Writing Fantasy as a Team with Mel Todd and Doug Burbey on Episode 20

Good day and welcome to this episode of the Fantasy Focus podcast. I’m your host, podcaster and author of Fun Fantasy Reads, Jamie Davis. This podcast is exactly what the title says it is, a show focused on everything in fantasy books. 

From Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, and everything in between, expect to find the best and brightest authors from all the various corners of the fantasy book world. Plus we’ll add in a few other very special guests as well along the way.

I’m trying to wrap up my first draft of the current urban fantasy project. For some of you this might signal that I’m done but nothing could be farther from the truth. Now the real work begins as I start digging into the rewrites necessary to pull the story into the kind of shape and flow needed to make it a finished book.

It’s kind of like one of those people who take a skull and build a face on top of it to show what a person might have looked like in real life. In this case, I’ve got the meat and bones of the story there, now’s the time to put the flesh on top of it along with coloring, facial hair, warts and all the things that’ll bring it to life in a reader’s mind, at least hopefully. I’ll try and include some snippets and updates on my Facebook page and group in the coming weeks as I get closer to being finished.

Also, head over and check out my latest book, Cyber’s Change in ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats wherever you get your books online. I think it’s one of my best stories yet.

As always, if you’re interested in more information on what I’m up to, check out my fan group on Facebook, Jamie’s Fun Fantasy Readers and on my website and blog, JamieDavisBooks.com.

Let’s shift gears and talk about our special guests for this episode. Doug Burbey and Mel Todd are two authors who decided to collaborate together on a great project that if dark and fanatical all at once.

Mel has 17 stories out, her Kaylid Chronicles, the Blood War series (written with Doug), and more to come.  She’s the Owner of Bad Ash Publishing, where she is creating a book empire full of good stories and good authors. With over a million words published, she’s aiming for another million in the next two years.  All of them are parts of stories that will grab you and make you hunger for more.

Doug Burbey, the co-author of the Blood War urban fantasy series, is constantly preparing to: repel the demon hordes, slay zombies, brew beer and defeat the insidious plots of the bureaucratic machinery. Doug grew up in Asia as a military brat, went to college in Michigan and became a Detroit Lions fan in the Barry Sanders era of NFL greatness.  He then served in numerous Army positions and wars around the world before recently retiring. Doug’s now is a military technology development program manager by day and demon slayer by night.  With muddy boots and a cold beer in hand, he spends his spring/summer weekends as a gentleman farmer tending to his hops vines and apple orchard.

Check out my chat with Mel and Doug about their books and what it’s like sharing a story when writing with another author. Here it is.

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Exploring Character Motivation with Fantasy Author Noelle Nichols

Good day and welcome to this episode of the Fantasy Focus podcast. I’m your host, podcaster and author of Fun Fantasy Reads, Jamie Davis. This podcast is exactly what the title says it is, a show focused on everything in fantasy books. 

From Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, and everything in between, expect to find the best and brightest authors from all the various corners of the fantasy book world. Plus we’ll add in a few other very special guests as well along the way.

Let’s start off with my update. I’m still working on my latest urban fantasy work in progress set in part inside a virtual reality gaming world. It’s giving me some unique challenges but I’ve never been one to shy away from things like that. I like to think I can write my way out of any corner in which I find myself. When this one comes out in later this year, you’ll have to tell me if I pulled it off or not. 

Also, head over and check out my latest book, Cyber’s Change in ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats wherever you get your books online. I think it’s one of my best stories yet.

As always, if you’re interested in more information on what I’m up to, check out my fan group on Facebook, Jamie’s Fun Fantasy Readers and on my website and blog, JamieDavisBooks.com.

Now we get into our guest for this episode. Today, I’m excited to say we have Fantasy Author Noelle Nichols joining us. Noelle likes writing stories about people trying to be their best selves who struggle with their own morals and circumstances. She says most of this comes from her fascination with trying to figure out why people do what they do. She likes writing about that, and constantly analyzes why she herself does things, and what could have happened because of it.

Noelle writes Fantasy to figure out the world around her. Within her characters, you’ll find the strength and hope for a better tomorrow, one that can be more fantastical and beyond reality. Other than that, she loves her three border collies and enjoys painting, hiking, dreaming and reading philosophical thoughts.

