SL Huang

Speculative fiction author. Mathematician. Gunslinger.

FAQ

 

On the Cas Russell series

 

When is the next book coming out?

Zero Sum Game was re-released by Tor Books in October 2018. Null Set was released in the summer of 2019, and Critical Point is scheduled for April 2020!

Is Critical Point a rewrite of a previously self-published book? If so, which one?

Nope! Critical Point is TOTALLY NEW!

So if you’ve read any of the self-published novels, Critical Point is a totally new Cas Russell adventure.

I’m in the UK / Australia / another non-U.S. country, and the books haven’t been released here yet. When can we expect them?

My foreign rights agents are working really hard to make the series available everywhere. If it’s not available in your country, it’s because unfortunately we haven’t been able to sell the rights there yet. I’m sorry! I’d like for it to be available everywhere.

How many sequels will Zero Sum Game have?

Zero Sum Game is the first book in the Cas Russell series, which is planned to be a long-running, open-ended series. In other words, as many as I feel like writing and my readers feel like reading!

However, major plot threads will be resolved and new ones started as the series goes on, so that nothing is left hanging for too long.

What are the short stories? Where do they fall in the continuity? What happens if I don’t read them?

I have self-published two short stories in the Cas Russell universe — “Rio Adopts a Puppy” and “Ladies’ Day Out.”

“Rio Adopts a Puppy” takes place in parallel to Half Life. “Ladies’ Day Out” takes place between Half Life and Root of Unity. (Half Life and Root of Unity are the side adventure novels between Zero Sum Game and Null Set — neither of these books have been re-released by Tor yet, but you can still read the shorts after reading Zero Sum Game if you want a little more in the universe.)

You also do not need to read any of the short stories to keep up with the novel series. They are strictly additional material I thought people might enjoy. They are available from all retailers, and subscribers to my mailing list are able to read them online for free.

Will there be more Cas Russell short stories?

Probably! I write them when I feel like I have something else interesting to tell. I do have a lot of material already written that I know won’t make it into the books, so I may release some of that, too.

Why is the series called the Cas Russell series some places and the Russell’s Attic series other places?

I originally called it the Russell’s Attic series when I self-published it, which was a math pun that literally nobody got except me. (Seriously, even my math friends didn’t get it.) When the series got picked up by Tor, they said, “yeah, no, nobody gets your math joke, we need to change this series title.” (Except they said it much more nicely.)

Since they were absolutely right about that, I said, “yes, you are right” and we changed it to the Cas Russell series. I’ve tried to change references to it everywhere, but if one slipped through, now you know why!

Wait, what’s this about the series having been self-published earlier? What does that mean?

I published the first four books in the series myself before the whole series got picked up by Tor Books for re-release. We’re doing some edits, switching up the book order, and a bunch of other things, and now they’re coming out with snazzy new covers and amazing publisher support!

If you’re a new reader, you can safely ignore the self-published versions. Read Zero Sum Game and then read the following books as they come out from Tor, and you’ll be fine.

If you’re someone who read some or all of the self-published versions, read on below for common questions.

 

On the Tor series pickup

 

So Tor Books picked up the Cas Russell series — what will that mean? Will the books be different?

There are some edits. But my editor, Diana Gill, is awesome, so if you’re a fan of the series, I wouldn’t worry! She really “gets” the books, and I honestly think her edits are making the series even more of what I want it to be.

My excitement about where Tor is taking the series is pretty much unmitigated!

When will the equivalent Tor releases be coming out?

Zero Sum Game’s Tor release was October 2018. Null Set, out in summer 2019 as book 2 of the new series, is a rewrite of Plastic Smile (which was book 4 of the old series).

What’s this about the series being reordered?

What was previously book 4 (Plastic Smile) is now being released as book 2 (retitled Null Set). What was previously book 5 will be released as book 3. It’s called Critical Point and will be out in April 2020.

The previous books 2 and 3 (Half Life and Root of Unity) will be released later.

Wait! I’m confused. If I’ve read some or all of the self-published books, what should I read next?

If you’ve read any number of the first three books of the self-published series — Zero Sum Game, or Zero Sum Game and Half Life, or Zero Sum Game and Half Life and Root of Unity — then the next thing you want to read is Null Set when it comes out from Tor in 2019.

If you’ve read all four of the self-published versions (Zero Sum Game, Half Life, Root of Unity, and Plastic Smile) then you can skip straight to book 3 of the re-releases from Tor — Critical Point, out in April 2020.

If you’ve only read the Tor books, then just read them as they come out and don’t worry about it!

But you said the books are different now. Are they different enough that I should re-read them?

It’s totally up to you. I do think they have improved mightily! But I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to re-read, so I’ve made sure to start and end the characters in the same place.

As for how different they are, Zero Sum Game is mostly the same for the first three-quarters, but the climax to the end is changed quite a bit. Null Set is an extremely significant rewrite of Plastic Smile — though the general storyline is the same, they’re probably only about 50% the same book.

What’s happening with Half Life and Root of Unity? Did the events in them still happen?

Yup, they still exist and are in the same place in the series chronology, but they’re going to be released later as side adventures.

Does the re-release mean we’ll get print versions of all the books?

Yes!

Does the re-release mean we’ll get audio versions of all the books?

Tor has already released an audio version of Zero Sum Game and Null Set, narrated by Lauren Fortgang, which you can buy right now. There will very likely be audio versions of all the others as well.

Cool, but…does this mean we’ll have to wait longer for book 5?

Unfortunately, yes. I’m very sorry about that. Book 5’s first release to the public will be with Tor. It will be released as book 3, however, so you may not have to wait as long as you fear. In fact, this book — titled Critical Point — will be out in April 2020!

Can you give us more short stories in the meantime?

Quite possibly. Join my mailing list to stay updated.

 

Other

 

Where can I meet you?

Click here for a dynamically updated list of my 2019 planned appearances!

Do you offer signed books?

Sure, I do signings at almost all the events I’m at — and even if I’m not at an official signing, I’m always happy to sign a fan’s book. As above, you can find an updated list of my planned appearances here.

For people who can’t travel to me, I also used to offer signed bookplates, but unfortunately travel constraints have prevented me from continuing that. I hope to offer them again in the future.

What about “Hunting Monsters?” Will there be any more in that series?

Yes! There will be a final novella rounding out everyone’s stories. It’s called Burning Roses and will be coming in 2020 from Tor.com!

I’m a writer (or a publisher/publicist). Will you blurb this upcoming novel?

You can feel free to inquire. Unfortunately, time constraints have so far meant I’ve had to turn down more blurb requests than I’ve accepted.

Definitely ask if the author is already someone I know and like reading, or if the book is a fast-paced adventure with a diverse cast.

Will you critique my novel?

I used to beta novels for anyone who asked, but I’m afraid I just don’t have the time for that either anymore. Right now, I only beta for people within my writing group or other close friends.

I contacted you through your website and you never responded; what gives?

I used to try to respond to every email I got. I can’t do that anymore because of time constraints. I’m sorry! I do read everything, however. Stuff does accidentally get sorted to spam sometimes, so if you contacted me about something that needs an urgent answer and I haven’t gotten back to you, feel free to send again or try @’ing me on Twitter (@sl_huang). And for anything business-related, please contact my agent Russell Galen at russellgalen@nullsgglit.com.

FAQ up to date to November 2019