The Grammy Award–winning progressive metal giants Dream Theater wrote what many consider to be one of the greatest concept albums ever--I'm certainly among them. So, it was an exceptional honor to novelize this ground-breaking record.
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For some writers, the chance to write in franchises like Star Wars or Star Trek is a dream. For me, it's the honor working with my favorite musicians to tell stories in the universes they create with their music. And over the years, I've developed a strong working relationship with the band--we have a great rhythm (and a hell of a lot of fun) when we get together to talk story.​
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The book tells the story of a man who, through past life regression therapy, learns not only that he may have lived before, but how to make the most of the life he has now.
I'm a fan of progressive metal. And in that world, the band Dream Theater is commonly considered among the best, if not THE best. I'm a huge fan of Dream Theater. So, it was an honor to be selected to write the novel to their most recent record--a double CD concept album. entitled The Astonishing.
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The story tells of a future world where music is made by machines, a world that has returned to a feudal system. Also, there's some music magic, which I've done quite a lot of in other of my books.
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I was given complete license to build this world and create storylines in addition to what was on the album. John Petrucci, DT guitarist, who conceived the initial idea was, "Blown away!"
Jordan Rudess, keyboard player for Dream Theater, has released another solo album entitled Wired for Madness. Jordan was voted by Music Radar Magazine as the "Best Keyboard Player in the World."
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On his new album, Jordan wrote an epic 30 minute song, which is the title track. I was honored to write a novel to elaborate on the story, developing characters, technology, and backstory.
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The story takes the conceit that in the future humankind will have the option of offloading certain brain and cognitive tasks to machine automation, leaving them the freedom to more fully explore ideas.
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But there are unintended consequences ...
Trial of Intentions is the second volume in my Vault of Heaven epic fantasy series. While it carries the story forward from The Unremembered, I wrote it as an entry point to the series. In some ways, I like this as a starting point best.
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In Trial of Intentions, the music magic system really starts to become understood and come into use. And while some characters race toward war, others try to avert it with science.
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Trial of Intentions is a grand novel, with strong world-building, and a sweeping cast of distinctive characters. I can't wait to see where Orullian takes us next! --Brandon Sanderson
The Unremembered is a book of two lives. The original was written around the year 2000, and shelved for reasons I'll talk about elsewhere. Then, in 2010, it sold to Tor books as the first of a three-book deal. Unfortunately, the book went out without me being able to make the changes I'd planned.
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The good news is that a few years later, after an editor change, I was able to make the changes, and my publisher put out the Author's Definitive Edition, which is actually vastly shorter and more impactful. It tells the story of a young man with a unique musical gift. He, along with his friends, rise to a challenge that threatens their way of life.
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This is one huge, powerful, compelling, hard-hitting story. A major fantasy adventure. --Piers Anthony
A friend of mine got cancer. Instead of bankruptcy, when the medical bills piled up, he asked friends to write stories for an anthology he'd publish. That anthology is the first Unfettered. For that book, I wrote a novella, The Sound of Broken Absolutes.
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The story garnered so much attention, my friend insisted I have it published stand-alone, so others could read it. The story tells of two men, one old and one young, each with a musical gift, but using them for very different reasons and results.
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One of the most beautiful stories I've ever read ... stunningly gorgeous, painfully intimate, and magnificently epic. --The Ranting Dragon
In my world-building for The Vault of Heaven series, there were so many stories that just didn't belong in the main narrative, but that I needed to write. So, I put together a story volume collecting them into one place.
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Readers who read this first will have those a-ha moments when these tales get briefly referenced in the novels. Those who read it after will come to understand the deeper significance of things they encounter in the books.
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Orullian is doing things I haven't seen in other books, including an original system of magic --Robin Hobb
The Author's Definitive Edition of The Unremembered was only published in trade paperback. Shawn Speakman over at Grim Oak Press thought that was a shame for fans and collectors of the series. So, he produced a gorgeous Limited Edition hardcover of the book.
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A fine debut! --Brandon Sanderson
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A sprawling, complex tale of magic and destiny that won't disappoint its readers. This auspicious beginning for author Peter Orullian will have you looking forward to more. –Terry Brooks