I finished The Kingfall Histories series by David Estes in less than two weeks.

Those were not short books but I was so hooked.

The stakes are pretty high through the entire series, so the end wasn't a big build up, but the expansive epilogues made up for that. It was a satisfying meandering through the peace most of the characters found after the brutal events of the series.

I am going to read the Fatemarked series at some point by the same author, but I am going to take a break from addictive fantasy series for a minute. lol

📚 Productive Writing, Warhammer 40k & The Gentlemen | Author Diary, April 12, 2024 - The Knight and the Rebel 🗡️✨

🖋️ Progress on “The Knight and the Rebel” This week, I added another 20,000 words to “The Knight and the Rebel,” Ravenglass Legends book 3. This brings me two-thirds into Ragnar’s POV, pushing the story closer to completion. The writing has been flowing well, and I’m excited about the depth and development of the narrative. 🎥 Watching “The Gentlemen” on Netflix I’ve started watching “The…

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Are you ready for something new to listen to?

Are you ready for something new to listen to?

If you are, then that’s perfect. We have two new titles out on audio, ready for your listening pleasure. Are super hero’s your weakness? First off, we have book 1 of our new B.E.N.T. universe, Annoyed With Lloyd by Christopher Woods. 1954, the year of the asteroid, the year of change…. It altered the world forever. People began to develop unexplained…

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About the "Tolkienesque renaissance"

The term "Tolkienesque renaissance" is of my own invention and creation, but it is a name I use to designate a very specific wave of fantasy fiction, or rather a specific phenomenon in the evolution of fantasy in the English-speaking literature.

As we all know, Tolkien's shadow cannot be escaped when doing fantasy. Tolkien's works being published began the modern fantasy genre as we know it today. D&D, the other big "influencer" of fantasy, would not have existed without Tolkien. The Peter Jackson trilogy began the fantasy renewal of the 21st century. Epic fantasy is a sub-genre explicitely designed after Tolkien's work.

And the massive influence of Tolkien over fantasy is the most felt in the second half of the 20th century, in English-speaking literature, through something I would call the "Tolkien cold-war". When you take a look at the fantasy books of the second half of the 20th century, you notice a fundamental clash and divide splitting it all in some sort of silent feud or discreet conflict. On one side, you have the "Tolkien followers" - as in, the authors who walk in Tolkien's footsteps ; on the other side, you have the "counter-Tolkien" offering what is essentially a counter-culture in a Tolkien-dominated fantasy.

We all know that Tolkien's success was huge in the early second half of the 20th century. The success of "The Lord of the Rings" and the "Hobbit" and the "Silmarillion" was especially important during the 60s and 70s - Gandalf for president and all that... People loved Tolkien's fantasy, people WANTED Tolkien's fantasy, and so publishers and others were happy to oblige. This began the "Tolkien followers" movement - but this beginning was a very unfortunate one, because it was one that relied on not just homage, imitation or pastiche... But in pure copy-cat and sometimes complete rip-off. Since people wanted some Tolkien, people were given LITERAL Tolkienesque fantasy. The most famous (or unfamous example of this would be the 1977 's "The Sword of Shannara" novel. This novel was designed to literaly be a simplified "The Lord of the Rings" with only a few details changed here and there. In fact, this is most of what people recall about this book - how blatant of a Tolkien rip-off it is. And yet, this book was a BEST-SELLER of the 70s fantasy, and it was a huge success, and everybody loved it, precisely because it did the same thing Tolkien did, and so you got to enjoy your favorite series all other again. Afterward, Terry Brooks, the author of the novel, expanded it into a complete series moving into much more original and personal directions, as he admitted himself that doing a Tolkien copy-paste was more of a publishing and editorial decision to make sure he would sell and settle himself in the literary landscape rather than an actual artistic project or personal desire. "The Sword of Shannara" got its own sequels, and became its own thing (though VERY reflective of what the 80s American fantasy was in terms of style, tone and content), but nowadays everybody remembers it for being the "Tolkien rip-off" in its first novel.