Check out Noelle’s book, Shadow’s Hand, book 1 of the Shadow’s Creed Saga. You can also follow her on her Facebook page.

Check out my chat with Noelle about her books and take on writing about heroes in a fantastical world.

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Exploring The Dark Side with Fantasy Author Andy Peloquin

Good day and welcome to this episode of the Fantasy Focus podcast. I’m your host, podcaster and author of Fun Fantasy Reads, Jamie Davis. This podcast is exactly what the title says it is, a show focused on everything in fantasy books. 

From Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, and everything in between, expect to find the best and brightest authors from all the various corners of the fantasy book world. Plus we’ll add in a few other very special guests as well along the way.

Today, I’m pumped up because my new book, Cyber’s Change hits the online book stores today. I’ve put a lot of work into helping get this book out there and there are a lot of reasons it’s an important project for me, not the least of which has to do with writing it for my youngest daughter and her fiancé. Head out and check out Cyber’s Change in ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats wherever you get your books online. I think it’s one of my best stories yet.

As always, if you’re interested in more information on what I’m up to, check out my fan group on Facebook, Jamie’s Fun Fantasy Readersand on my website and blog, JamieDavisBooks.com.

Okay, time to introduce our podcast guest for today’s episode. I’m excited to say we have Andy Peloquin on the show. Andy is first and foremost, a storyteller and an artist–words are his palette. Fantasy is his genre of choice, and he says he loves to explore the darker side of human nature through the filter of fantasy heroes, villains, and everything in between. He’s also a freelance writer, a book lover, and a guy who says he just loves to meet new people and spend hours talking about his fascination for the worlds he encounters in the pages of fantasy novels.

Andy writes in his own version of this intro: “Fantasy provides us with an escape, a way to forget about our mundane problems and step into worlds where anything is possible. It transcends age, gender, religion, race, or lifestyle–it is our way of believing what cannot be, delving into the unknowable, and discovering hidden truths about ourselves and our world in a brand new way. Fiction at its very best!”

Check out Andy’s book Darkblade Assassin and don’t forget to follow him on his Facebook page for updates and info.

I couldn’t agree more. Check out my chat with Andy coming right up..

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Kings of Paradise Author Richard Nell on Episode 17

Good day and welcome to this episode of the Fantasy Focus podcast. I’m your host, podcaster and author of Fun Fantasy Reads, Jamie Davis. This podcast is exactly what the title says it is, a show focused on everything in fantasy books. 

From Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, and everything in between, expect to find the best and brightest authors from all the various corners of the fantasy book world. Plus we’ll add in a few other very special guests as well along the way.

I’m super excited this week as I ramp up for the launch of my latest book, Cyber’s Change. If you like a touch of cyberpunk sci-fi along with a dystopian world, you will want to take advantage of the 99¢ preorder available until launch.

I’m also digging back into that new urban fantasy project I mentioned a few weeks ago back in March. I don’t know about you all, but I’ve got a giant case of spring fever and I’m looking forward to better weather and the opportunity to do some of my writing outside where I can enjoy my yard and view of the woods. Maybe I’ll share a pic of my digs over on my facebook page and group soon.

As always, if you’re interested in more information on what I’m up to, check out my fan group on Facebook, Jamie’s Fun Fantasy Readers and on my website and blog, JamieDavisBooks.com.

I don’t know about you but I’m ready to get into this week’s episode interview with author Richard Nell. Richard is a Canadian author of fantasy, living in one of the flattest, coldest places on earth with his begrudging wife, who makes sure he eats.

He’s been a dishwasher, brick-layer, bin-sweeper, floor-waxer, factory-worker, government employee, and managed a few teams in what he refers to as the bloody insurance business. What else do you need to know? Well, he has one eye, a few useless English degrees, enjoys history and video-games and learning of all kinds, because what he really loves are ideas.

His debut novel, Kings of Paradise, is the first of a dark, epic fantasy trilogy. It’s officially a Canadian Amazon bestseller, and available now on Amazon as an ebook, paperback, or audiobook. The second book in the series (Kings of Ash) was released as an ebook in January 2019.

I had a great time on this one. Check out my interview with Richard coming right up.

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Unique Fantasy Settings with Tade Thompson on the Fantasy Focus Podcast

Good day and welcome to this episode of the Fantasy Focus podcast. I’m your host, podcaster and author of Fun Fantasy Reads, Jamie Davis. This podcast is exactly what the title says it is, a show focused on everything in fantasy books. 

From Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, and everything in between, expect to find the best and brightest authors from all the various corners of the fantasy book world. Plus we’ll add in a few other very special guests as well along the way.

First off, I’m finishing up the final edits for Cyber’s Escape, book two in my Sapiens Run trilogy. Book one, Cyber’s Change is due to come out in just about a week. I can’t wait. It’s always a strange mix of excitement and anxiety when a new book comes out for me. I don’t know many authors who don’t get a little worked up about the pending release of one of their books. I’ll keep you all up to date on how I’m dealing with it as the date draws nearer.

As always, if you’re interested in more information on what I’m up to, check out my fan group on Facebook, Jamie’s Fun Fantasy Readers and on my website and blog, JamieDavisBooks.com.

Time now to get into my interview with Tade Thompson. Tade lives and works in the South of England. He is the author of THE MURDERS OF MOLLY SOUTHBOURNE, THE SURVIVAL OF MOLLY SOUTHBOURNE, ROSEWATER, THE ROSEWATER INSURRECTION, and MAKING WOLF, as well as the short stories THE APOLOGISTS, YARD DOG, KASSEM’S WAY and other works.

He is a multiple winner of the Nommo Award, winner of the Golden Tentacle award at the Kitsches, a John W. Campbell Award finalist, a Shirley Jackson Award finalist and a nominee for both the British Fantasy Award and the British Science Fiction Association Award. His background is in medicine, psychiatry and social anthropology. His hobbies include jazz, visual arts, martial arts, comics and pretending he will ever finish his TBR stack.

Check out my chat with Tade about writing books in diverse settings and characters and his upcoming projects.

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The King’s Henchmen Review by Steve Caldwell

The King’s Henchmen by Craig Halloran

Review by Steve Caldwell


Length: 326 Pages


Publisher: Two-Ten Book Press, Inc.


Release Date: January 7, 2019


Genre: Portal Fantasy

I have been a big fan of Craig Halloran’s writing ever since I discovered his Darkslayer series. When I heard he was writing a completely new series I was excited to see what he was coming up with. When I found out it was portal fantasy, I had flashbacks to books like Joel Rosenberg’s Guardians of the Flame and really got psyched about where he would take the book. I can happily report it keeps the best traditions of those others, while blazing its own path.


Abraham Jenkins, ace pitcher for the Pittsburg Pirates, had it all. A hugely successful career, a beautiful loving wife and a son he loves to death. That is until they are killed in a car crash, and he’s left alone in his misery. Walking away from baseball and his former life, he is now driving a beer truck, just trying to forget his past. Passing through a tunnel in West Virginia, Abraham’s truck ends up in a cave. As he exists the truck, a man runs past him, and Abraham is stunned. When he recovers, he discovers himself in a new body, that of Ruger Slade, leader of the King’s Henchmen.


The King’s Henchmen are the King’s troubleshooters, expendable hunters of the kingdom’s enemies, but they have been on a bad luck streak lately. Their missions have been failures, and they are facing increasing pressure for success, or its back to prison for most of the Henchmen. Joining the Henchmen in the middle of a mission to return a group of evil witches alive to the king, Abraham finds himself in a world where people live and die by the sword, quite literally. Having to establish himself in his identity with the Henchmen requires him to assume a brutal aspect. He desperately needs to get the witches back, or the Henchmen are done for good. 


When things go terribly wrong, Abraham and the Henchmen must face the wrath of the king, as well as the king’s son, a prince who will do anything to bring the Henchmen down. Luckily for the Henchmen, the dying queen intervenes, and they are given an impossible task to redeem themselves: Get a supposedly mythological item that can save the life of the queen. Well, if anyone has a chance of pulling it off, it’s the Henchmen, if they can only recapture the magic that made them so successful in the past.  Adding a new ally, they make their way towards their goal, and what they discover will change their lives forever.

Like his other series, the author relishes creating complex characters, and The King’s Henchmen is no exception. Abraham is a great character, trying to move on after an awful tragedy, all while adjusting to a world not his own, and suddenly being responsible for more lives than he’s comfortable with, some of which would rather see him dead than follow him. The secondary characters are fleshed out well, and you get a  good feel for motivations. The plotting is taut, and you never feel as though scenes are just filler. The world building is some of the best the author has attempted so far, and you really feel right there on the ground in the various scenes in the book. 

