Is 'The Plague Father' Part Of A Larger Series?

Digging through forums and author interviews reveals 'the plague father' was originally conceived as the first book in a trilogy called 'The Festering Gospels', but the project got shelved due to publisher issues. The current version contains remnants of this larger vision - especially in the worldbuilding documents leaked during the 2020 hack of the editor's emails.

You can spot the abandoned sequel hooks if you look closely. Chapter 14 introduces the 'Sevenfold Pestilence' concept that never gets fully explored, and the epilogue's mention of 'the weeping cities across the sea' clearly meant to set up a second book. The author's blog confirms they've recycled some of these ideas for a new standalone novel titled 'Marrow Thieves', though it's not a direct continuation.

Fans have been piecing together the original trilogy outline from these fragments. The second book would've followed the plague doctor character's journey to the necropolis shown in the concept art, while the third was supposedly about the protagonist's daughter inheriting his corruption. The r/ThePlagueFather subreddit has compiled all these scrapped materials into a fascinating 'what could've been' archive.

it's actually a standalone novel. The author crafted it as a complete story with no direct sequels, though there are thematic connections to his other works in the cosmic horror genre. The book wraps up its main plot threads by the final chapter, leaving no cliffhangers that would suggest a continuation. Fans who enjoyed the grotesque body horror and nihilistic tone might want to check out the author's 'Carrion Requiem', which explores similar themes of decay and existential dread but with a different setting and characters. The lack of a series might disappoint some, but it makes the novel feel more self-contained and impactful.

I can confirm 'The Plague Father' exists in a shared literary universe rather than a direct series. The novel references events from 'The Hollowing Stars' (like the Church of the Fifth Sun's collapse) and features cameos from minor characters in 'Guttermouth', but each book tells an independent story.

What's fascinating is how the author plants subtle worldbuilding seeds across different works. The plague zombies in this book share similarities with the 'waxen ghouls' from his short story collection 'Rotting Elegies', suggesting they're different manifestations of the same cosmic infection. The protagonist's journal even mentions the Black Cathedral from 'Hymn of Broken Teeth', though it's never central to the plot.

While there's no sequel, the author's Patreon teases an upcoming anthology called 'Necrosis Variations' that will expand on the plague god mythology. For now, readers craving more should explore the audio drama adaptation of 'The Plague Father', which adds extended lore about the bone-chime cultists that the novel only briefly mentions.