And yet being a Tolkien rip-off can sell well, and if the "Shannara" series hadn't proved it, "Dungeons and Dragons" did, since its first edition in the late 70s went as far as to just take Tolkien's inventions such as orcs, Balrogs and hobbits, and include it in its game. The same way the Shannara series then found its own tone and content, through the successive editions Dungeons and Dragons then began to build a world of its own... But it confirms what I said: it was the era of the Tolkien rip-offs.

In front of these "Tolkien followers", which were back then "Tolkien imitators", there was another movement that drove fantasy forward - and it was the "counter-Tolkien movement" so to speak. Works of fantasy that willingly chose to depart from Tolkien's formulas and archetypes and tropes, to do their own thing. Sometimes they did it out of an actual dislike of Tolkien's books: for example the "Elric Saga" was created because Moorcock hated the paternalist, moralist tone of The Lord of the Rings, and so he countered Tolkien's world with a protagonist serving the Lords of Chaos, using a soul-sucking evil sword, last remnant of an empire of cruel, decadent and demonic elves, in a tragic world doomed to endless falls and oblivions... (Though, ironically, Moorcock would end up initiating a genre of dark fantasy that Tolkien himself had explored in his unpublished texts...). Others did it not because they disliked Tolkien but wanted to prove you could do something else: for example Ursula Le Guin admired and appreciated Tolkien's works, but she was fed up with all the imitators and pastiches, and so she created her "Earthsea" world. No European setting dominated by white people, but an archepilago of islands with dark-skinned characters. No big war or political manipulations, the stories being about about the life, journeys and evolution of individual people. No sword-wielding hero or horse-riding paladin, but wizards and priestesses as the protagonists. No big prophecy about the end of the world, flashy magical sword or evil overlord ready to destroy the universe (well... almost), but rather philosophical and existential battles doubling as a fight against oneself and one's very existence...

This counter-Tolkien genre definitively peaked with the other big name of "dark fantasy" and what would annonce the "grimdark fantasy" a la Game of Thrones: Glen Cook's The Black Company.

But what about the titular "Tolkienesque renaissance" I speak of?

Well, if the "Tolkien followers" had only done bad rip-offs, it would have never lasted, ad the "counter-Tolkien" movement would have won. In fact in the 80s, it almost did! Tolkienesque fantasy was thought of as cliched and stereotyped and overdone and dead. People had enough of these blatant-rip offs, as the hype of the 60s and 70s had died out, and the 80s folks turned to other forms of fantasy - such as The Black Company (Dark Fantasy), or Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser (Sword and Sorcery), or various parodies and humoristic fantasies, but all far from the "epic fantasy". And yet, something happened... The "Tolkien imitators" became "Tolkien followers" or rather "Tolkien reinventors", and began the "Tolkienesque renaissance".

The Tolkienesque renaissance is this group of fantasy authors, most predominant in the 90s though they began their work by the late 80s, that decided they would make the Tolkienesque fantasy live on. Not just by copying it as their predecessors did, a la Shannara, no. But by reinventing it, freshening up the old ways for a modern audience and new times. They took back all the key ingredients, and the famed archetypes and the usual tropes of the epic fantasy a la Tolkien, and they reused them without shame... But in new ways, with twists and turns, playing on the codes of the genre, while carefully avoiding the cliches and stereotypes of the time. Giving what people liked about epic fantasy, while also producing new works that felt fresh and went into opposite directions - taking lessons from the counter-Tolkien movement.

