There was a bit of a hiccup (hiccough?) earlier, when the book went live on Amazon but wasn’t available to buy. That’s been fixed now, and book three of The Ballad of Sir Benfro is available on the kindle. epub versions for nook, kobo etc., will be available soon. Keep your eyes peeled.
The Golden Cage – US
The Golden Cage – UK
Enjoyed book 3. I fear I am becoming addicted to that fantasy world. I trust a fourth instalment of The Ballad of Sir Benfro will one day soon beat it’s mighty wings? Please?
I very much enjoyed the golden cage. Although, through no fault of yours, I can’t decide if I’m happy or disappointed. For some reason I thought it was destined to be a trilogy: so that I’d get to know everything that could possibly happen within this book and could be both happy at the finishing of a trilogy (I’m normally happy to have completed “the set”) and sad, because it would mean that their might not be another Benfro book! Now I’m happy because their must be another Benfro book and disappointed because I haven’t got a full set yet 🙂
I’m loving your work James, looking forward to the next one already – just so I don’t make the same mistake again. Do you have a set number of books in mind for the series?
Sorry for that, Joe. Or maybe not. I can’t quite decide! The straight answer to your question is that I intend there to be one final book in the series. However, these things are never as simple as they should be, so I’m going to write a post here soon explaining it all.
I too have thoroughly enjoyed The Golden Cage. It’s left on a real cliffhanger! When is the last book out James? I must admit it’s not normally the genre I read, but after reading and enjoying all the McLean books, I thought I’d give the first one a go. I was hooked! I need my Sir Benfro fix….
Glad to hear the Golden cage which made me look for the next book, looking forward to the next. Great reading.
Another Sir Benfro romp that I thoroughly enjoyed. Like Joe though I thought it was going to be a trilogy so I hope the next rendition/s, whatever you decide, will not be too long in the offing!!!
Glad you enjoyed it, Gill. Benfro, Errol and all the rest will return soon.
just read all your sir benfro books, like the others i have not read this genre before, but i thoroughly enjoyed these. i have ms so i spend a lot of time reading(often its a load of rubbish) but i have enjoyed all of yours. please keep writing.
Thanks Alex, that’s great to hear. I’m hard at work on the third in my crime series, but come the new year I will be knuckling down to Benfro book four. I don’t think I’ll stop writing as long as people enjoy reading my work.
Within around 3 months I have read the two Inspector McClean novels (brilliant) and then the three Sir Benfro books in a row. I am totally hooked, please don’t make us wait too long for the fourth and final installment. I am already missing Benfro and Errol and can’t wait to find out what happens to them. Really fantastic writing!
Thanks Louise – a true fan, I’m very flattered! I’m currently working on the third McLean novel, but that probably won’t be out for a while as Penguin are taking over the publication of that series. As soon as I’ve got it out of the way though, I shall be getting stuck into Benfro book four. I can’t give a publication date, but it will be sooner than if it was being put out by a major publisher. In the meantime, there are a few short stories you can download for free over at http://www.devildog.co.uk which will hopefully keep you going for a while.
I have just read all three of the Ballad of Sir Benfro books. I loved them but I too was shocked when I reached the end of book three with everything still in the air 😯
PLEASE, don’t make me wait too long for book number 4 !!!!
Hi Lesley. Sorry for the delay in getting you your fix. The problem is, books take a lot longer to write than they do to read. The Golden Cage took about nine months, plus endless hours of rewrites. I’m busy finishing the third book in the DI McLean series right now, but the plan is to get knuckled down to Benfro book four – The Broken World – in the new year. It should be quicker to do as it’s pretty much fully planned out and I have more time to dedicate to it thanks to those nice people at Penguin buying the rights to the three McLean books.
In the meantime, if you like dragons and stuff, then I can heartily recommend Robin Hobb. I’m also a big fan of Katherine Kerr and Joe Abercrombie as fantasy writers. Plenty more out there to keep you going until Benfro’s back!
Thanks for your reply James. I can stop breathing into the paper bag now 😆
I love fantasy books and devour them. RR Martin, MR Mathias, BV Larson, Kathleen Nelson and many more I have some Robin Hobb in hand shall certainly have a look at Kerr and Abercrombie – thanks for the suggestions. 😀
Bloody Hell – just when I thought I was going to get a conclusion the Golden Cage finished. like other folk on here I read your 2 Inspector McLean books and followed them up with Sir Benfro. really enjoyed them all – the Sir Benfro books more than I thought I would – I think I am addicted and need a fix SOON!