The overarching storyline has plenty of room for expansion, and I am very excited to see where the author takes it. I highly recommend this book, and will be following up on the subsequent volumes. Definitely a good addition to Craig’s writing portfolio.

Rating: 5/5

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Fantasy Books, LARPers, and More with Melissa Caruso on the Fantasy Focus Podcast

Good day and welcome to this episode of the Fantasy Focus podcast. I’m your host, podcaster and author of Fun Fantasy Reads, Jamie Davis. This podcast is exactly what the title says it is, a show focused on everything in fantasy books. 

From Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, and everything in between, expect to find the best and brightest authors from all the various corners of the fantasy book world. Plus we’ll add in a few other very special guests as well along the way.

Let’s start off with my update. Things are rapidly approaching for my newest release, Cyber’s Change and I’m working on getting my ducks in a row to be ready for launch day. There’s a lot that has to happen to get a book ready to launch as an indie author and I up to my neck in preparations for that coming up on April 5th.

I’m also still working on the second book in the series, finalizing the edits and getting it ready to send to the narrator to get started on it. Stay tuned for updates on that project. I should have a pre-order update on it soon.

As always, if you’re interested in more information on what I’m up to, check out my fan group on Facebook, Jamie’s Fun Fantasy Super Fans and on my website and blog, JamieDavisBooks.com.

Let’s shift gears and talk about my special guest this time around. I got to chat with Melissa Caruso for this episode. Melissa is the author of the Swords & Fire trilogy, an adult fantasy series of intrigue and magic from Orbit Books.

The first book, THE TETHERED MAGE (October 2017), was shortlisted for a Gemmell Morningstar Award. Book two, THE DEFIANT HEIR (April 2018), is out now, and the third book, THE UNBOUND EMPIRE, is coming in April 2019. I have a second trilogy set in the same world forthcoming from Orbit Books as well, with the first book coming out in 2020.

Check out my chat with Melissa about her books, her interesting take on magic in her world, and her time in live action role-playing games as a LARPer.

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Exploring the Hellequin Chronicles with Steve McHugh

Steve McHugh

Good day and welcome to this episode of the Fantasy Focus podcast. I’m your host, podcaster and author of Fun Fantasy Reads, Jamie Davis. This podcast is exactly what the title says it is, a show focused on everything in fantasy books. 

From Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, and everything in between, expect to find the best and brightest authors from all the various corners of the fantasy book world. Plus we’ll add in a few other very special guests as well along the way.

Let’s start off with my update. I’m deep into writing my next project, the Urban Fantasy with a gaming twist story I’m working on with another author. It’s a great deal of fun to work on this project because there aren’t a lot of urban fantasy role playing games or video games out there.

This means I have a lot of leeway on how I deal with this world and how the game impacts the characters. I think this is going to be awesome so stay tuned. I’ll start posting snippets from the story over on my facebook fan group if you’re interested in following it.

As always, if you’re interested in more information on what I’m up to, check out my fan group on Facebook, Jamie’s Fun Fantasy Super Fans and on my website and blog, JamieDavisBooks.com.

Now we get into the special guest for this episode. Today, I’m excited to say we have author Steve McHugh joining us. Steve is a bestselling author of Urban Fantasy. He was shortlisted for a Gemmell Award for his novel, Scorched Shadows, and is a father of 3. The latter of which is also the reason why he’s an owner of lockable office.

Steve was born in a small village called Mexborough, South Yorkshire, but now lives with his wife and three young daughters in Southampton. Connect with him on Facebook here.

Check out my chat with Steve about his books, writing in a broadly expansive world, and balancing writing time with life.

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Behind the Saga of Recluce

Behind the Saga of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

When I initially decided to write The Magic of Recluce in the late 1980s, I’d been writing science fiction exclusively.  There was scarcely a single word of fantasy in any of my published stories and novels. Then, in roughly 1987, as I recall, I attended a large and well-known eastern regional science fiction convention where I was on a panel dealing with economics and politics in fantasy and science fiction.  The comments of both the other authors – all fantasy writers – and those of the audience were truly a revelation, because it struck me that economics, politics, and hard science were foreign subjects to many of them.  As an aside, I will admit that the situation has improved greatly since then.  Because it was my first convention, and because I was caught somewhat unaware, I was less than politically and socially astute.  In fact, I conveyed a certain dismay about the lack of concern about economic, political, and technological infrastructures in various fantasies then being written and published in the field.