It is commonly agreed that the series that began this renaissance was David Eddings' The Belgariad, published between 1982 and 1984. Just a look at the Wikipedia article mentions this best-selling, very influential fantasy series was the "last gasp of traditional fantasy, and the founding megasaga of modern fantasy"... Now, I actually have to disagree with Wikipedia's words. I do not consider it a "last gasp of traditional fantasy" since it already began the Tolkienesque renaissance and thus a new generation of fantasy ; and the other qualificative is ridiculous since modern fantasy already began with Tolkien, and the Belgariad is not a mega-saga, but just five average-sized books. But the idea of it being a link between an older and a newer generation of fantasy books is very true.

While The Belgariad has to be put first, second comes Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, which probably is the most famous of the Tolkienesque renaissance works of the 90s and became this behemoth of fantasy literature. And to make a trilogy of iconic works, I will add another 90s success: Tad Williams' "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn". Another iconic work of the Tolkienesque renaissance, though lesser known today than the Belgariad or The Wheel of Time - which is a shame, because Williams' work as a huge and heavy influence on a famous fantasy story of today... "A Song of Ice and Fire", which takes a LOT from "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" (I even call this trilogy the "missing link" between LotR and ASoIaF).

The thing with these Tolkienesque renaissance series is that today, to an audience that was nourished by Tolkien and D&D and Pratchett and other things of the sort, a superficial glance might make them seem like "yet other rip-offs, yet other stereotyped, yet other clichéed" fantasy series. You just have to see the reception of the first season of "The Wheel of Time" tv series - here there was a clash between two generatons of fantasy.

And what these people who take a superficial glance will miss is how inventive and fresh and interesting these series felt back then because they played with or subverted the tropes and the codes of the traditional fantasy. They all played by the usual archetypes - you have an everyman young chosen one, a magical mentor who must "die" at one point, an evil overlord in an ominous half-disembodied state, evil black-clad horsemen going after the hero, elves and dwarves and trolls... And yet, these series twisted these same ingredients they used to bring new flavors.

Let us take the Belgariad briefly, to see how the whole Tolkienesque formula was subverted. Like in Tolkien you've got an order of wizards appeared as elderly, bearded men - but here, they are definitively human beings unlike the otherwordly Istari, and their appearance is explained by them being the disciples of a god that likes to take the appearance of a bearded old man, and who by divine influence made them look like him. You've got a dangerous, all-powerful item the big bad is seeking to destroy the world - but here it is no evil, or corrupting thing. It is rather an item dangerous because of the sheer scope and range of its power, and the temptation isn't becaue it is "evil" power, but just because it is a power so massive it can break the world. You've got a missing king with a stewart/regent holding the throne for him until the lost heir returns - but when said heir returns, the stewart/regent is no evil vizir or scheming usurper, and gladly offers back the throne to its legitimate owner. Belgarath, your Gandalf-stand-in, is far from being the dignified guide and noble mentor of Tolkien, as he is a half-werewolf drunkard that hates any kind of official ceremony or garb and prefers running through the woods or rolling under a table in taverns. And while everything is designed as a Tolkienesque setting, you've got no elves or dwarves or orcs - but humans. And that's a big change compared to more traditional 80s fantasy (like D&D or the Krondor series or Shannara). You have your Nazgûl stand-ins, but they're humans. You've got your Istari, but they're humans. You've got your dwarves equivalent, but they're humans. You've got your orcs equivalents, but human too. And it is shown that it is all a human vs human combat, despite being a world of magic and gods, placing some relativism into it all. (Though the fact they decided to subvert the Tolkienesque good vs evil wordlbuilding by having humans on both sides did cause other aspects of the series to age badly but that's another topic).

I can go on and on but I think you see my point - and this same subversion can be found in the other two series I talked about.

The Wheel of Time begins with the chosen one going on a quest... But which chosen one? That's the problem - there are multiple candidates, and so we begin with a guessing game. And the Aes Sedai are clearly an answer to Tolkien's Istari - but all women instead of all men, and much more numerous and pro-active. As for "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" we have benevolent trolls that are actually more akin to Tolkien's dwarves and have some Inuit-influence, while the Tolkienesque-elves turn out to either be the big bads of the series and the evil guys ; or to be sheltered, useless side-characters that are not helping anyone and cause more problems than anything (I'm exaggerating a bit here, but you get the subversion). Spoilers - but the Galadriel equivalent literaly gets murdered during her second actual appearance, to make it very clear what kind of subversion we are into.

