What do you get when a ruthless government entwines with a hidden legacy?

After two years of persistent work - plus writing other stories - launch day for my book Cursed Mage has arrived.

I keep articles that talk primarily about my own work at a minimum except when I’m on the verge of a launch. And since it’s launch day for Cursed Mage, I wanted to drill home a bit of everything, from the work’s themes to what inspired it, and what’s coming up next.

Many of the books that I’ve discussed in the first few months since I launched this little review (and breakdown) site inspired Cursed Mage, most notably E.E. Holmes’ Spirit Legacy. Yeah, so if you’re wondering why I’m spending a few months reading and talking about the Gateway Trilogy, now you know why.

From chatting with ghosts, to unveiling a hidden legacy, and, of course, the sheer government corruption within, Kaija (in Cursed Mage and its eventual sequels) and Jess (in Spirit Legacy and its sequels) have so much on their plates it’s overwhelming. But that’s what makes these works fun, right?

For me, modern-day statism is a huge thing, and those allegories are in Cursed Mage plus its two-year prequel, Deceived Mage. The latter of which stars one of Cursed Mage’s supporting characters.

A two-party system, a uniparty, or lesser of the two evils?

Something I wanted to drive home in Cursed Mage’s eventual sequels, Astray Mage and Rising Mage, is corruption we’ve seen all across the two-party system in our lifetimes. While I’ve been, to a degree, rather impressed with some of Donald Trump’s actions this time around, Carey Wedler of Pleasure to Burn also made it clear to remain skeptical:

“Considering Trump's appointments of corporate lobbyists, his empowerment of diehard Israel loyalists (along with his anti-free speech order to muzzle criticism of Israel under the guise of fighting antisemitism), and his efforts to advance the oligarchic technocracy, it is wise to view his presidency with skepticism.”

She’s right, and it’s why my work, which I call the Catenarian Chronicles, doesn’t really contain a “good side.” It’s another concept influenced by Holmes’ work, since you’ll meet the corrupt Durupinen vs. the psychotic Necromancers.

While I’m doing all I can to show readers that there is no good guy or even a lesser of the two evils regarding the powers that be, Holmes’ work is clearer. After you meet the Necromancers and discover their twisted endgame, you still won’t care for the Durupinen. But you will concede that they’re the clear-cut ‘lesser of the two evils.’

This is a concept that continues into the Gateway Trackers, even if you find out something even more significant and outright inhumane regarding the Durupinen. Hint: Let’s just say they don’t mind imprisoning spirits to the physical realm for centuries if it means keeping a deep, dark secret or two. Still, the Durupinen are the clear-cut lesser of the two evils despite their atrocities.

As I write this, I’m currently at the endgame of outlining Rising Mage, with Astray Mage already in its early edits. And I can tell you this: the city of Prospera served as a key inspiration in Book III while a pair of political factions reared their ugly heads.

Giving readers a couple of choices of how to move forward

I think ‘a couple of choices’ are a little premature. My “superfans,” who’ve been kind enough to hand me a few advanced reviews prior to Cursed Mage’s release will have a chance to ask some questions that go unanswered in the book.

I’ve also concocted my own list, hoping to leave no stone unturned. But there’s also the choice of knowing and not knowing. I feel that, upon reading through Cursed Mage, the reader will think this is a classic good vs. evil tale…if they didn’t read the two-year prequel first.

Read the prequel first, and readers might have an inkling of what’s coming in Astray Mage. As I noted in a recent interview with Literary Titan, I compared what was coming in Astray Mage to the old TV show Lost. Remember it?

Things were never what they seemed in that mind-bender of a show. That said, I’m letting readers pick their poison.

Anyway, it should be fun to see what the masses think once they get a chance to read it. Deceived Mage is an optional read, which is why I never had it ‘serialized.’ And while Cursed Mage circulates through a decent handful of promotional sites, I’ll be able to rest a little, review a few more books and publish a few more pieces here on my backlog in the meantime.