The clear but muted reaction of those others on the panel was to suggest that I, as a science fiction writer, had a lot to learn about writing fantasy.  In fact, some comments even intimated that it would be a rather chill day in the theological nether regions before I ever published a fantasy novel.  Being primarily Irish in ethnic heritage, while still retaining the arrogance and impetuousness of youth well past youth, I resolved that I would and could write a fantasy novel.  That was the emotional motivation for undertaking the writing of The Magic of Recluce.  

Still, I faced the very real problem of creating a magic system that was logical, rational, and workable within a practical economic, political, and technological structure that was neither particularly exotic nor borrowed lock, stock, and barrel from western European history.  Unfortunately many of the magic systems in fantasy at that time, particularly those designed by beginning authors, weren’t well thought out, or were lifted whole from either traditional folklore..

While I had a fairly solid grounding in poetry, and had had a number of short poems published in small literary magazines, despite my obvious love of word and rhyme I had great difficulty accepting the idea that mere chanted spells would accomplish much of anything in any world, particularly any world about which I wanted to write.  As a result, I began by thinking about some of the features and tropes of traditional fantasy.  One aspect of both legend and folklore that stuck out was the use of “cold iron” to break faerie magic, even to burn the creatures of faerie, or to stand against sorcery.  Why iron?  Why not gold or silver or copper?  Not surprisingly, I didn’t find any answers in traditional folklore or even contemporary fantasy.  Oh, there were more than a few examples, but no real explanations except the traditional ones along the lines of “that’s just the way it works.”

For some reason my mind went back to astronomy and astrophysics and the role that nuclear fusion has in creating a nova.  In a stellar population I star – one initially composed of hydrogen– the nuclear fusion at the heart of the star begins by combining hydrogen atoms into helium.  After a sufficient quantity of helium is created, and many millions of years, the process begins to fuse helium into a form of beryllium, then lithium.  Each of these reactions creates a heavier element and releases energy, what physicists call an exothermic reaction.  While my description is a vast oversimplification, this proton-proton reaction continues in the center of the star until the fusion process begins to create iron in large quantities. According to more recent studies I’ve read, the reaction process only proceeds to this point in the most massive of stars, those with a mass eight times in excess of our sun.

The proton-proton reaction that produces iron, however, is different, because it is an endothermic reaction, that is, it does not produce excess energy, but requires energy.  In the larger and more massive stars where this occurs, the build-up of iron in the stellar core results in a shrinkage and a cooling of the core, until the point when the outer layer collapses upon the relatively cooler core, and then explodes outward, creating a nova, or a supernova, according to some astrophysicists.

At the same time, the fact that metals such as copper or silver conduct heat and electrical energy suggested that they were certainly less than ideal for containing electrical energy.  Gold and lead, while far heavier than iron, do not have iron’s strength, and other metals are too rare and too hard to work, particularly in a low-tech society.

At this point, I had a starting point for my magic system.  I couldn’t say exactly what spurred this revelation, but to me it certainly made sense.  Iron can absorb a great amount of heat.  If you don’t think so, stand on an iron plate barefoot in the blazing sun or in the chill of winter.  Heat is a form of energy.  In fantasy, magic is a form of energy.  Therefore, iron can absorb magic, and by doing so, bind it.

But how would such a magic system actually work?

At that point, I began to think about “order” and “chaos.”   As I saw it, order is the structure of the universe, and chaos is the “power source.”  Energy is often created, for example, when a structure is destroyed, as in the case of a fire burning a log.  In a simplistic sense, what is left afterwards is heat and less structured matter.  Even in the case of nuclear fusion, there is destruction on which a higher-level order is imposed, and that higher-level order incorporates even more energy.

So why wouldn’t this also be true of magic?

Then I thought about string theory, and the idea that the universe is created of tiny infinitesimal “strings” which comprise quarks, leptons, and hadrons, which form the components of atoms, which in turn make up the ordinary matter of our world.  To me, it seemed logical that, in a “magical” world, those “strings” would either be order strings or chaos strings.