Because this was the game of these books - and the reason they were such huge successes. It wasn't about avoiding or setting themselves free from the tropes and code and archetypes of the genre. Rather it was about reappropiating them, reusing them, twisting them and modernizing them in order to get rid of the stale cliches and frozen stereotypes. It was all a game of imitation yes, but also of derailing - a subtle, discreet, derailing so that everybody got on board of the same type of train, but said train took different tracks to another landscape and worked on a different fuel. (If it makes sense?). It is a game of subtle twists - but unfortunately it is often this subtlety that makes these series overlooked, as people just focus too much on what is identical/similar and not much on what is different... Despite the differences being key here in this effort of renewing what was a dying style. Placing back these books in their context highlights even more how "fresh" they felt back then.

I have one specific point that illustrates this, but I'll need to write a whole post for it...

💙 The Sun Will Rise by vespertineflora

💙 The Sun Will Rise

by vespertineflora (@vespertineflora)

E, Series, WIP, 129k, Wangxian

Summary: For centuries, the villagers surrounding the Qianlian Forest have been beholden to a fearsome creature. A once loved Prince was long ago cursed into a monstrous form, and ever since has required the sacrifice of maidens to ensure the safety of the forest and the people living around it. This forlorn tradition might have continued for centuries longer... but when it comes time for Lotus Pier to send a maiden as tribute, Jiang Yanli is chosen, and Wei Wuxian won't stand for it. His plan is simple; he'll send Jiang Yanli off to live the long life she deserves with her fiancé, and offer himself as a sacrifice to the Prince instead. Kay's comments: Series is marked as incomplete, but feels complete! Part one is the main story and part two is an additional kinky scene added as an extra. This story is incredibly hot and not gonna lie started reading it for the smut, stayed for the plot, because not only are the explicit scenes perfect, but the story is also very compelling and I loved the slowly unravelling mystery aspect of it. I first read this story when it came out and could hardly wait for the next chapter, because I was just so hooked. Here we have Wei Wuxian being sacrified to a mysterious creature in place of Jiang Yanli, only turns out the mysterious creature is plant-tentacle-creature Lan Wangji, known as the Prince, who's not interested in killing Wei Wuxian, but will still make a meal out of him. Slowly but surely, the two of them become closer and Wei Wuxian can't help but want to figure out, what happened to Lan Wangji for him to have turned into this form. Excerpt: Wei Wuxian’s brow furrowed, finding that particularly strange, but just as he was about to kneel down and try to loosen the vine from around his foot, he felt something curl and tighten suddenly around his wrist, directly against the skin--his eyes darted down, just barely registering another vine that had grabbed onto him when-- A question seemed to spill into his his mind. He felt... strangely breathless at the unfamiliar sensation of impression, at the way he could almost feel the echo of words that hadn’t been spoken inside of his head, and at the inexplicable sense of familiarity he was left with. He didn’t actually hear anything, there weren't even really words, so much as just sensation... but he somehow knew what he was being asked all the same. It... this... whatever it was that reaching out to him... wanted to know who he was. “Wei Ying,” he gasped out, his words stumbling slightly as he tried to cope with the intimacy of having something pressing a thought directly into his head like this, before realizing what he’d said. “Ah... Wei Wuxian. I came from Lotus Pier. Are you... are you the Prince?” He... he had to be, didn’t he? Or if the legends were wrong, this was at least whatever entity that everyone called the Prince. It felt like a bit too much of a coincidence to expect one spiritual being at a certain location and run into a completely different one instead. There was a hesitation, something almost unsure, before Wei Wuxian felt the flicker of affirmation in his head. “Well, I... know you’re used to something a little different, but... I’m your offering this time,” Wei Wuxian continued explaining, because he knew this thing wanted him to. His heart was already racing again, the fears that had settled in the lull since his arrival immediately reviving, his thoughts spinning as he was immediately left confronting his mortality once more. “Is that... is that acceptable? Will I work for that?”

