3 hidden gems that inspired an old world dark epic fantasy
Old world epic fantasy is a go-to genre when a slower, more complex read is in order. But we're not talking about Game of Thrones.
As one book launch came and went, I had another on deck for a while. Or, maybe the term ‘relaunch’ is more appropriate? As you know, I launched Cursed Mage on March 3rd, which was the first Monday in March that also happened to be my late grandmother’s 83rd birthday.
That said, the launch bore a lot of significance, and I was happy to see the work perform well on launch week. For Cursed Mage, it’s on to reaching new readers via Amazon and later, BookBub ads, something I have zero experience in and will probably cost me some money in the early going.
Anyway, I also found an audience that’s more ingrained in old-world fantasy, which also prompted me to an upcoming relaunch of my book Spirit and Fire. But since I tend to be attracted to darker subject matter for reasons I’ll never know, the work was bound to have a rather grim attachment.
No, not grimdark, but rather, nobledark, where there’s a glimmer of hope. For the longest time, I saw Spirit and Fire as a backburner novel. One that readers would pick up if they were curious about some of the historical backstory talked about in my Elementals of Nordica Series.
After gaining four measly ratings on Amazon and like seven on Goodreads, my projection came true. This series was sit and forget, and nothing more. Fast-forward to October 27th, 2024, the day after my brother’s wedding, and I again found myself with a stable internet connection as opposed to anything I’d get in a hotel.
I saw I had six ratings, then not long after, seven. These days, I peaked at nine ratings in Amazon’s US store. Yeah, that’s still a minute number, but it did, after running a free promo that was exclusive to my mailing list only, show the work had potential, and that a relaunch was in order.
So, it’d been on my calendar while I worked to get Cursed Mage up and running. And in the process, I’d gotten new covers for Spirit and Fire, plus its successor, Spirit and Water. While I’ll talk more about these two books and their themes in a later post, today I wanted to recognize a few that inspired this dark epic fantasy.
Fog and Mist by Kelsie Engen
This one is a dark retelling of Snow White with some other classic tales mixed in. And if you wanted a more brutal outlook for a protagonist, this story’s for you. It entails a princess named Winter who finds herself arrested and sold into slavery in the book’s inciting incident.
Who was the culprit? Her stepmother, Blanche. Talk about a massive fall from grace, and it’s one that Winter will have a tough time regaining ground from. It also brings in an ultra complex plot, putting the brain through quite a workout.
Seeing a character struggle through the lowest of lows in this dark fantasy made its way into the backstory of Mali LaSalle, my protagonist in Spirit and Fire. Mali’s no Crown Princess, and if you want the truth, she hates Monarchs with a passion.
But Mali also knows that her ancestors once held a prominent place in the fictional nation of Tamuria before a ruthless leader usurped them centuries before the novel’s events. Mali, a member of Tamuria’s Untouchable caste, branded by the X-shaped scars on the back of her hands, is still paying the price for her ancestors’ loss.
The Healing Glass by Maria Herring
I first read The Healing Glass in 2019, and to this day, it’s the most unique and complex book I’ve ever crossed. That’s a compliment, by the way, and one in which libertarians would fall head over heels for.
There’s a sickness raging through the land, and Audra, an Academician, is needed to translate directions so she and a small brigade can locate a cure, an ancient relic called the, you guessed it, Healing Glass. But there’s also something rather mysterious about Audra, and she’ll learn that significant something about herself on this journey.
Little does Audra and her brigade know, however, that another group of people is after the same relic.
As for Mali in Spirit and Fire, it’s not long until she uncovers something significant about herself. It also explains the real reason why her lineage is in the position it’s in, and that all of it came by design. But instead of relics, it’s a certain group of people she and her own small band of heroes must locate before the regime does.
Fate of Crowns by Rebecca L. Garcia
Ah, there’s nothing I love reading about more than ultra-corrupt governments and leaders, and Fate of Crowns has them. Now, this book was kind of annoying since the protagonist saw through her evil father’s corruption time and again, except she justified or made an excuse for it at every turn.
But, much like Winter in Fog and Mist, this girl, whose name is also Winter, has a penchant for landing herself in some of the most undesirable situations. Many of which either offer a false sense of security or involve taking a massive risk in which she hopes she didn’t just land herself into more trouble by trusting another character too much.
This book inspired Spirit and Fire more than any other. Of course, corrupt Monarchs were always on the menu. But I also threw in one massive false sense of security that ended up with Mali and them fighting for their lives on multiple occasions.
Then, there’s Mali’s rough-around-the-edges personality, something I discovered immediately from Winter. The only difference? Winter here is a princess who’s lived an easy life. As for Mali, she’s been an Untouchable since birth and was destined for back-breaking labor in the fields.
Each of the books listed above are hidden gems that you probably never heard of and ones that deserve another whirl from me at some point in the near (or distant) future. Each work holds some underlying libertarian concepts, especially The Healing Glass, but I’ll also warn you that they’re very, very dark reads.
