So, my main series is going to be five, six books long, with everything being revealed over the course of the novels. The books will shed light on some history they tease as it affects the present, but the story, though rich with history, is grounded in the present with the occasional flashback. A crash course on that history: Khriza is the most renowned emperor of his father's dynasty, to the extent that his species of dragon call themselves Khrizans in their language, name their land Khriza, and the capitol of that land Khriza, and the language (now dead) that Khriza spoke in his time Khrizan Dragonese. And the line of emperors bears the surname Arkhriza. So, pretty important dragon. Well, what is revealed in my novels is that Khriza was actually the head of an order of wizards that dated back millennia called the Shazarians. The Shazarians are tasked with protecting five swords, called the Elder Swords, which, if combined, unlock power to great to fall into evil hands. Khriza was not the first Shazarian, nor was he the last, but he saw the day they vanished. Khriza's brother, Fiandarsh, was jealous of Khriza's superior magical ability, position as the Riphalaron (who communes with the Ristlaron, the omnipotent creator) and throne, and dabbled in dark magic, "discovering" it had no ill consequences. He created a rogue group in secret called the Kenshi, whose aim is to take the Elder Swords for themselves and unlock their power. The Shazarians and Kenshi had a great battle in which the Kenshi managed to obtain the power before it was taken from them, at which point the Kenshi were destroyed and Fiandarsh was killed, leaving the four remaining Kenshi to go into hiding. The Shazarians numbers were also lowered To protect the world from the Elder Swords, the Ristlaron changed the memory of the dragons to write magic out of history, and the Shazarians and Kenshi were forgotten by outsiders to the two sects. Khriza and Fiandarsh are both characters in the main series, as spirits who guide the protagonists and antagonists respectively. The prequel would cover their early life as brothers and Fiandarsh's secret fall to darkness. The book would also showcase the Shazarians in their prime and the Kenshi at their foundation. A war between Khriza (called Anthradraca in the prequel as it has not been named after Khriza yet) and Kadresh, which adds the fascinating dynamic of interspecies wars and alliances, and expands on a friendship exhibited in only one scene in the main series. (It's not a randomly chosen scene either.) Fiandarsh's attempt to take the throne is discovered and he is imprisoned. In the second book of the duology, Fiandarsh manipulates Khriza's son, who is secondborn and thus in the same situation as Fiandarsh as a child, and leads him to orchestrate his escape and join the Kenshi, breaking Khriza's heart. It would also tell how the Kenshi operated in exile, seeking and obtaining the Elder Swords and how the war between the Kenshi and Shazarians took place. A twist explaining the in media res flashback at the very beginning of the first book would be explained, and Fiandarsh would be killed, leaving Khriza with a heavy heart. The aftermath of the war, including how the Elder Swords were hidden and history rewritten, would be recounted, and finally, Khriza would die having ruled benevolently and well, knowing what the future holds and that he will be needed when the time comes. So my question is, publication wise, where should I stick this? Between my novels or after them? I am writing it so it can be read before all the others, but do not intend to publish it first or even finish it first as it is longer than my first book. My other question is, what should the two books be called? To recap, one is about the war Fiandarsh orchestrated to take the throne, and the other is about the one the Shazarians fought to keep the Kenshi from using the power of the Elder Swords to wreak havoc on the world. I would like the titles to be different but similar to the vein of my main series' titles, which are Swordfist, Swordthief, Swordseeker, Swordfinder, Swordbearer, and Swordbinder. (All the titles refer to Zarakharn, Fiandarsh's apprentice he takes on as a spirit, who is the primary antagonist of the main series.) I would like the titles to refer to Khriza, as he is reason I am writing the prequel is to answer the question: What made Khriza so great?
In my opinion a "prequel" is what an amateur author creates after a series is created because the series was not very well plotted/planned to begin with. It's a cop out . . . making the entire series not worthy of a second glance. Don't do it. I repeat . . . do not do it. (Just my humble opinion when I seen prequels tucked into series).
This all sounds like stuff to worry about after you've got the books written, to be honest. You've got a big project here - do one thing at a time.
On the contrary, it's because it's well planned that I'm writing it. I actually know a very successful author who's taken the prequel route. He's no amateur. He was able to retire from his job and commit fulltime to writing. And when I say know, I mean personally.
No offence to you or the author you know personally . . . I stand by my statement in answer to your question.