pov wei wuxian, canon era, alternate universe, fairy tale elements, human/monster romance, fantasy, tentacle monsters, monster lan wangji, tentacles, human wei wuxian, plants, vines, top lan wangji/bottom wei wuxian, eventual romance, slow burn, strangers to lovers, angst with a happy ending, mystery, bamf wei wuxian, homesickness, falling in love, bdsm, reincarnation

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

Best Aes Sedai:

Moiraine Sedai

Siuan Sedai

Verin Sedai

Egwene Sedai

hero x villain

“You know, at this point I think you just cause trouble in these woods because you want to see me.” The hero said boredly as she caught the villain and a squad of soldiers about to raid a village. The soldiers all looked cold and were shivering and complaining. The hero had heard their muttering from a league away. 

Upon seeing her, they bared their teeth and raised their swords but the villain just smiled and raised his hand to stop them. “Be civil, comrades. Go surround the town and wait for my call. I’ll handle the beautiful lady.”

The soldiers on their horses shuffled off.

The villains got off his horse gracefully. Everything he did was graceful and carefully deliberated, even the smile he sent her way. 

“Would it be so wrong of me to wish to seek you out? I have yet to see that beautiful face you’re always bragging about.” He smirked, gesturing to the mask on the hero's face. 

“Go away.” The hero said, unamused. “And take the brutes with you and out of my woods.” 

“Your woods?”

“My woods.”

He chuckled. “And who crowned you the grand protector of the woods?”

“I did.”

“Come on, it's just one village.” He said, nearly sounding like an insolent child asking for one more minute outside past sundown.

“And? These people did nothing wrong.” The hero reminded him, leaning back against a tree. 

“The Emperor thinks they’re harboring fugitives — ”

“They probably just made a poster of him and gave him a really ugly mustache.” 

He allowed a smile. “Well, you’re…probably... not wrong.” 

“And sending his most powerful asset to do such petty work? I don’t believe it.”

“I volunteered. I was bored.” He shrugged. 

“So you did want to see me!” She smirked.

“I never said I didn’t.” He pointed out. 

“You’re so obsessed with me that I might ask you to dinner.”

“After you beat me up and give me another bruised rib?”

“Exactly, honey. See? You’re learning.”

“I really don’t see why this is necessary. Can we just skip to the part where you actually take me to dinner?”

“And you poison my food? No, thank you.” The hero snorted. “You’re the villain and I’m the hero who’s going to kick your butt. That’s the way of the world. It’s the cards we’ve been dealt.”

“Excuse me? If anything, I’m the hero and you’re the villain.”

“There is no way you actually believe that.” The hero said, deadpan.

“Don’t heroes serve rulers?”

“Not the competent ones.”

“See, every time I see you I get a bruised rib and bruised pride. That’s not particularly hero-like behavior.”

“I think that’s a you problem. Most people find me rather delightful. Just leave if you want to skip the me beating you up part.”

“What if I don’t want to skip the you beating me up part?”

The hero blinked. “You’re annoying, you know?”

“Mhm.”

“Just let the village alone.”

