William Lawrence Wight III (born August 11, 1989) is an American author of
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
literature. He is best known for his independently published ''Cradle'' series, which has topped the
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
Kindle Store's bestseller list on multiple occasions and made the
New York Times Best Seller list
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
.
He is also known for his ''Traveler's Gate'' trilogy and ''Elder Empire'' series.
Early life
Will Wight was born in
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
, and received his B.A in 2011 and M.F.A in 2013 in Creative Writing from the
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...
. He is the first of three siblings.
Career
Will Wight began self-publishing novels in 2013 with the Traveler's Gate series, starting with the book ''House of Blades'', which he wrote while earning his master's degree.
He has stated his coursework during his degree was integral to helping him form the structure that he uses to write his books. House of Blades was so successful that Wight was able to become a full-time independent writer shortly after it was published.
As his books grew more successful, he later founded Hidden Gnome Publishing as an independent business to handle publishing, merchandising, and other related activities. In 2022, he funded the publication of physical books through
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
.
He is noted for being a successful self-published author, winning the Stabby Award for Best Self-Published/Independent Novel of 2013 on
Reddit's r/Fantasy for his first book ''House of Blades.'' Wight subsequently won the same award two more times in 2018 for ''Ghostwater,'' and in 2019 for ''Underlord.'' Due to his number of wins, Wight was retired from eligibility for the awards in 2020. The audiobooks for ''Bloodline'', ''Reaper'', and ''Dreadgod'' made it to the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list for the month that they were released.
Wight is noted for taking inspiration from
xianxia
''Xianxia'' ( zh, s=, t=仙俠), directly translated to 'immortal heroes', is a genre of Chinese fantasy heavily inspired by Taoism and influenced by Chinese mythology, Chan Buddhism, Chinese martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese ...
and
wuxia
( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted f ...
literature, as part of the growing
progression fantasy
Progression may refer to:
In mathematics:
* Arithmetic progression, sequence of numbers such that the difference of any two successive members of the sequence is a constant
* Geometric progression, sequence of numbers such that the quotient of any ...
genre.
Bibliography
Novels
All of Will Wight's novels take place in the same multiverse, but in different universes known as 'Iterations' which have different magic systems following similar underlying principles. An organization known as the Abidan is the primary force that maintains and manages these Iterations, although they have a strict policy of non-interference on day-to-day matters.
Traveler's Gate
On an Iteration called Amalgam, Travelers gain power from otherworldly Territories. The series centers on Simon, a boy who earns his power to save his friends and family. Soon, he finds himself caught in greater battles.
#''House of Blades'', (2013, )
#''The Crimson Vault'', (2013, )
#''City of Light'', (2014, )
Elder Empire
On the Iteration of Asylum, Elders are powerful, inhuman entities, held back by the Emperor of the Aurelian Empire. Upon his death, the balances of power begin to shift.
These books consist of two parallel series, each narrated from opposing viewpoints.
The Elder Empire: Shadow Books
Follows the path of Shera, an assassin, as she works to set the world free from corrupt rulers.
#''Of Shadow and Sea'' (2015, )
#''Of Darkness and Dawn'' (2015, )
#''Of Killers and Kings'' (2020, )
The Elder Empire: Sea Books
Follows the journey of Calder Marten, captain of The Testament, as he works to restore the Empire.
#''Of Sea and Shadow'' (2015, )
#''Of Dawn and Darkness'' (2016, )
#''Of Kings and Killers'' (2020, )
Cradle
On the Iteration known as Cradle, Wei Shi Lindon is born a weak Unsouled, forbidden to seek power as sacred artists do. However, he is faced with a looming fate that he must defy his family's rules to avoid. The Cradle series follows Lindon's journey as he forges a Path for himself.
#''Unsouled'' (June 2016, )
#''Soulsmith'' (September 2016, )
#''Blackflame'' (August 2017, )
#''Skysworn'' (September 2017, )
#''Ghostwater'' (May 2018, )
#''Underlord'' (March 2019, )
#''Uncrowned'' (September 2019, )
#''Wintersteel'' (October 2020, )
#''Bloodline'' (April 2021, )
#''Reaper'' (November 2021, )
#''Dreadgod'' (July 2022, )
#''Waybound'' (June 2023, )
The Last Horizon
#''The Captain'' (April 2023, )
Short stories
* "The Savior of Garden's Gate" (2019) (in the ''Heroes Wanted Anthology'', )
References
[ ]
External links
Official Website*
Unsouled by Will Wight March 13, 2020.
Will Wight entry on Goodreads
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wight, Will
1989 births
Living people
21st-century American novelists
American fantasy writers