If there were more order strings in this magical universe, they would eventually choke out the chaos strings, and if there were more chaos strings, they would eventually destroy the order strings and leave formless low-grade energy – exactly what some physicists have predicted will be the eventual fate of our universe.  Thus, to have an on-going working magical universe, there has to be a fundamental overall parity between order and chaos, as well as a means for containing them both so that they do not destroy each other in the way that occurs when matter and anti-matter collide.  This led to the concept of the Balance, a magical version of the law of conservation of energy and matter.

One of the next realizations was something that I’d always understood and even verbalized, but I hadn’t applied it to the idea of magic in a fantasy universe. Mankind is a tool-making and tool-using creature.  We improve tools that work and discard those that don’t or those that work less well in favor of those that work better.  Yet seldom had I seen that concept applied in fantasy at that time.  In too many books, there were inept wizards, or wizards who could not tell when or if their magic would work.  And then there were powerful evil wizards who often found themselves defeated by those with inferior sorcery or no magic at all, but with a “good heart.”  I realize that I’m generalizing, but these generalizations do in fact have a basis in fact.  After all, logically, there is no way that Frodo should have triumphed, uplifting story that Lord of the Rings is. And the economic systems Tolkien used wouldn’t have worked either, but that wasn’t the point of his trilogy.

I also couldn’t see any rational general or marshal entrusting his army, or even a part of his forces, to a half-baked wizard or warlock whose magic might work – or might not. Real professional soldiers, as opposed to warriors, tend to be more than a little skeptical of untested or erratic weapons and forces.  Yet, again, in those days, there were more than a few “wish-fulfillment” fantasy novels where the kingdom was saved by exactly that –– the untested mage, the good-hearted youth, etc.  I’d already seen, often directly and personally, what had happened in the Vietnam War era, when ill-modified and not fully tested equipment was used, and when equipment and weapons designed for one combat environment were employed in another – and the results were anything but good.  Yet, often individual soldiers and units would adapt and modify such equipment until it worked, often at a lower level, reliably.  But reliability was the key. 

In practice, this would mean that human cultures in a world based on magic would employ it as a tool and incorporate it into their social structure, most likely in very different ways, based on their requirements.  Those who could more easily master chaos would appear to have the edge in matters of military power, because they could focus destruction upon their enemies.  This was the origin of the concept of the white wizards.  BUT – pure chaos is unfocused and uncontrolled, and even a chaos wizard must be able to employ some level of order to handle it.

By the same token, an ordermage has a greater ability to confine and resist chaos, but without the underlying power of chaos, which is in effect also the lifeforce of all biological beings, he or she can do nothing.

Implicit in this construct is the understanding that neither order nor chaos is “good” or “bad.”  Also implicit is the fact that people have trouble dealing with this ambiguity.  As in our world, in Recluce cultures find different ways to socialize and control such forces.   The Council of Recluce effectively bans all use of “free” chaos, and for much of Recluce’s history chaos use is stigmatized.  This results in a society that is often too hidebound for its own good.  Social and technological advancement rest on those who are willing and able to “stretch” the rules, such as Dorrin, and often those who could offer more, such as Lerris or Rahl, are exiled because people are comfortable with what they know, and they resist change.

On the other side, the chaos mages of Fairhaven view the restrictions of Recluce as unworkable and artificial, and they develop a society which institutionalizes what they believe is the controlled and practical use of chaos, but that structure, as in the case of many societal structures, effectively rests on power.  The High Wizard is almost always the most powerful of the white wizards, and might truly makes right, and, in turn, leads to a far more corruptible society.

Cyador, on the other hand, attempts to deal with the order-chaos dichotomy by controlling and directing the power of chaos mechanistically through the “chaos towers” and splitting power between three social groups – the mages, the merchants, and the armed forces.  This works for a time, but the reliance on mechanical means for amplifying chaos powers creates not only strength but also a longer-term vulnerability.    

The druids of Naclos deal with the potential order-chaos conflict in another fashion, by creating a social structure in which each individual with the ability to handle order and chaos must face an individual trial which tests the individual’s ability to balance, practically and ethically, order and chaos.  Failure to pass the test usually results in death.  Needless to say, the druids have great power individually – but there are far, far fewer of them because the costs of failure are so high.

