Final Remarks

Alright, that's that – trilogy complete.

From the canon beginning of HP OotP to the absolute mess of my final book, the war is over.

I have to say that, whilst I cringe at my early writing, I've certainly gotten much better as an author. I still have trouble with tense, maybe because of how colloquial Australian conversation is, maybe because I need more practice.

The main criticisms were; A Time for War was too choppy, A Time for Strength was too slow and A Time for Unity was too depressing. All valid points, that which I have no intention of arguing. I'll likely use these stories as editing practice as a I continue to write, hopefully that will get ATFW into a readable state eventually.

That being said, for a first writing experience, I like to think I delivered a cohesive and logical storyline that developed naturally throughout. Each main character death meant something new and unique in a way to compliment the story I was trying to tell.

Ron's marked the end of innocence. Dumbledore's meant to show that people can change and meet death with quiet acceptance. Scrimgeour's hailed the death of old Magical Britain. Luna's was to show that people just die in war, mostly for naught. Hermione's happened because some people change too late; wandering off to solve a mystery alone was all well and good in Hogwarts – not so much in a war. Remus' was to punch home betrayal and its consequences. Damien and Johanna died to show the unresolved nature of sudden death – unable to make peace with their eldest daughter. Moody, after a storied career of fighting the dark arts, dies just before seeing the sunrise he helped create.

Are these deaths sad? Absolutely. However, I never aimed to tell a happy story. War isn't a happy time or place – for the combatants, collaborators or innocent civilians. It's a story of perseverance, personal change and, most poignantly, tragedy. Those in the know of the fanfic world wouldn't be surprised to learn the A Cadmean Victory was one of my favs.

Is that for everyone? Probably not – I certainly don't enjoy every book I read that's for sure. However, when I set out to write this trilogy I had two goals in mind.

Complete it, no matter how bad the writer's block gets.

Write something that I would enjoy reading, first and foremost

I achieved both.

I want to say thanks to everyone who followed along and made it this far. It's been a long three years but I'm proud of myself for completing such a hefty undertaking.

Next Steps

Will I write a sequel? Official word – maybe. I have some ideas for it but a sequel to these fics is not something I'm focusing on right now. I recently started my own business which takes up a lot of my time and my next writing project is well under way.

On that note, I'd like to announce that I will be writing my own novel with the hopes of getting it published called, Melody of Delphic Aphorisms.

It's a historical/mythological fiction set during the Peloponnesian war. As the Delian and Peloponnesian leagues vie for hegemony over their Hellenic neighbours, Aristaeus, a recently elevated slave, finds himself entangled in an ancient plot that spans the Classical world.

If you're interested in keeping up to date with this project, I have a page on my website dedicated to this story, which also features a mailing list for opt-in. Just search up Revanchist Design and you'll find me!

That's all for now. Once again – thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed :)

All the best,

RevanchistVII