I love this story. I’ve followed it and supported the author for years, subscribing to the Patreon, buying the audiobooks, buying the paperback books.. but this past year has not been fun as a reader. Authors don’t feel like they owe their readers anything.
One of the most frustrating things about being a reader is that they can drop the book that interests you at any time. They move on to other works without a second thought. Personally, I trusted this author and gave Proving Grounds a shot and I liked it.
But he’s been on hiatus writing Dragon Mage, then on hiatus, posting the last chapters of this book at the last minute. Now, he’s once again gone silent. He said he’d post sporadically. It’s been several months. This has certainly been a teaching moment: don’t subscribe for longer than a month to an author.
I trusted this guy because it’s 9 books in the series so far. Loyalty doesn’t mean as much to some people. Even in the worst cases, there are some that make a statement at least. Not this one. And it’s not like something sudden happened. 2025 had several signs with short breaks that fans forgave.
There’s a limit though.