The matriarchal society of Westwind uses geographical isolation and a brutally effective compulsory military tradition to protect itself and effectively exiles all those who would use either order or chaos as a weapon, but as the world becomes more technological, geography also becomes less effective in protecting Westwind.

All of these cultures, as well as others which develop later, address the order-chaos structure in different ways, but each of these structures seem effective, acceptable, and workable to those who live in each – and that was the goal, because I saw and see that anything as basic and powerful as “magic” has to be a rationalized and structured part of a fantasy culture. 

Now, if you look at the twenty-one Recluce novels, plus Recluce Tales – with more coming – the initial reaction of many readers might be that they don’t want to tackle a series that long.  But there’s a secret those who haven’t read my fantasy often don’t know. Only one character in the Recluce novels has more than two books (and he only has three). The novels and stories take place over 2,000 years on five separate continents.  And you don’t have to read the books in either publication or chronological order for each book to make sense on its own, although I would suggest reading the first book about a given character before reading the second.  For most readers, I feel the best starting place is The Magic of Recluce, but for those who prefer a strict chronological reading, the first book in the internal timeline of the saga is Magi’i of Cyador.  

The events in those books take place in more than twenty countries, involving political systems that include patriarchal despotism, empire, wizardly council overlords, commercial oligarchy, duchies, matriarchal despotism, and matrilineal monarchy, not to mention tribal herders and sylvan druids, and the rise and fall of empires. The twenty-one novels don’t include Recluce Tales, a volume of twenty stories and novellas, seventeen of which are new and have never been published elsewhere. 

There’s also the question of why I call it a saga, rather than a series. Why isn’t the saga really a series?  According to A Handbook to Literature, a series is “a group of works centering on a single character or set in a single place or time.”  

A single character in the Recluce Saga?  Hardly.  No character in the Recluce novels has more than three books, and some only have one.  

Second, because of the sweep of the saga, there isn’t a continuous thread following one protagonist, or even one family or one country, or even one “type” of protagonist.  While some readers have the impression that I write only about “young heroes,” almost half the books deal with older protagonists, some even with families. And, over two thousand years, scarcely the same time or place, readers can see the rise and fall of countries and empires around the world of Recluce. They can even see a war from the viewpoint of “heroes” on each side.  They can also see a ruler wrestling with how much he should and can tax his people in order to maintain the forces to keep them free – one of the few times in fiction showing sympathetically the other side of the trope of “evil over-taxation.”

Third, the stylistic presentation of the viewpoint character can differ from book to book.  The Magic of Recluce presents the story of Lerris from the first person past tense, because, given Lerris’s cluelessness, telling his story in the third person past tense would portray young Lerris as self-centered and spoiled, and he’s neither – but bright and clueless, with perhaps a touch of what we’d call Asperger Syndrome. The second book – The Towers of the Sunset – sets out the story of a young male in a matriarchal society about to be married off  while his younger sister is being groomed to rule, and it’s told in the third person present tense, which conveys a greater sense of immediacy.  Not until the third book, The Magic Engineer, is a story told in the conventional third person past tense.  I didn’t do it that way as an exercise, but because the narrative tense and viewpoint, I believe, has to give the most depth and reality to the story and to fit the protagonist.

But then, the Recluce books aren’t really a saga, either, because sagas are supposed to be tales of heroism following one individual or family.  And that’s why I tend to think of the Recluce books as the history of a fantasy world, but, of course, that doesn’t have much marketing appeal, and “saga” comes closer than “series” and is a lot more marketable than “events and adventures in the fantasy world of Recluce.”

In short, the Saga of Recluce doesn’t fit any easy definition, and even when I wrote the first book – The Magic of Recluce – more than twenty-five years ago, it represented a different approach to fantasy from almost the first pages because, among many other things, the color of the ostensibly “good” guys is black, rather than white, but then as the saga proceeds, it becomes obvious that it’s never that simple, like life.   And the Recluce books, like life, don’t fit a simple description, whether that description is “heroic fantasy,” “series,” “saga,” or anything else, but that might also be why readers continue to enjoy and appreciate them.

Posted in Essays and Commentary by L.E. Modesitt Jr. | Tagged | Leave a comment

Book and a Pint Episode 1: We Love Everyone?

James and Michael introduce the Book and a Pint podcast, talk about Combos, Floridaman, Captain Marvel, and other important topics.

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