The Shadows of the Monolith: Book One
Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, Horror, Satire, Politics
Date Published: October 3, 2023
Publisher: Spinner Loom Press
“A GRIPPING DARK FANTASY THAT IMMERSES YOU IN A WORLD OF DEADLY POWER POLITIC AND CORRUPTION.” Richard Moriarty – The Sun
With each new dawn, the celestial body known only as ‘Calamity’ draws closer – and with it the end of the world. Humanity’s only hope from oblivion rests in the menhirs, towering bastions of scholarship and imagination which cast long shadows across the lands. The scholars within the menhirs devote themselves selflessly to the discovery of new magic that will help avert the impending apocalypse … or so the masses have been made to understand.
In a society divided between those with occult potential and lay citizens, Tara Langcraw is recruited into the Amber Menhir with great interest. The long-awaited heiress of a bloodline bearing the rarest of the six magical disciplines, time manipulation, she is expected to flourish within this noble citadel of learning, as are her friends and fellow recruits, Roland Ward and Peony Bianchi.
They soon find, however, that those who fail to meet expectations, or who dare to challenge the prevailing order, put more than their marks on the line. For the menhir squirms with rivalries, and those who stand against the status quo may not stand for very long.
Interview with Jonathan N. Pruitt
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I think that depends on what you mean by ‘written’. I’ve drafted three books in The Shadows of the Monolith series. The first, The Amber Menhir, just debuted. Fingers crossed on that front. I’ve also drafted its two successors, The Eggs Inside and Hives of Glass, though they’re nowhere near ready for prime time. So, The Amber Menhir wins the favorite distinction by default. Hives of Glass has a great deal more worldbuilding and there’s more at stake in that tale. I dig all that. So… ask me again in a year and I’ll probably give a different answer.
If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
I’m planning four sequels. I originally planned for a trilogy. Go figure. But then, the problems set out in Hives of Glass were so sweeping that I wanted to give the plots twists and their resolution a proper airing. I also wanted to give each of our main characters moments of loss and, for some, recovery.
As for plans… The Amber Menhir ends with one of the great schools of magic of this magic world, the titular Amber Menhir, damaged. Lucky or not-so-lucky for the Amber Menhir, its peers are oh-so-happy to help the wounded school. Emissaries from each rival school convene to initiate an investigation into the Amber, under the auspices of repairing it, though their true intentions remain a mystery. As the web of intrigues gets broader and deeper, our heroes find themselves ever more entwined.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
Both. Each book has a conventional story arc with the building of drama. Each book also features a resolution, of a kind, though not a complete denouement. The stakes from book-to-book scale too until the whole world is drawn taut around our heroes.
I modeled the structure for each of my books after The Dresden Files. I love how that series matured and developed in scope. Though, I intend to write only five books in this series. If folks really like my writing, then maybe I’ll pen some prequels for fan favorites, maybe like Chesa or Elorne.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
Oh, the drama of it all. For years the running title was either A Sinking Monolith or maybe The Sinking Monolith, but my marketing folks said both seemed too depressing. Then I languished over the title for months only to accept that the first major setting, the Amber Menhir, served as a good enough title. The Eggs Inside and Hives of Glass are titles I’m fonder of, but I’ve come to accept The Amber Menhir. Better is the enemy of good, right?
How long did it take you to write this book?
I generated the first draft of The Amber Menhir in five months. That starting draft approached two hundred thousand words of baroque scrollwork. Then I spent the next two years slicing it down. The second and third books approached similar starting lengths, but I’ve tidied much of those too. I would like the final versions of each to run about 400 pages. For me, editing takes many rounds and more than a year of work.
What does the title mean?
Good question. The title first references a fossilized stone, amber, alluding to stale strategies gone by. That’s a theme in the series.
As for menhirs, in our own world, menhirs are standing stones that often evidence long-dead societies. Menhirs speckle western Europe and are in other areas of the world too. Real menhirs inspire superstition and myth, both among scholars and in lay society.
In an echo of our own menhirs, in The Shadows of the Monolith, menhirs are towering institutions of magical learning and research that cast long shadows over the land. The menhirs rose to discover magics to help save the world. Whether they still execute on their mission is up to the reader to decide.
What did you learn when writing the book?
I learned to go easy on myself when editing. Editing is writing. Editing requires time and iteration. You need to come and go, again and again, to edit effectively. Time spent on a walk or enjoying an adult beverage is still time well spent. Remember, even when you’re not writing, you’re writing. You’ll mull over plot knots even while sleeping.
Trust me. You need that time away to see the forest for the trees.
What surprised you the most?
I think I was most surprised by the positivity of the writing community. Instagram, Facebook, and even Twitter harbor thousands of friendly voices. People offered advice and assistance at every turn. The truth is, I endured a lot of loss and animosity when I departed my last career. I feared the same from the writing world. That turned out not to be the case, and I’m thankful for it.
Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?
Uh, not yet. I appreciate how the end of a character can cause outrage and anger in useful ways. Still, it’s a lot to ask of readers to invest in characters only to axe them. It’s more trying yet if an author replaces them with new points of view.
I don’t take my reader’s time, emotion, or patience for granted in the least. So… unless something very special comes from the end of a main character, they’re lingering. Though, that’s not to say that I shy away from being provocative. I simply find other ways to spin outrage and scandal…
What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?
Hmm. Well, for starters, I edit a scene until I’m no longer distracted by my writing blemishes. Then, I ponder what each character has experienced, and I imagine how they must feel, and how reasonably they’re apt to behave under their circumstances. My characters often blend people that I’ve known in the real world. In that way, I try to give myself some homefield advantage. I honestly struggle most with characters who are driven entirely by honor and principle, so I avoid those. When in doubt, try a drink.
About the Author
JONATHAN N. PRUITT
The Amber Menhir, book one of The Shadows of the Monolith series, marks the debut of high fantasy author Jonathan N. Pruitt. A lifelong educator who has taught around the world, Pruitt enjoys spinning spellbinding tales of dark magic and political intrigue. When not toiling away on writing projects, Pruitt can be found traversing about the great outdoors. For more information, visit www.TheShadowsoftheMonolith.com.
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1 comments:
The cover art looks great. I love the hour glass. This story sounds really good.
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