I’m super excited to get to be a part of the blog tour for In the Glorious Fields by Emily Hayse today!
In the Glorious Fields is the third and final book in The Knights of Tin and Lead trilogy, a YA fantasy western retelling of Arthurian lore. You guys, this series is super good. You can find my reviews for These War-Torn Hands and The Beautiful Ones here, and I’ll be reviewing In the Glorious Fields later in this post. I also got to do an interview with Emily about In the Glorious Fields and the trilogy, so keep reading!
“When we are gone, these darkened fields that have held so much sorrow—they will be remembered as glorious.”
With Maria Pike unmasked at last and an ancient terror awakened to ravage the land, Archer’s heroes set out on a quest that will ask more of them than they know. Strength, sacrifice, and unheard-of feats of courage are required if they are to break the curse that threatens the land they love.
Yet as friendships are broken and allies topple one by one, the men and women of the Western a Territory begin to realize that the greatest threat of all lies not in the curse, but in themselves.
You can purchase a copy of In the Glorious Fields:
- signed from Emily
- from Amazon
- from the Book Depository
- from Barnes and Noble
Like I said above, I got to do another interview with Emily (you can read the other one from during The River Lead Home blog tour here). So let’s dive in!
Where did you first get the idea for The Knights of Tin and Lead trilogy?
I had decided that it was high time I wrote a western, as that’s sort of my “home” comfort genre, and as I was thinking about potential ideas, I was struck with the parallels the Arthurian legends had with the Wild West. And the rest was history!
Was it difficult blending the western setting and Arthurian lore?
No, in fact, the deeper I delved in both, the more similarities I found! I loved getting to explore how the parallels played out and build the worlds simultaneously.
Awesome! So, which “version” of King Arthur did you base your lore in?
Probably the closest version is Roger Lancelyn Green’s King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table. But I also pulled from a few other sources.
Who was your favorite character in The Knights of Tin and Lead trilogy?
Raymond Lacey. Hands down.
Raymond is fantastic, though Jesse Thatcher might be my personal favorite character. Though all of the characters are great.
What was the hardest part about writing In the Glorious Fields?
Probably the emotional aspect. I’d been dreading getting into all the broken lives and relationships and it took a lot of gritting my teeth and just doing it to get through.
What was your favorite part about writing In the Glorious Fields?
I loved getting to spend this last book with the characters. I have grown to love them so much and knowing it was coming to an end, I really savored that writing time.
And what’s your favorite scene from In the Glorious Fields?
Maybe Kate’s very last scene. It’s got a lot of prose I’m proud of, and I love the feeling it evokes.
Do you listen to music while writing? If so, did you have a specific playlist for The Knights of Tin and Lead and In the Glorious Fields?
I had many, as music is very instrumental in my creative process! But I did consolidate the best, most key songs and put it in an official playlist on Spotify. I put a link to it on my website.
I’ll have to go listen to the playlist now!
So, you released the entire trilogy in a span of nine months. What was the hardest part, as well as your favorite part, of doing a rapid release?
The hardest part was just how hard I had to hustle when life kind of went haywire. I had built in what I felt was plenty of time for what I needed to do, but when things got crazy, it was tough. Favorite part, the hype didn’t really die. With the books coming out relatively close to each other, there was always someone reading it, someone discovering it, and someone excited for the next one.
What’s your favorite Western?
Probably Conagher. Great film, good book.
And to close, what’s next for your writing?
A shorter standalone novel! It’s sort of The Great Gatsby meets The Illusionist.
Ooo! I can’t wait to learn more in the future.
And as also promised at the beginning of this post, here is my review for In the Glorious Fields!
Wow.
This book…
The storm that was brewing in The Beautiful Ones is now raging in In the Glorious Fields. And while reading In the Glorious Fields, you don’t know until the end of the book who is going to weather it.
In the Glorious Fields was stressful to read–but in a good way. Emily doesn’t hold back in this book. She puts her characters (and the reader) through situations where it seems like they might break. A lot happens plot-wise, and I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’m not going to say much.
I did struggle a little to keep track of how much time was passing between events. However, I read In the Glorious Fields in a day (and almost in one sitting), so that is probably why.
The characters we met in These War-Torn Hands aren’t the characters we leave at the end of In the Glorious Fields. They’ve changed, for better and for worse. They’ve grown, and carry new scars and burdens. But we still love them. 🙂
The ending, while bittersweet and somewhat open-ended, is the ending that this series needed. It’s the perfect way to conclude this tale of legends and heroes. A perfect, neat ending–while it would have been nice–wouldn’t have fit quite right.
Fair warning: I’m pretty sure that this book is probably going to make a number of readers cry. You’ve been warned.
If you like Arthurian retellings, stories of heroes, westerns, or adventure, I highly recommend checking out The Knights of Tin and Lead trilogy.
Cautions: several kisses; moderate/heavy violence; brief semi-graphic descriptions
Like I just said, you should really check out The Knights of Tin and Lead series, as well as the rest of Emily’s books! They’re fantastic, and you can find out more about them on Emily’s website, as well as where to connect with Emily online.
Hailey Huntington 