FAQ

Q: “How many books are there in the Terra Ignota series?”

A: Four, but in two pairs, two and two.  The first two, Too Like the Lightning and Seven Surrenders are the two halves of Mycroft Canner’s history of the “days of transformation,” and fit closely together.  The second two follow these.

Q: “I remember hearing you had a novel called Dogs of Peace, or Servants of the World.”

A: “Those are older titles for what is now Too Like the Lightning.  I always wanted the title to be Too Like the Lightning, but we went through some other provisional titles too. Titles are hard to get right, but Lorenzo Valla changed De Summo Bono to De Voluptate more than a decade after he started circulating the text, so I’m in good company.”

Q: “What are the two people in the foreground of the Seven Surrenders cover supposed to be?“

A: “Not sure, but they have the Mitsubishi symbol on their backs, so maybe some kind of Mitsubishi honor guard? The view seems to be looking across Romanova from the Quirinal hill toward the Capitoline hill with the Palatine behind, and lots of Mitsubishi live on the Quirinal.”