I love this time, when I get to look back over my blogging year and see the posts that have really  “spoken” to all those who visit here.

How I present the top ten always depends on the posts themselves. This year, the most-reads fall into four main groupings, so in terms of presentation I’ll order the posts by theme, then chronological order (as opposed to an exact ranking by number of views) beneath that ‘umbrella.’

Otherwise, my very best wishes to all of you for January 1 and the new year ahead!

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Here They Are: The 10 Most-Read Posts of 2021

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Theme 1: Matters Pertaining to The Wall Of Night Book Four Progress & Updates

A theme that is both gratifying and also something of a “gulp” moment for the author, given this manuscript is an epic journey in itself! The posts that really caught your interest were:

1. March 29 — For The Wall Of Night’s UK & Commonwealth Readers: Book #4 (The Chaos Gate) Will Be Available To You!

This post arose when it came to my attention that questions had arisen around the availability of The Wall Of Night Book #4 (The Chaos Gate) in the UK & Commonwealth. As a result I was able to answer a number of questions readers were asking around that. These clarifications still remain valid.

2. April 5 — As Promised, A “The Wall Of Night” Book #4 (The Chaos Gate) Update

As promised on March 29, I followed a week later with a WALL #4 progress update. The rest, I believe/hope, is self-explanatory. 🙂

3. May 24 — Tweet O’ The Week, for WALL Readers 🙂

The tweet in question was the newsflash that Malian had reached “the” Chaos Gate — for which book #4 is currently named and a sign that the story is surely and steadily, if not as swiftly as we all would like, drawing toward its close.

4. July 22 — The Wall of Night Book #4 (The Chaos Gate) Update (July)

In which I was able to share that the writing had reached the cusp between the endgame setup for the book and the denouement for both that and the WALL series, while also noting that some rejigging of the setup material was required.

Theme 2: The 10th Anniversary of the February 22nd, 2011 Christchurch Earthquake — & “The Sparrows”

In many ways it feels extraordinary that a decade has passed since 2011 and the earthquakes that destroyed lives, homes, and swathes of my home city of Christchurch (while leaving other areas largely unscathed.) I spoke of some of the effects of those events and their aftermath in a post titled “Faultline.”

Yet the reason, I believe, that “…on Anything, Really” got so much attention during that time was because NZ’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, concluded her commemorative speech by quoting from a poem I wrote in 2011, titled The Sparrows.

The speech was quoted in full and part in media throughout the world, and the UK’s The Guardian newspaper linked to my blog and the poem. A sequence of events that is reflected in the year’s most-read statistics.

5. August 2, 2011 —  Tuesday Poem — The Sparrows

This is the version of The Sparrows that The Guardian newspaper linked to, so although published in 2011, it definitely garnered some attention again this year.

6. February 22nd — Faultline: My Decade From February 22nd, 2011

In this post, I endeavoured to both commemorate the events of February 22nd and chart the aftermath and effects on myself, over the subsequent decade.

7. February 25: The Prime Minister’s February 22nd National Remembrance Speech & “The Sparrows”

In which I talked about the poem and the PM quoting from it in her speech, and how I felt about it all…

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Theme 3: The “Having Fun With Epic Fantasy Tropes” Series

I posted this series from 2018 through to 2020 (and there may still be a post or to in it: we’ll see!) and it’s proven enduringly popular, so much so that two posts were still in the top 10 most-read posts for this year, with another one, plus a direct spinoff,  in the Top 15. So I’m guessing people are getting something out of them!

The two posts in the top 10 are:

8. July 23, 2018 — We’re All Going On A MacGuffin Hunt

MacGuffins are objects or devices that motivate characters, both protagonists and antagonists, to undertake the actions that comprise the story. In most cases, particularly in Fantasy, this involves some sort of hunt or search—aka the quest-journey.

And the rest is history, but traversing it makes for considerable blog enjoyment. 😉

9. August 13, 2018 — Artefacts of Power—and Doom—and Where To Find Them

“Artefacts of power, and/or doom, are one of the great staples of epic fantasy and the myths, legends, and folklore that inform the literature …” And so the post begins, starting with checking out magical swords but by no means restricted to them..

Theme 4: Reintroducing Group Haarth

Although the existence of Group Haarth stems from that of the WALL series, it exists independently of the WALL #4 status updates, which is why I believe it constitutes a separate category. One that’s generated quite a bit of interest:

10. April 22 — A Reminder That There’s A Dedicated “The Wall Of Night” Facebook Group for Readers

If you’re interested in a group established for the sole purpose of discussing the books, just click on the link. 😀

Conclusion:

So there it is: ten posts, four themes—and several more that just missed the cut. And now it’s onward to 2022, “coming ready or not.”

Stay well, one and all, and keep taking care.