His dark eyes flashed. “Make me.”

ms. moiraine wheel of time really does make me feel like my brain is getting tossed around the trunk of a monster truck lmao

throughout the series you have all these characters going "woe is me, i am trapped by destiny and fate i cannot escape the narrative of my life 😔" (justifiably) and then moiraine is literally like. sorry im built different and becomes the only character to actually manage to CHANGE her destiny and avoid the life she didn't want aka she runs away from being placed on the sun throne, but in doing that she ends up on an even wilder, more complicated life path dictated largely by outside forces

like she manages to give fate the run around, but at the same time escaping the sun throne is the exact thing that sets her up to hunt down the dragon reborn. it's just so neat that a story about how being "the chosen one" or whatever sucks and severely limits the kind of life u get to have gets kicked off in part bc of one oddball woman's choice and agency

and i haven't even touched all the ancestral legacy and guilt stuff with laman etc!!!! aka every step taken by people before she was born set her in the exact right place to end up finding rand!!! did she even get to make a real choice in the end!!!

she's trapped in never ending circles......wheels even........

Does anyone else ever think about the fact that in Japanese “Rauru” is virtually indistinguishable from “Raul”

Like the Italian version doesn’t even bother, so he’s just called Raul in Italy

Something about that is just so immaculately hilarious to me in such an unexplainable way

“𝑰 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑹𝒂𝒆𝒗𝒆 …” — When the Moon Hatched, Sarah A. Parker

THE UNTOLD TALE

Book One of the Accidental Turn Series

This novel follows Pip, who is pulled against her will into the epic fantasy novel series she's loved since she was a teenager. However, the world is darker, and far more dangerous than she could have ever predicted, especially when it turns out the hero is a much bigger jerk than she expected him to be.

Pip knows how to circumnavigate the Hero's Journey and the pitfalls and loopholes of this particular world - but what will happen to her beloved characters outside of the comfort of the fantasy they were written for? And what happens when it's not the hero, but the hero's overlooked and bullied little brother who proves to be her biggest champion?

✨📜✨

Forsyth Turn is not a hero. Lordling of Turn Hall, yes. Spymaster for the king, certainly. But hero? That's his older brother's job, and Kintyre Turn is nothing if not legendary. However, when a raid on the kingdom's worst criminal results in the rescue of a baffling woman, oddly named and even more oddly mannered, Forsyth finds his quaint, sedentary life turned on its head.

Dragged reluctantly into a quest he never expected, and fighting villains that even his brother has never managed to best, Forsyth is forced to confront his own self-shame and the demons that come with always being second-best. And, more than that, when he finally realizes where his companion came from and why she's here, he'll be forced to question not only his place in the world, but the very meaning of his own existence.

✨📜✨

Smartly crafted, THE UNTOLD TALE gives agency to the overlooked, and asks what it really means to be a fan when the worlds you love don't resemble the world you live in, celebrates the power of the written word, and shows us what happens when someone stands up and refuses to remain a secondary character in their own life.

New Chapters drop every Tuesday.

✨📜✨

Read on WATTPAD | READ on A03 | BUY THE eBOOK or PAPERBACK (coming early 2024) | Read about the rest of the series

✨

Cover by @once-upon-a-reblog Map by Christopher Winkelaar

Themed List: Warrior Women

Warrior Women: Butches on the Battlefield Welcome, warriors and squires! The theme of this month’s list is Warrior Women–from the classic sword-and-shield knight, to a werewolf superhero, to mecha-piloting soldiers, these these women are here to kick ass and kiss girls 💪⚔️💋

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Discover New Fantasy Worlds: 10 Series Similar to 'The Wheel of Time

If you’re a fan of Robert Jordan’s sprawling masterpiece, ‘The Wheel of Time,’ finding the next big series to sink your teeth into can be quite the task. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We’ve compiled a list of epic fantasy series that share a similar scope, rich world-building, and complex character development. Here’s your guide to finding the perfect series to embark on next. 1. ‘A…

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Looking For Your Next Great Read? Grab One of These and Snuggle Up to the Fire!

Looking For Your Next Great Read? Grab One of These and Snuggle Up to the Fire!

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I've been wanting to read another space opera book/series lately but ugh trying to find one that Hits The Mark is difficult

Edit: upon looking up what a space opera actually is I have decided that I am not actually looking for a space opera but idk what other subgenre beyond "space" I am looking for so yeah