So, here we are, then. The New Magic is entering its final round of typesetting and proofing. Our intention is to have it up for pre-order in about two weeks, by mid-August, with a release date of the 18th of September. If you’re a newsletter subscriber, we will have a special offer for you if you pre-order. Stay tuned; we’re nearly there.

Nearly.

There are a couple of things happening right now that might push these dates back. I’m not allowed to say specifically what’s going on, but one of these developments rhymes with “shmajor publisher” and another rhymes with “shmilm rights.” So, yeah. If we have to push the dates to the right, it’ll be worth everyone’s while. Bear with us. This could be really cool.

Until then, here’s the video trailer for The New Magic:

We had a lot of fun creating this. My amazing wife, Katie (yes, I’m married to the Katie Malik, the international TV star and opera singer), wrote and performed the music using a libretto I composed in the Elvish conlang for the series.

The New Magic is available for review on NetGalley. Initial reviews have been outstanding; word from NetGalley and ARC reviewers is that The New Magic is even better than Dragon’s Trail.

“The New Magic blows its predecessor away with a genre shift into sprawling epic fantasy, which Malik delivers with both fists. Wizards, gryphons, huge battles, duels to the death, kingdoms at stake. Most surprisingly, there’s an intense and slightly kinky love story showing remarkable emotional growth of main character Jarrod, who has become my favorite fantasy protag in recent memory, being equal parts Jon Snow and Deadpool.”

“THE NEW MAGIC is epic portal fantasy at its finest; brutal, hilarious, and with a cutting wit.”

“Joseph Malik is turning the most innovative fantasy novel of the past five years into an incredible series. Vivid fight scenes and grab-you-by-the-throat writing . . . will leave otherwise rational adults lying awake at night wondering if they’ve just read a book by a man with a magical portal in his den.”

For my part, I can promise you more of what you loved about Dragon’s Trail, only bigger and better.

If you’re a reviewer interested in an ARC, please contact me. Also, I‘m still booking interviews for this fall.

In other news, we’re less than a month out from Worldcon 76, which is in San Jose, CA on the 17, 18, & 19 of August. Oxblood Books will have a table in the Creators’ Alley right next to Michael “Tinker” and Linda Pearce. The Pearces are the authors of the wonderful Diaries of a Dwarven Rifleman series and Mike is one of the greatest swordsmiths in the world. Drop by and say hi.

I’ll be doing a signing and meet and greet at Worldcon on 2 PM on Saturday the 18th at the SFWA booth, and we’ll be taking pre-orders of The New Magic all weekend.

Lastly, I’ve started a Pinterest page where you can see my worldbuilding aesthetic – there’s fantasy art and some ideas that showed up in The Outworlders. Drop by and take a look.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

– JM