As mentioned in my review of the first book in the trilogy, Wolfhound Century, I had a brief “rant” with Gollancz, the publisher, when the book came out and they decided to split a not-so-big whole story into three smaller volumes. You can see the discussion here:
https://twitter.com/MrSkimpole/status/319145493626236928
More precisely:
Gollancz:
Author’s intention and desire have no part in this then? Thanks for assuming worst.You just wanted to assume the publishers were being venal. Because that’s controversial.
And why the assumption this is one novel told in three parts?
So, the book was being split in three not as per request of the publisher with the intention of maximizing sales, but because of “author’s intention and desire”.
But this month it’s the month of the omnibus coming out: Wolfhound Empire. And we have an interview with the writer:
https://mylifemybooksmyescape.wordpress.com/2016/09/16/author-interview-peter-higgins/:
It works much, much better this way. Although I set out to write three separate books, the way they turned out was three sections of one continuous story, so it makes much better artistic and narrative sense to read them together, and regard them as one thing. One epic story. To me it feels like the finished work is whole and together at last. I’m hugely proud of it.
In the end I actually do believe splitting the story in three was indeed how Peter Higgins decided to sell it to the publisher, and then to the public. And now that he gives an interview for the release of the omnibus he just sells the idea that is currently more convenient for him. I’d say I don’t blame the publisher for this.
But we have now an explicit admission by the author himself that the omnibus was always a better format for that kind of story. Better but less convenient. And my assumptions were quite correct, after all.
