You think you want the Matriarchy? You can’t handle the Matriarchy. Born a healer into a culture obsessed with power, Irrwaer had few prospects beyond changing bandages and emptying bedpans. Among the matriarchs, sex is power. Sex is magic. Irrwaer knows nothing of either. But she longs to… Etaski delivers a portrait of drow societyContinue reading “Book Recommendation: Sons to Keep by A.S. Etaski”
Category Archives: dark magic
To airt or not to airt: Some thoughts
As someone who has spent thousands and thousands of dollars to commission art surrounding and inspired by my novels, I’m deeply committed to human artists. Caterina Kalymniou, J-P Mavinga, and Epic Made have all produced some amazing commissions for me. Such as my covers (by Caterina) and the Kickstarter art cards by J-P and E-M.Continue reading “To airt or not to airt: Some thoughts”
Next in the ongoing saga… Art reveal!
Last January, I commissioned my friend and super-talented artist, J-P Mavinga, to create a piece of art for the Raven Queen, Arise Kickstarter. The “Thunderbird and the Priestess” was inspired by a sequence of the story that didn’t make it into the final novel—because Illyria isn’t in it at all. However, it will (soon!) beContinue reading “Next in the ongoing saga… Art reveal!”
Why People Read Dark Fantasy
What do you read when you’re tired of all the bright, happy stuff? When you’re tired of everything going as it should for the chosen one, the hero saving the day, and everything rainbows and butterflies and unicorns? What do you read when it’s all just too bright and happy all day, every day? AndContinue reading “Why People Read Dark Fantasy”
Weird Real, Grimdark Schools
If you like to escape by jumping headfirst into a dark fantasy read, you’ll know that your trip to faraway lands is always too short. Far sooner than you’d like, you’re back to the prosaic reality of dishes in the sink, yardwork you’ve been postponing, and the knowledge that tomorrow will be exactly the sameContinue reading “Weird Real, Grimdark Schools”
Real Faeries Are Grimdark
There’s a reason the Irish curse the “fucking Fairies” under their breath. Forget everything Disney told you about these creatures. Human treasures are not what fae value. They don’t grant wishes (at least, not for cheap) and they don’t serenade you on your way to the ball. But that doesn’t mean the fair folk areContinue reading “Real Faeries Are Grimdark”
Trust in the Grimdark
There are neither traditional heroes nor villains in the grimdark. One-dimensional bad guys are boring in any genre. Forget one-dimensional good guys. No one buys pure heroes anymore, and the grimdark tends to chew honorable actors up and spit them out for their naivety. Grimdark characters, like in real life, are shades of grey andContinue reading “Trust in the Grimdark”
Six Magical & Monstrous Winter Movies to Watch
That fuzzy Omen Punxsutawney Phil has declared we’ve got six more weeks of winter ahead. Whether you believe in groundhog shadow magic or not, February can be a little… blah. So let’s escape together with a movie marathon in the Grimdark. 😈🎬 Note: I’m not including The Thing or The Shining in this lineup, becauseContinue reading “Six Magical & Monstrous Winter Movies to Watch”
A Last-Minute Dark & Weird Holiday Gift Guide
‘Tis the season, and no matter your chosen religious or pagan winter festivities, it’s “about that time” to wrap up—pun intended—your online shopping if you want those gifts to be delivered relatively on-time. I’ve noticed so many dark and offbeat gifts out there on the internet—thanks, ad sense 🙄—I thought I’d put that to goodContinue reading “A Last-Minute Dark & Weird Holiday Gift Guide”
Trauma as Power: A Dark Epic Fantasy Trope
Stark Contrast If I had to pick one and only one defining difference between vanilla high fantasy and dark [chocolate—sorry!] high fantasy, it’s in the core modus operandi of the protagonist. Heroes in vanilla fantasy grow to overcome their trauma, or at least succeed despite their inner wounds. Not so in dark fantasy: antiheroes embraceContinue reading “Trauma as Power: A Dark Epic Fantasy Trope”