Thanks Paul. I’m always surprised, as well as delighted, when people enjoy on genre of my books, try the other and like them too. Benfro book four, which may or may not be the last in the series, is scheduled for writing in the new year, just as soon as I’ve got McLean book three out of the way. Since I’m still in charge of the publication schedule for the Benfro books, it should be out in early summer 2013. Keep an eye out for announcements and progress reports.
so enjoying the ballard of sir benfro and cant wait for the fourth book. you know as readers we all have an image of the dragons you write about the descriptive is amazing however you know as readers we would see something different to one another i would love you to find an artist to provide us with how you visualize the dragons. I would love to see these books turned into a film feel it could be the next epic after harry potter and lord of the rings. i love the books thank-you so much for my hours of escapism.
Thanks Hannah. I’ll be getting started on the fourth book soon, hopefully out in the summer. I’d love to see the books filmed, too, and not just because it would make me richer than my most avaricious dreams. If you know any producers looking for a good fantasy series to adapt, do let them know!
been looking online to buy these books in paperback or even hardback as would make a great gift for my nephews HELP!!!!!
I’d love to do print editions of the Benfro series, but I just don’t have the time to do it myself. Maybe I can persuade a publisher to take them on, but the reason I self-published as ebooks in the first place was because I’d spent five years trying that without success.
I suspect the Benfro books could be made to fit the parameters of one of the print-on-demand programs. If it could be formatted to fit Amazon’s requirements, you could piggyback sales with your ebook. A print-on-demand offering could be suspended any time a traditional publisher wanted to get involved.
You’ve done the hard part of getting the words written. The formatting and a little more proofing wouldn’t be that big a project. Some conversions can be quite easy.
I know you don’t know me from Adam (maybe Eve), but I would be willing to consider doing a conversion for you. I have the skills and time available to make it happen, and I would like to see this series in print. They are fine stories, and the traditional publishers are foolish to have overlooked them thus far.
This is not an offer I make lightly. Send me an email if you would like to talk about the possibilities.
Lucy B.
Hi Lucy,
I looked into POD, but the cost I’d have to charge just to break even is quite high. My agent is pushing the books hard for a publisher to take on now, and given the success of my crime series, they’re taking me a bit more seriously. There’s every chance someone will take them on soon. I just need to get the next one written.
Thanks for the very kind offer, anyway. It is very much appreciated.
James
Hi James
I’ve just finishing reading the golden cage and am on tender hooks waiting to find out what happens to Benfro and errol. Is the fourth book going to be out soon?
Hi Bronagh,
I had hoped to have The Broken World ready for publication this autumn/winter. Alas, the runaway success of the McLean books and the publishing deal with Penguin have meant that progress on the final installment of the Benfro books has been delayed. Now there is talk of a print publishing deal for the series, which would put back publication of the last book even further. I am working on it, however, and looking for a solution that will keep my ‘early adopters’ happy in the event that a publisher does take on the whole series. I’m absolutely delighted that you’ve enjoyed the books so far. Please forgive my lateness in bringing you the next, and if you want suggestions to tide you over, then Robin Hobb, Joe Abercrombie, Katherine Kerr, Tad Williams and Stephen Donaldson have all been big influences on my fantasy. Anything by Neil Gaiman is well worth your time, and there’s a small press called Fox Spirit books who are bringing out some great stuff at the moment.
All the best
James
Love the Benfro books, hope you’ve had some time to get the fourth one going. Just putting a comment here in the hope I get notified when the next one is available. Good luck and thanks for the stories.
Hi Mandi,
Thanks so much for getting in touch. I’m really pleased to hear you liked the books, and I’ll put you on the list to be notified of developments. Lots of exciting news about Sir Benfro coming soon.
All the best
James
Hey James, I got into the books a little late but fell in love quickly. These stories are a great escape for me after working all day. I would love to know when the next book will be released. Thank you -Jess
Hi Jess,
Great to hear you like the books, and thanks for taking the time to let me know. Book four is in progress, but won’t be out until Penguin have published the first three in print editions. Best guess is the second half of next year, I’m afraid. You can blame all the people who made the Inspector McLean books so popular!