Imagining my own races was exciting and creatively satisfying, as was devising my own world, complete with different ecologies and environments. But both required quite a bit of research to make sure my fantasy world and its inhabitants were grounded in some semblance of reality! Here I detail some of the research I did for my epic fantasy novel Melokai.
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Wondering how to say Peqkya? Well, here’s a short pronunciation guide for some of the tongue-twister names of characters, peoples and places in my epic fantasy novel Melokai, book one of In the Heart of the Mountains trilogy.
In Melokai, book one of the In the Heart of the Mountains trilogy, life in Peqkya is based on the philosophies of the Stone Prophetess Sybilya. These ten maxims are ingrained in everything a Peqkian does and they each feel the presence of Sybilya within them. Melokai Ramya repeats Sybilya’s Sayings often to herself.
Reading and discussing the epic fantasy novel Melokai by Rosalyn Kelly for your book club? Here are fifteen questions that should help to get the conversation flowing.
1) What were your first impressions of Melokai? Did it hook you from the start or did it take a while to get into? At the time of Melokai, Ramya is thirty-two years old. Born in Riaow, the capital of Peqkya, she was placed in the pen led by Kafya, as Peqkian custom dictates ‘No baby will ever know it’s parents and no parents will ever know their baby’.
From an early age, Ramya showed great promise as a warrior and entered the profession at age fifteen. She quickly became known as the greatest warrior in Peqkya due to her skill at chariot warfare, multiple opponent combat, and archery, as well as her endless energy and how she never seemed to tire in a fight. Ramya liked her tongue. She wasn’t ready to give it up, not yet. The Melokai rolled it around her teeth, touched it to the roof of her mouth and brought it down with a satisfying cluck.
She glanced at Chaz. The scholar’s mottled black and white hands cupped his face, his body rocking with the movement of his horse, eyes glazed. They continued through the circular streets of the city in silence, both soon to lose the ability of speech, but neither with anything to say.
Book Review: Blackwing (The Raven's Mark Book 1) by Ed McDonald (published by Gollancz)
This epic fantasy has received glowing reviews and is a big contender for ‘best fantasy book of 2017’. And rightly so, because it is a great read. Captain Ryhalt Galharrow is an older, experienced, battle-scarred soldier employed to hunt down spies and traitors, who invariably run into The Misery. This is the name for the wasteland that lies right outside the city walls, which was the site of a huge battle between the Republic and the evil Deep Kings. The magic wrought during that war – and the powerful weapon used – blasted, twisted, and generally screwed up the area, but also drove back the Deep Kings. For many years, these Deep Kings have been reluctant to attack again for fear of this weapon.
Book Review: The Anatomy of Cheating by Nesly Clerge (published by Clerge Books)
This psychological thriller tells the story of Chelsea Hall, a stay at home mother whose husband, Garrett, is a successful radiologist and a serial cheater. He has a string of women but denies this to his wife. Chelsea, in her desperation for love, starts a relationship with Luke, a struggling author, who is married. The action unfolds as Chelsea discovers Garrett’s affairs, and then Garrett, in turn, uncovers some nasty secrets and the web of deceit comes crashing down around them. Book Review: The Grey Bastards (The Grey Bastards Book 1) by Jonathan French (published by Ballymalis Press)
This epic fantasy is a boisterously good read – it’s rude, sweary, has lots of crude sex references and macho male banter, women are often referred to as ‘quim’ or ‘cunny’ (or worse) and it opens in a brothel! But despite that, the (majority male) characters are believable, likable and clever, the setting is well realised and intriguing and the action-packed pace carries the plot along well, with a few surprises here and there.
Audiobook Review: Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice by Bill Browder (published by Simon & Schuster)
This fascinating non-fiction book is more like a political thriller and at some points I had to remind myself that some of the unthinkable things it described actually happened in real-life. It follows the story of Bill Browder, an American financier who, due to personal reasons, was intrigued by Russia and decided to set up business there in the 90s, making a small fortune on his investments when the Soviet Union collapsed. But his success came at a cost and he managed to piss off lots of oligarchs by exposing their corrupt practices, and then cause friction all the way up the chain to Vladimir Putin.
Book Review: Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire Book 1) by Mark Lawrence (published by Harper Voyager)
Grimdark fantasy Prince of Thorns is a dark, gruesome read with an evil bastard of a main character, but I loved it! It tells of Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath who, at nine years old, witnesses the horrific murder of his mother and brother which sparks an unyielding desire to wreak bloody revenge. Jorg leaves the comfort of the castle to cut his teeth on murder, rape and brutality with a band of outlaws.
Book Review: The Ninth Rain (The Winnowing Flame Trilogy Book 1) by Jen Williams (published by Headline)
Fantasy novel The Ninth Rain is set in an amazingly rich world with an intriguing past, curious creatures and gods, and with a touch of Sci Fi thrown in. It tells the story of an unlikely trio: a human, a fell-witch and an Eboran who are searching for an answer to the mysterious Jure’lia, or worm people, who invade their world every few hundred centuries flying in from the sky in great behemoths, woodlice-like creatures, that carry beetle soldiers. The last invasion, the Eighth Rain, was thought to be the one that ended them all, but all signs are pointing to a ninth…
Book Review: The Secret by Kathryn Hughes (published by Headline Review)
The Secret is an easy, enjoyable, quick read which has a lovely ending (and don’t we all need a HEA every now and then!). It is set partly in 2016 and partly in the mid-70s and tells of an event in the seventies that remained secret for decades, only coming to light after the death of Beth’s mother Mary. Her palms prickled and a hollow dread feeling swept from her belly up to her chest. Tamza stood to the side of the stage in the great marketplace, staring at the wooden planks, forcing herself to notice every flaw, raised nail, splinter. To not think about what was coming.
She had positioned herself behind a group of loitering fire eaters, to keep as much distance between her and the audience. Most performers had been on already, to cheers or boos, depending on the fickle mood of the onlookers. Some, like her, were still waiting their turn. But Tamza’s act was the headline of the Festival of Many Gods, and tonight, for the first time, she’d be performing without her father. She’d be the one speaking… from that stage… to the entire town gathered in the square. Tamza gulped down the ticklish nerves that crawled up her throat. It was almost time.
Audiobook Review: Paternus (Paternus Trilogy Book 1) by Dyrk Ashton (published by Paternus Books Media)
I won a free audiobook of Paternus in a giveaway hosted by the author. Intrigued by the blurb, I started listening immediately and - mind blown – this book was brilliant! It’s a unique blend of urban, contemporary, mythical fantasy, and it features the most incredible beings – called the Firstborn. |
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