Dear readers, this 2025 has started very strong and intense, just as last year ended and with a great desire to continue growing by your side. As in the last three years, there comes a time when I undertake new adventures far from home, far from Spain. This time it is different, since I am no longer just going to explore and discover, but to what has become my second home, Hanoi, in Vietnam. That is why I want to review the things I have in production and see together what is to come in this 2025 full of light and dark.
New stories from Mark of Odin: Ragnarok
After the publication of the first bonus chapter ‘The Dark Hybrid’ for ‘Mark of Odin: Ragnarok’ you have seen how the first extended stories have arrived, framed in the series of ‘Heroes of the Earth’ based on chronicles and interviews of our brave reporters of ‘Noticias Directo WebTV’. Each of these stories take you to different locations that, although they could not be visible in the book, also experienced their events in a shocking way.
These types of chronicles allow me to enrich and grow the creation of the world of ‘Mark of Odin’, offering numerous perspectives, always seeking realism focused on what would really happen if what I narrate in my fiction happened in reality. At the moment, you already have chronicles located in Ukraine, Vietnam, Peru and Cameroon available.
I would like to take this opportunity to give you a preview of the following chronicles that are already written and that I will be sharing in the coming weeks and months:
- Heroes of the Earth #05: The ancestral Haka
- Heroes of the Earth #06: The defender of Red Square
- Heroes of the Earth #07: The reunited Brothers
- Heroes of the Earth #08: The trolls of Antarctica
- Heroes of the Earth #09: The wise man of the desert
I’ve prioritized these types of stories, as they are more feasible to produce right now and I could fulfill my commitment to start publishing new stories on a regular basis. There are many more stories in pre-production focusing on the characters, locations, organizations, vehicles, and technologies that are relevant in the time period between Ragnarok and the next book. I need more time and peace of mind to handle these, as well as the two remaining bonus chapters.
This process is important to me, so that I can get to the point where the spark is burning strong in preparation for the final draft of the fourth book in the series. In addition, we are continuing with the production of the English editions of Road to Valhalla and Ragnarok, which are mammoth.
Sometimes I see trolls, trolls fighting vikings
Those of you who have been following me from the beginning know that one of my main projects is Megapop Games, the Norwegian video game studio that I helped found together with several Funcom veterans. With them I have been able to publish several video games: Trolls vs Vikings 1 & 2, Meganumbers, Haxity and Rob Riches. This 2025 I have had to put on my battle suit again, since on March 7 we are launching Trolls vs Vikings: Reborn, the modernized premium version of our first game for Steam PC.
I’m really excited to be at the helm of this release, I think it’s a solid, fun game that, with all the improvements and new features, has great potential to be a success. Just on Monday, February 24th, we will launch a free demo during the Steam Next Fest. I encourage you to try it out and see if you like it. Yes, it’s in the same tower defense genre as Plants vs Zombies, but I assure you that it has many features that make it more dynamic, fun and… difficult!
I explain this because it is important for you to understand that I am on many fronts and it is very difficult for me to focus exclusively on books, although I try to cover everything at once.
Asia again
As I mentioned in my last Author’s Letter, Vietnam has become my second home since 2024 and I’m going to spend periods there every year. This time I was planning to take a two-week vacation in Thailand beforehand, enjoy the beach, relax… As you might have guessed from what I’ve said about Trolls vs Vikings, that’s not going to be possible. Although it’s always better to work from the beach, right?
In the coming months I hope to be able to continue moving forward with content production, while I give a lot of love to my most recent project, Barbaros Group and our restaurant projects, with the Barbaros restaurant in Hanoi at the helm. Come on, come visit Vietnam and we’ll have a few beers together!
On the other hand, I want to take advantage of the occasion to visit new locations and do research work for the next literary project that will come after the fourth book of ‘Mark of Odin‘ and that, as I have already ventured, will continue the path of ‘The Stone Lotus‘ and the interlude of ‘Yes, They Will Pass!’. The truth is, seeing how things are now, I am tempted to bring it forward so that reality does not end up surpassing my fiction… But, if I do, my #MarkedbyOdin will not forgive me. Or maybe they will?
Sigamos luchando y no nos rindamos
I still think that we live in a dystopian reality, with the most sinister and absurd situations and characters. At the same time, I cannot deny that there are still incredible, brave, truly beautiful people who never stop getting up every morning to fight for their own. Don’t give up, but don’t fall asleep either, we need to raise our voices and show with actions that we want a better world. I will continue trying for my part.
Whatever it may be, I thank you infinitely for your support, your messages, the photos you send us, your recommendations… I am going to miss not being able to dedicate books these months, but I am convinced that it will be worth it.
Don’t forget that you can join our Discord community, Telegram channel, and also add us to your contact list on WhatsApp (say hello at +34 671 48 96 90) and, of course, share your impressions of the books. Not only in the Reviews section, but also on external platforms such as Amazon, Google Play, Apple, Kobo, Lektu or Goodreads. Having a good rating and reviews there helps us a lot to attract new readers.
Remember, everything is connected.
Xavier Marcé