)
I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU to nominate any or all of these stories on your awards ballots. There, see – now you have to do it. Everybody is watching. The whole internet.
Thank you for your attention to this matter! I now return you to your regularly scheduled internet dumpster fires.
I’m on Functional Nerds (again!): Hear about Faceless Galaxy!
Get it now!
Great news! I got to be on Functional Nerds again with Tracy Townsend and Patrick Hester, this time discussing my short story collection, Faceless Galaxy!
It’s a great, wide-ranging conversation that goes from the noir roots of Faceless’s character to the attention span of the modern reader and more besides!
You can listen here!
Want a grim, gritty look at an alien world and the grouchy, angry blob that wants to burn it all down? Check out Faceless Galaxy everywhere books are sold online!
My Recent Podcasts and Publications, Summer 2025
I’ve had a crazy busy last few months, so in the shuffle I’ve not updated all of you on some of the recent doings, so here’s your roundup:
If you hurry, it *might* still be on some shelves somewhere!
In August, I had a post up on The Astounding Analog Companion in preparation for my story, “In a Desolate Garden,” which is in the September/October 2025 Analog Science Fiction and Fact .
The article is about the inverse of the Ship of Theseus – not so much how much you can replace without changing the nature of a thing, but how much you can remove before it becomes something else. This mirrors the story, which is about engrams and isolation and emotional desolation. And also hope, and love, and the beauty of existence, too. If you’re a subscriber, I hope you liked it! If not, if you run to your local Barnes and Noble RIGHT NOW, you might just still be able to find one.
Last month, I did an interview with the Syosset Public Library on Long Island (online, of course) and you can hear that interview on their Turn the Page Podcast. It was all pertaining to my novel, If Wishes Were Retail (on sale now!) and about the importance of humor and how I developed the characters of the Jinn and Alex and so on.
All good things!
But What’s Next?
Well, I’ve got stories on submission and stories set for publication and a novel out there looking for a home (a crime solving, art-collection dragon and her Boston townie sidekick!) and so on. In the immediate future, though, I am going to be afforded the opportunity to talk books and writing and short stories with brilliant Theodora Goss when I help her launch her new story collection, Letters from an Imaginary Country, at Trident Books on Newbury Street in Boston on November 11th at 6pm!
I’ve had the privilege of reading an advance copy of this collection, and it is a beautiful book. I look forward to talking about it!
I hope to see you all there!
Faceless Galaxy Launch Event – Sunday, October 5th!
At Pandemonium Books in Cambridge, MA! Register now!
My collection of linked short stories, Faceless Galaxy, follows the exploits of Faceless, a shape-shifting assassin from an enslaved species trying to find its way in a dark and amoral universe. It’s got intrigue! Strange new worlds! Weird aliens! A gun that shoots bees! A planet full of hapless, colonized spiders. In short, it has EVERYTHING!
It also now has an official launch event!
Yes, I will be returning to Pandemonium Books and Games in Cambridge, MA on Sunday, October 5th, from 6:30-8:30pm! There will be an interview, a brief reading from the collection, and I’ll be signing books. This has the added advantage of being on a weekend – no need to rush out after a busy workday. Instead, roll yourselves down on a leisurely Sunday evening in October in Boston, when the weather is glorious (unless it rains), stroll through scenic Central Square (note: actual scenery may vary) and stop by the best damned scifi bookshop in the state to meet me, one of your favorite authors (note: actual favorite author may vary).
You can register here to save yourself a seat, but walk-ins are also welcome!
Not sure if Faceless Galaxy is your thing? Well, check this out:
Throughout the gutters and sanitation systems of the civilized galaxy, amorphous, nameless blobs called Torrhoids digest other species’ trash to clean air and water.
The Great Races don’t consider Torrhoids intelligent. But when one Torrhoid receives a baffling kindness, its curiosity ignites. The shapeshifter discovers it can mimic its overlords—not only their voices, but their forms and movements, too.
It can escape the prison planet where it is kept cold, hungry, and fighting for life. It can evade those who would throw it back into the sewers. With ingenuity, quick thinking, and the power of surprise, it can strike down even the oligarchs and influence traders who rule the galaxy. So begins the career of the assassin known only as “Faceless.”
Still learning the cultures of the beings it impersonates, testing the limits of its abilities, and evading revulsion for its natural form, Faceless is never far from detection and death. Ethics are a luxury it can ill afford.
But as the stories of this sharp, twisty cyberpunk collection prove, a gutter scavenger’s justice may still beat an empire’s.
Still not sure? Check out this excerpt over at FanFiAddict!
See you all at Pandemonium in about a month!
New Interview on EveryLibrary about IF WISHES WERE RETAIL!
On sale now!
Well, IF WISHES WERE RETAIL has been out for about three months. The response has been very good, overall! Thank you so much for all of your kind reviews!
The publicity tour goes on, of course! The latest is an interview with me by EveryLibrary, which is an organization that advocates for public libraries across the US – a cause all of us should support, I think.
The interview went out live last week (I messed up and didn’t plug it before then, so my bad), but here it is anyway! Give it a look and if you can, support EveryLibrary!
I’m at WorldCon Seattle This Week!
Seattle looks cool!
This week, from Wednesday 8/13 to Sunday 8/17, I will be in Seattle Washington for the World Science Fiction Convention. If you see me, feel free to say hi!
I don’t have any panels this year (boo!), but if you want to see me in a more official capacity, I’ll be signing copies of If Wishes Were Retail at the Tachyon Publications booth on the Dealer’s Floor at 1pm on Saturday, 8/16.
Come meet me, tell me your terrible tales of terrible minimum wage jobs, and get a signature (and possibly a sticker!) all on one place.
Also, I will have copies of my story collection Faceless Galaxy on me all weekend, so I will also be signing those and am happy to sell you a copy (I will also have postcard and bookmarks – basically a walking merch factory) and sign it and talk to you about all your experiences stalking the powerful in the far-flung settlements of the Union of Stars.
I’m looking forward to seeing you all!
But Auston, Where ELSE Can I See You?
Should be fun!
Okay, so say Seattle’s too far away – I’ve got you covered you right-coast people! Just after the convention is over, I will be in Brooklyn, NYC, doing a reading and signing copies of my books on Tuesday, August 19th at Barrow’s Intense Tasting Room on 86 34th Street, Brooklyn, NY, from 7-9pm.
Join me as well as fellow authors Nicholas Kaufmann, Steven Van Patten, and Mimi Mondal for a night of books, laughs, and booze!
Hell, if you’re back from Seattle in time, do both! I’ll sign two copies of my books for you – I’m generous like that! Come one and all!
Auston Habershaw 