Dark Fantasy: Horror and other elements in the Shadow series

Two years ago, if you had asked me if I wrote horror, I would have said ‘no’… and I would have been wrong. Over the last twelve months I have been editing the Shadow series trilogy, and Fisherpriest, and I have realized that I *do* write horror—of a kind. It is horror in a fantasy setting, but it *is* horror nonetheless, and that surprises me, because I just don’t think I’m the kind to be able to write that sort of stuff. I’m a nice person who writes fantasy with a few dark elements. You know the kind of thing: human sacrifice, evil powers, undead monsters created from living men, torture, blood, guts, loss and regret. Since at least one of the elements forms the crux of the Shadow series, and the rest seem to play major roles or make regular appearances I’ve been calling it dark fantasy.

And what is it about? Your usual ancient power trying to escape its millennia-long imprisonment from a time when different gods ruled, and those raised by the current pantheon to oppose him. It’s a regular trope of the fantasy genre.

How is it different? I’m not sure. I’m sure that somewhere, someone else has used one, if not all of the elements I’ll mention below. I’m not sure if they’ve used them in the same combination, but I truly hope not.

Ø  Barbarians as totemic warriors—in particular one barbarian who has lost his totem, retaining only its name in his exile from the tribe. As such, he’s not very barbaric, but his roots show through, and some of his personal history is revealed by events in the story.

Ø  Elves—because, in this tale, there had to be elves—in multiple cultures: as warriors and magicians, with a custom of polygamy; as racial purists of primitive and close-minded beliefs; as shapeshifters with a reputation that makes them outcasts among other races.

Ø  Magic—priestly, wizardly, and elemental. Different kinds of magic, and different wielders, all possessing a distinctive flavor.

Ø  “The Companions”—every fantasy seems to have them, a small core group who are tasked with facing down the main danger in the story. In this case, I wanted them to need help. I wanted a group of characters that couldn’t take on their enemy on their own, that didn’t lead huge armies, but coordinated a joint effort from those who recognized the threat the escaping power posed. I’m not sure how well this worked, but they managed to make it through, each playing their part as best they could.

Ø  An Evil Power—another common trope, but one I wanted to explore. Why was it evil? Maybe it was just different? What went on inside its head? Why would anyone oppose it? That kind of thing. I came up with a couple of reasons, such as the power taking the concept of ‘one god’ a little too far in a polytheistic pantheon. Yeah, that could turn the other deities against it… among other things. I guess no one likes an “eater of souls”. And why do that? Well, I found a reason ‘my’ evil power, Beauwallin, might devour souls as well. I’m not sure how unique he ended up being, but he was interesting to explore.

Ø  The gods—There were a lot of questions I wanted to explore with the gods:

Ø  Where to gods go when they die?

Ø  What happens to the old pantheon when a new one is born?

Ø  How are new gods created, and who decides on their portfolios?

Ø  Are the old gods remembered and, if they’re no longer around, how does that work?

Ø  Magical Creatures—pegasii, elementals, mounts bonded to a holy warrior.

Ø  Wizards—how many flavors, what colors, what types.

Ø  Undead—if undead are created, who makes them, how are they different, and what abilities do they have. Granted there is a focus on Beauwallin’s undead creations, but that’s because I had to narrow the field somehow. How did vampires come about? You’ll have to read and see.

Ø  Elementals—why did most books only have four types. Surely everything was made of something, and each something could be considered an element, and if there was an elemental pantheon, then there had to be myriads of elements represented.

So, all these bits and pieces ended up in the Shadow series, a myriad of threads in my first fantasy trilogy.

And finally, why call it a ‘series’?—Because I don’t think it wants to stay a trilogy. There’s another book in there to do with the fall of Beauwallin. I only found out about it in March, but stories are funny that way. I think I’ll keep the Shadow trilogy as the first three books, but the other stories will be added as they fit, which is why, for moment, I keep calling it a ‘series trilogy’. For now, it’s both.