Ashes of Aldyr
by Russell Archey
GENRE: Dark Fantasy
BLURB:
The world of Alda is broken, destroyed by an event the survivors call "The Rupture." The aldyrs, magical trees connected to the soul of the world and once grew in breathtaking groves, are dead. Elf-kind, who shared a close bond with these trees, are dying off due to shortened life-spans as a result. The dwarves have retreated into their mountain homes. Humans gather in crumbling settlements. Sinister, god-like beings, each uniquely horrific, exert their influences over the world. Each story is a different thread forming a larger tapestry that shows the scope of the horror and insanity brought by the elusive and mind-numbing entity known as the Obscured Throne. The world was once saved from this threat and Alda was hidden and sealed away. Now, an ancient and shadowy cult called the Black Gnarl have broken enough seals to expose Alda to the Obscured Throne...and It's coming.
Excerpt:
) I cleared my throat nervously, withering under her expectant gaze. I stepped closer, seeing the words in their eloquent legibility. How could she not see this? The ink, though faded, was still quite vibrant. The pages were slightly dry from age, but not nearly as fragile as I would have thought. Although the language was Ligothian, a variation on the many human languages spoken in Alda, it was an archaic dialect not used in hundreds of years—making the quality of the pages even more cryptic. I picked a random verse from the page and read aloud:
“…the names that are spoken in quiet places. In the peat and the mold and the rot. Rain and blood are their nourishment, and perpetuate the fruit of their flesh. All is life and death and stagnation and growth through Them: Mariamyn in her Molded Gown, Hitala’vi and Namtinugga the Twin Sickness, Suhpona’s putrid domain, and Carticarneah The Root and Blood. Many are their names, and all are beautiful to their father, Ygiddra, in whom they dwell.”
I stopped, feeling my heart beating faster upon speaking those fetid words. I looked to Nayomi, my face feeling pale and cold. Her eyes were wide, and a hint of a smile curled her lips.
What made you want to become a writer?
My love for narratives, world-building, and creating characters. There’s something about taking a blank document and, thousands of words later, you have a whole world or worlds there that didn’t exist before.
What inspired you to write Ashes of Aldyr?
I love fantasy and cosmic horror, so I wanted write something about both. It was a challenge to combine them as fantasy already deals with monsters and deities and such things. However, this let me get creative with how the peoples of a fantasy world could be mind-numbingly horrified by something outside their reality.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Ashes of Aldyr?
Ashes of Aldyr follows several different characters. Some are likable, some are tragic, some are very despicable. All of them play a part in building the world of Alda and showing the reader what the effects of the mysterious and apocalyptic event called The Rupture has on their world.
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?
Laird Barron, for sure. I love fantasy and horror, but when it comes to horror there hasn’t been much, especially in reading, that has actually scared me. Barron, on the other hand, is the only author I’ve ever read who has a book TITLE that scares me!
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?
I’m focused on working on the Obscured Throne Trilogy for now. Once that’s done, I’d like to move on to a dark fantasy series that I’ll be writing for some time. The entries will be overall shorter (Ashes was over 100,000 words) and will run for much longer. I have several stand-alone titles I can release in-between those.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
Coming up with all the different locations and the eldritch things that terrify them! I was able to get really creative in creating things that seemed tailor-made for that area of the world of Alda. I wonder if that has a purpose…
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Fantasy and horror have always been Russell’s preferred genres. Some of his favorite stories often combine them–and the grittier the better. His eclectic tastes in this genre originated when he discovered Lovecraft’s stories of beings so vast and incomprehensible that just thinking about them will melt your brain. Later, he would discover the more sinister but equally unfathomable creations of Laird Barron and, combined, these two influences would create Russell’s desire to fashion his own story of cosmic horrors, but with a fantasy flair. Fantasy often holds many horrific aspects of its own, but Russell enjoys finding ways to take those facets and run with them.
Social Links:
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3 comments:
Sounds like a very good book
Thanks for hosting!
Thank you for the interview!
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