For those interested in high fantasy and meddling gods,
I present my epic sword, sorcery and western blend, the first novel in a planned six-book saga.
Synopsis
After the earth froze over in a great cataclysm, humanity took to the old city’s underground tunnels and survived the chill like soot-laden vermin. Hundreds of years later, as the clans continue to clash over heat and scraps, a mass exodus of people decide to test their mettle by reclaiming the world above only to discover that these lands rally against them by manner of tooth and claw.
My coming-of-age story thrusts William into the limelight, one of those second-generation pioneer kids who’d rather forfeit his daily drudges than compete against those vagabonds racing to stake their claim. Alas, as the barrowtide season bears the brunt of bad weather, William’s frontier settlement is deemed just another lost cause. The young boy Jones is forced into a harsh reality, coming to terms on whether he’ll sink or swim, cast against an ever-rising white tide and the dark secrets harbored there.
Dealt a bad hand, William faces a hostile world where threats are always looming against him. “THOSE WYRD AND WONDERFUL” showcases the grim decisions of frontier life, because to thrive, one must first survive. This earnest lad learns to roll with the punches, neither losing his compassion, nor those morals while countless others around him have chosen to forget.
The gods shake their snow globe and chuckle,
for the world was not always silent and still.
In my story, characters must regularly confront the supernatural, fighting to become more than simply pawns between the games of cosmic eldritch horrors. Magik often draws the ire of ruinous powers, and in a world where isolated frontier towns are crushed by relentless torrents of snowfall, vagabonds take all the help they can get, lest be wiped off the map. The events in my novel start similarly to the Klondike Gold Rush, as pioneers attempt to tame the unrelenting wilderness. Those at the mercy of the weather quickly discover fate pulling their strings, and beasts nipping at their heels, goading them further into the fray. In a world so untamed, everything may seem bleak and dismal, but there is still much joy in the world, hidden to all those too bitter or driven to drink. Whether we find love in our hobbies and craft, or each other, there is always balance, our light to guide way through the dark.
Related Works
For fans of fantasy epics, a gift towards those Tolkien-types, a Shakespearean take on survival, and those societal critiques of Terry Pratchett. I'm influenced by Dmitry Glukhovsky's Metro 2033 novels, the Witcher book series, and Genndy Tartakovsky's Samurai Jack. My story details a world cast with rime, filled to the brim with unconventional creatures and drama, as there’s a little something for everyone in his novels. I feature an eccentric slew of characters and down-to-earth grit, where those fictional few are spurred on a path of pure, unadulterated adventure, traversing untamed wilds, and confronting their harsh realities.
Unofficially, the recipe is one part sour, one part sugar, stir, and lastly, top it all off with a pinch of existential dread.
My formula:
Want to Know More?
I’ve also self-published a separate, D&D inspired roleplaying book, titled “A World of Honest Threats, detailing just what it takes to survive in this fictional winter wonderland. What sort of menagerie should those intrepid navigators expect? Well, there’s the burly bison, timid troll-kin, those particular gremlins led by their pompous kit-king, and even that dreaded tundra terror who all have their parts to play. In a certain twist of events, I actually created my world first. Now I’m writing the tales of those who live it, and it all begins with this debut novel, “Those Wyrd and Wonderful,” the first of many more to come.
"A World of Honest Threats," first-edition released in 2021, is available in:
Copyright 2023