Will Wight

William Lawrence Wight III (born August 11, 1989) is an American author of fantasy literature. He is best known for his independently published Cradle series, which has topped the Amazon Kindle Store's bestseller list on multiple occasions and made the New York Times Best Seller list.[1][2][3][4][5] He is also known for his Traveler's Gate trilogy and Elder Empire series.

Will Wight
BornWilliam Lawrence Wight III
(1989-08-11) August 11, 1989
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
OccupationFiction writer
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Central Florida (BA, MFA)
GenreFantasy, Science fiction
Notable worksCradle, Traveler's Gate, Elder Empire
Website
willwight.com

Early life

Will Wight was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and received his B.A in 2011 and M.F.A in 2013 in Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida.[6] He is the first of three siblings.

Career

Will Wight began self-publishing novels in 2013 with the Traveler's Gate series, starting with the book House of Blades, which he wrote while earning his master's degree.[7][5] He has stated his coursework during his degree was integral to helping him form the structure that he uses to write his books.[8] House of Blades was so successful that Wight was able to become a full-time independent writer shortly after it was published.[7][9] As his books grew more successful, he later founded Hidden Gnome Publishing as an independent business to handle publishing, merchandising, and other related activities.[10][11] In 2022, he funded the publication of physical books through Kickstarter.[5]

He is noted for being a successful self-published author, winning the Stabby Award for Best Self-Published/Independent Novel of 2013 on Reddit's r/Fantasy for his first book House of Blades.[12] Wight subsequently won the same award two more times in 2018 for Ghostwater, and in 2019 for Underlord.[13][14] Due to his number of wins, Wight was retired from eligibility for the awards in 2020.[15] The audiobooks for Bloodline, Reaper, Dreadgod, and Waybound narrated by Travis Baldree, appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list for the month that they were released.[4][16] The audiobook of the final volume of "Cradle", Waybound was the best seller on Audible the week it was released.[17]

Wight is noted for taking inspiration from xianxia and wuxia literature, as part of the growing progression fantasy genre.[18][19]

Wight has attended Dragon Con, and frequently livestreams on Twitch.tv before and after book releases.[10]

Bibliography

Novels

All of Will Wight's novels take place in the same multiverse, but in different universes known as 'Iterations' which have different magic systems following similar underlying principles. An organization known as the Abidan is the primary force that maintains and manages these Iterations, although they have a strict policy of non-interference on day-to-day matters.

Traveler's Gate

On an Iteration called Amalgam, Travelers gain power from otherworldly Territories. The series centers on Simon, a boy who earns his power to save his friends and family. Soon, he finds himself caught in greater battles.

  1. House of Blades, (2013, ISBN 978-0989671705)
  2. The Crimson Vault, (2013, ISBN 978-0989671798)
  3. City of Light, (2014, ISBN 978-0989671712)

Elder Empire

On the Iteration of Asylum, Elders are powerful, inhuman entities, held back by the Emperor of the Aurelian Empire. Upon his death, the balances of power begin to shift.

These books consist of two parallel series, each narrated from opposing viewpoints.

The Elder Empire: Shadow Books

Follows the path of Shera, an assassin, as she works to set the world free from corrupt rulers.

  1. Of Shadow and Sea (2015, ISBN 978-0989671736)
  2. Of Darkness and Dawn (2015, ISBN 978-0999851173)
  3. Of Killers and Kings (2020, ISBN 978-1734958102)

The Elder Empire: Sea Books

Follows the journey of Calder Marten, captain of The Testament, as he works to restore the Empire.

  1. Of Sea and Shadow (2015, ISBN 978-0999851159)
  2. Of Dawn and Darkness (2016, ISBN 978-0999851180)
  3. Of Kings and Killers (2020, ISBN 978-0999851197)

Cradle

On the Iteration known as Cradle, Wei Shi Lindon is born a weak Unsouled, forbidden to seek power as sacred artists do. However, he is faced with a looming fate that he must defy his family's rules to avoid. The Cradle series follows Lindon's journey as he forges a Path for himself.

  1. Unsouled (June 2016, ISBN 978-0989671767)
  2. Soulsmith (September 2016, ISBN 978-0989671774)
  3. Blackflame (August 2017, ISBN 978-0989671781)
  4. Skysworn (September 2017, ISBN 978-0999851104)
  5. Ghostwater (May 2018, ISBN 978-0999851111)
  6. Underlord (March 2019, ISBN 978-0999851128)
  7. Uncrowned (September 2019, ISBN 978-0999851142)
  8. Wintersteel (October 2020, ISBN 978-1734958119)
  9. Bloodline (April 2021, ISBN 978-1734958133)
  10. Reaper (November 2021, ISBN 978-1734958164)
  11. Dreadgod (July 2022, ISBN 978-1734958188)
  12. Waybound (June 2023, ISBN 978-1959001102)

The Last Horizon
  1. The Captain (April 2023, ISBN 978-1959001096)

Short stories
  • "The Savior of Garden's Gate" (2019) (in the Heroes Wanted Anthology, ISBN 978-1713321835)

References
  1. "Interview with Will Wight". AC Cobble. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  2. "Unsouled by Will Wight – Asian Fantasy Books". Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  3. "In Which I Entreat You To Read The Cradle Series". Travis Baldree. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  4. "Audio Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  5. Ruth, Daisy (May 16, 2022). "Polk County author breaking Kindle sales records with fantasy novels". WFLA. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  6. "A Quick Interview with Will Wight". December 15, 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  7. Pfeffer, Max (August 29, 2013). "Indie Author Spotlight: An Interview with HOUSE OF BLADES Author Will Wight". SFSignal. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  8. Sloan, Justin (2014-12-25). "Author Interview: Will Wight and the Travelers Gate Trilogy". The Road Less Written. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  9. R, Dag. "Interview with Will Wight – SFFWorld". Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  10. Lampus, Mariah (March 9, 2022). "Will Wight: America's Next Big Author?". The Insider. University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  11. "Hidden Gnome Publishing".
  12. "The results of the 2013 Reddit Fantasy Stabby Awards are in!". Reddit.[self-published]
  13. Glyer, Mike (2019-01-12). "2018 Stabby Awards". File 770. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  14. Glyer, Mike (2020-01-07). "2019 Stabby Awards". File 770. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  15. "Best of /r/Fantasy 2020 - The Stabby Awards! - Voting Here!". Reddit.[self-published]
  16. "Audio Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Dec. 5, 2021 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  17. "The top 10 audiobooks on Audible.com". ABC News. ABC News Internet Ventures. Associated Press. June 14, 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  18. Lukas, Alex (18 Jan 2021). "5 Shonen-Style Books to Read if You Wish Your Novels Were More Like Anime". CBR. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  19. Salao, Cole. "Xianxia: Your Guide to Cultivation Fantasy". TCK Publishing. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
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