Hello there, 

Today we have exciting news for all of you that are fans of the Endless Universe! Stephen Gaskell, one of our writers here at Amplitude, has been working on this project for several years, and it is SHOWTIME, it is time to introduce the novel, Shadow of the Endless. Today we will start the Pre-orders as the book will release on October 15th 🎉 

Let´s jump in to discover everything you can expect and discover in this magnificent book! 

MEET THE AUTHOR 

Daarkarrow: Stephen, I would love it if you could tell the players a bit more about who you are, the work you have done here at Amplitude, and well anything you want. 

Stephen: Thanks, Daarkarrow! I’ve been with Amplitude over ten years now (wow, time flies!), working mainly on Endless projects like Endless Legend and Endless Space 2, but also on Amplitude’s entry into the historical strategy genre, Humankind. Science-fiction is my first love though—and the reason I ended up a games writer at Amplitude—so when the opportunity came up to write a novel set in the Endless universe I jumped at the chance. Space travel, precursor civilizations, and existential cosmic questions—all these things have fascinated me from my earliest years, and the Endless universe is the perfect backdrop to explore these elements! 

Daarkarrow: Thanks for the introduction. I think players are eager to know a bit more about the book you have been writing, should we go straight to that? 

Stephen: Let’s dive right in! 

​SHADOW OF THE ENDLESS 

Daarkarrow: Okay Stephen, could you explain to us what Shadow of the Endless is about? 

Stephen: Essentially, Shadow of the Endless is about a young Pilgrim named Sewa, who uncovers a plot to betray her people, resulting in a wild adventure across the galaxy. For those who don’t know, the Pilgrims are an offshoot of the United Empire, who fled into space in a dozen or so fleets when Emperor Zelevas sought to eradicate their Endless-worshipping religion. As a hunted people, the Pilgrims are constantly on the run, and as such, Sewa’s first duty is to her people’s survival. She wants to be a caver, but it seems fate has other ideas... 

Daarkarrow: Okay so based on what I can see it is a sci-fi + adventure novel, right? 

Stephen: Yes, exactly. Strange worlds, starships, weird and horrifying aliens. All the classic stuff. The novel delves deeper into many elements of the Endless universe, such as the nature of Dust, the inner workings of the Academy, and the United Empire homeworld, but at heart it’s a story about a young woman coming to terms with her place in the world (or galaxy!). If you like (or fear!) the idea of caving deep into subterranean places, the novel should give you a lot of feels too! 

Daarkarrow: Amazing, thanks for the details! 

I know you all want to know more and more information but let's take a quick break to share the relevant links for the book.

PRE-ORDER NOW

As mentioned above, today we start the pre-order for all of you that are interested in getting your hands on this stunning book. The book is only available in English (we are checking other languages), but you will be able to get it in most countries, as the book is available on Amazon (but do not hesitate to check other online retailers)

Click on the banner to go to the pre-orders!

BONUS CONTENT 

If you get to this point, Thanks for sticking with us! Now we’d like to take a moment to develop on the lore from the book and perhaps to present/reveal certain elements. 

Major Factions 

Daarkarrow: Stephen, since the book is based in the ENDLESS Universe, are we going to see some familiar factions in the story?

Stephen: Definitely. The main character, Sewa, hails from the Pilgrims, a high-tech, religious faction who are obsessed with the Endless, but remain in the cross-hairs of Emperor Zelevas’ United Empire who hunt down the Pilgrims ruthlessly. The novel features a lot of insights into both factions, and the eagle-eyed reader will spot many more characters of other factions who cross Sewa’s path during her adventures. A Niris commander working on behalf of the United Empire plays a key role. 

Daarkarrow: For anyone new to the Endless Universe (or just less knowledge from Endless Space 2), here it is a quick synopsis of the factions Stephen just mentioned.

The Academy 

Daarkarrow: The Academy has a big role in the book. Players of Endless Space 2 might already know it, but for new readers and/or players, could you explain to them what it is?

Stephen: The Academy is a secretive organization led by a charismatic individual named Isyander St Shaiad. The central role of the Academy is to find and train those few individuals who have been altered by the mysterious substance known as Dust (and survived). The organization helps these "Heroes" to control and exploit the powers that Dust gives them, before sending them back out into the galaxy to work for client-empires. The Academy is an energetic political player on the galactic stage, and its fascination with Dust and the ancient Endless civilization leads it to a mastery of arcane knowledge.

Daarkarrow: We "discovered" the Academy in Endless Space 2, but didn’t go into much details. How does ‘Shadow of the Endless’ give us a deeper look at it?

Stephen: In ‘Shadow of the Endless’ readers will get a front-row seat view of the Academy from the inside, as one of Sewa’s companions takes her into the heart of the Harrow star-system where the famous Academy ‘pyramid-city’ is located. As well as wandering through the city, Sewa’s journey will also take her into the catacombs below...  

Before finishing I would like to share a couple of elements. If you are eager to know more about the lore, in general, or to know more details about some of the factions you can check the following: 

• The official wiki for Endless Space
• Fandom Wiki on ES2 

AND we have for FREE several comics we wrote for the Endless Space 2 universe that you can find in the reward section! 
Here are a couple of examples you might find interesting based on factions that appear or that are related.
If you fall in love with the stories I wanted to do a quick reminder that you can get a physical copy that gathers them all (here)!

It is time to close for today, as we could keep talking and talking about this book and the lore for quite a long time! 

Do not hesitate to share with us (and Stephen), if you have any questions, or if there is anything you are curious about! 

Have a nice day ^-^

FAQ 

We’ve prepared a quick FAQ, but if you have any other questions, we will do our best to answer them and I will include them here