Mortals and Magi

I’ve always loved the idea of writing a novel, and I’ve tried a couple of times in the past, but I never seemed to be able to find a story that really spoke to me. This time, I think I’ve found one that I really like, and the people I’ve discussed it with also seem to think it has a great deal of potential.

I really wanted to bend the idea of standard genres, so it’s not just the stock-standard fantasy tropes (elves, dwarves, goblins, wizards and dragons) or sci-fi themes (out of control AI, alien invasion or plucky rebels fighting an evil galactic empire). Where I landed was the idea of a fantasy-style, largely magical, late-medieval society being attacked by warriors with incredibly advanced technology, and the wide array of consequences this causes, both on a larger societal scale, as well as on a deeper personal level for the characters.

There’s a lot to the story that I’ve worked out, and it’s not just the clash of technology vs magic or whatever. There’s a lot of themes that are derived from things I think we’re dealing with as a society, and situations that I personally have had to deal with seem to have made their way into the story. I think this adds a layer of realism and complexity that many stories in these genres seem to lack. I don’t really want it to be some generic “fantasy warrior on the hero’s quest” story, although no doubt some of that will creep in here and there.

So far, I’ve planned the entire story out in fairly detailed dot-point form, and written at least one draft of about seven chapters. The initial feedback I’m getting from people who have very kindly read what I have is very positive, with many regularly demanding updates. That can only be a good sign, right?

Another element to this project is that I really like the idea of making it kinda like a illustrated novel for adults / older teenagers. It seems that every story I’ve ever seen that meets this style is made for younger children, and honestly as an adult, I love to see illustrations of the world I’m reading about and I think it’s a shame that more stories don’t have them. I don’t want it to be a comic book / graphic novel, but having an image on every other page (even if it’s only half a page here and there) would really add to the atmosphere of the story, I think. As a professional artist, my skillset lends itself well to this particular idea.

I won’t spoil any of the story yet, as I’m still very much in the early stages of writing it, but maybe when things are nailed down a bit more, I might put a chapter or two up as a preview for my waves of adoring fans to read.

The art used in the thumbnail and seen below for this project is a very temporary, AI generated image that I’m using to vaguely demonstrate the imagery I’m aiming for in the story. The finished product will be using art generated entirely by myself and perhaps other artists I might enlist to help me.