Hidden Queens and Demon Kings
On April 2nd, to little or no fanfare, I finished The Demon King, the third and final book of the Nightfall Saga—or the eighth and final book of the Demon Cycle, depending on how you look at it. The book has been submitted to publishers who confirm it will be on sale in April 2026.
Normally I would have been teasing this online for months, showing vague chapter headings and talking about the book and having fan art contests and the like, but… social media has felt more fraught than fun these days. The whole world feels unstable lately, and it makes me feel a little like I did in the pandemic. Does anyone care about my silly monster books when the world is on fire?
But there may be another reason I’ve been so hesitant to talk about it, or to celebrate. The Demon King is the last NOVEL in the Demon Cycle setting for the foreseeable future, and whoo… am I having some feels about that.
This doesn’t mean I won’t return to the world here and there, mostly in the form of novellas. Last summer I wrote a cozy mystery novella starring Selia Barren codenamed Butter Cookies & Demon Claws. There isn’t a person in Tibbet’s Brook that hasn’t been cheated at some point by Rusco Hog, so when the richest man in town ends up dead, everyone’s a suspect.
That as-yet-untitled book may be on sale right before—or right after—The Demon King. The events are unrelated, but happen at more or less the same time chronologically.
I have notes for other novellas. There’s Fort Hill, a tale about the time Arlen met Hag Bruna during his Messenger days. He’s been exploring the ruins of Fort Hill, and we see the fall of that once-grand Free City a hundred years earlier in the POV of Bruna, back when she was young and beautiful.
There’s also codename: Fifty Shades of Paper, the Elona Paper novella so sexy it could have its own OnlyFans. It’s all outlined, if I dare to write it.
I’ve also been kicking around ideas for a Gared Cutter novella codenamed: The Boys Are Back In Town, taking place between Desert Prince and Hidden Queen. Middle-aged, out of shape, and lacking self-esteem, he needs to come out of retirement and get the original Cutters back together to fight their way across the desert and rescue Olive, Darin and Selen from the Majah in Old Krasia.
My point is, “done” is relative. Nevertheless, all my grand plans for the world culminate with The Demon King. I started plotting the Nightfall books back when I was writing Skull Throne. I knew then how The Core would end, and the unfinished business the next generation would need to deal with.
Now all those story arcs are resolved. The—surviving—characters all ended up where I wanted them to. Suddenly the project I have been working on for the last 25 years is… wrapped.
Hoo boy.
Let’s talk stats for a bit, while I mentally sort out all my feels about that. The Demon King is my shortest novel, with the first draft coming in at a sleek 154,570 words. Still a hefty boy by genre novel standards, but it’s like Demon Cycle on Ozempic. By way of comparison, the next shortest book, The Warded Man, was 186,000 words in first draft. The rest were in the 220K – 270K range.
It works, though. The Demon King has everything you love—or love to hate—about a Peter Brett book, but it shows the world through an entirely different lens, and moves at a much faster clip.
I started work on The Demon King years ago, but the vast majority of the prose writing was done over the last 29 weeks, where I averaged 5193 words a week. Since before I was first published, that has always been the formula that worked for me. Just a little over a thousand words a day, five days a week. An entirely achievable goal that nevertheless scales up quickly over time if you are diligent.
In 1999 I created a character named Arlen Bales, and now, more than two million words and a literal generation later, I am finishing my last book about his son. How crazy is that? How fortunate am I to have been able to go on this journey?
I created the Demon Cyle, but there is no denying I was shaped by it, as well. By the wondrous places all over the world it’s allowed me to visit. The connections and life-long friends I’ve made in the industry. The writing heroes I got to have cocktails and shoot the shit with like peers. The readers I have had the immense honor to meet and get to know, many of whom now feel like family. The incredible fan art people have given me over the years, treasured magic items I keep close in my pace of power.
In 2024 I went on my first real book tour since 2017’s release of The Core. The Desert Prince (2021) came at a time when travel was still pretty locked down due to Covid, and everything was virtual. The world was on fire, and it felt like the series was lost in the cacophony. Sales confirmed that, even as those of my older books ticked up as quarantined people went back to reading. When Hidden Queen came out last year, I resolved to say yes to everything, go everywhere, to get things back on track, and to reconnect with the humans on the other side of the Big Pile of Words.
And boy, did I. I maybe bit off more than I could chew, traveling almost the entire month of March to tour the US and UK back to back, plus TWO trips to Poland, Croatia, France, and additional conventions in Wisconsin, Arizona and Oregon. And honestly, I am probably forgetting some places. I don’t think I went more than 3 weeks last year without getting on a plane.
It was exhausting, but also one of the greatest adventures of my life. Kind of like writing 8 novels and 5 novellas in a world full of demons. The thing I heard over and over from readers was “I didn’t know you had a new series out” which confirmed how it was buried in the chaos the pandemic. It was nice to feel things were getting back on track.
If you’re a paperback reader, The Hidden Queen has also just released with a new cover by classic Demon Cycle cover artist Larry Rostant. Pick that up wherever awesome books are sold: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/592628/the-hidden-queen-by-peter-v-brett/
It’s no secret that I highly endorse the full-cast adaptations of my books from Graphic Audio. If you’re a fan, The Hidden Queen part 2 of 2 has also recently been released: https://rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/9798890557209/
Uh, I, for one, still care deeply about your little demon books! I’ve read the demon cycle like 4 times in that many years. And I got my partner into the books too, and he is looking forward to the Demon King as much as I am.
And what a journey it has been. Arlen and Co. have been a part of my life for around 15 years, with incredible ups and downs, intense twist and turns and some of my favorite moments in my literary adventures. Thank you for the time, effort and heart you’ve put into these books. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.
– Gene, a fan.
Once again, your words have made me cry. Both happy and sad tears. For the record, I care very much about your silly monster books. I read them and listen to them multiple times a year. They get me through life.
I am anxiously awaiting the release of the conclusion, which is sure to be as amazing as the rest.
Thank you for the adventures.
P.S. The possibility of an Elona Paper novella brings me so much joy.
Looking forward to the new book. Especially if it helps distract us from whatever is happening in the world!
Your books bring so much joy to all those I have introduced your series to. Whenever I speak to someone who reads fiction as a way of escaping reality, boom! They get the Demon Cycle Saga recommended to them.
Your writing style is detailed yet easy to comprehend, leaving people to keep going for one more chapter until 3 am.
Your series, especially the Nightfall Saga, has opened a world of possibilities. Whatever you do or wherever you choose to take the writing, I will be sure to follow.
Thank you for giving us an insight into your journey in crafting these stories and thank you doesn’t cover it any way to express the gratitude in having explored and lived with this mythos for over two decades…
While the world burns and there’s so much to worry about, having such a good story to escape to is needed. We spend time imagining a whole different world with such a good story.
For me, seeing and getting involved in the spinoff creative work of others motivates me to work on my own and that’s always been my own form of self-therapy. Rather building a creating and sharing something positive than worrying about the negative drama that never ends.
I’m modelling a 3D model of Alegai Ka and besides getting to a point where I can 3D print a posed model, if I can animate him to dance “Bye bye bye”, that will be an achievement.
Keep up the good work Peter.
Your awesome work gives me something positive to look forward to, escape to when my mind runs off in the wrong direction and inspires me to be creative.
Your books have a special place in my home and heart. I keep them in my house because I love to reread them before the next release – something I’ve not done before with other authors. It has a special place in my heart because it was the first series my daughter, Veda, and I read together.
I lament the end of the series but I look forward to the novellas as well as the previously hinted new direction you want to take with writing.
Hope to catch you on a Texas visit at some point in the future.