Jon Cronshaw declares himself the King of Nobledark—because someone had to. In this post, he explains what nobledark fantasy is, why it matters, and how a ravenglass sword and some highly trained wyverns keep the crown in place.
I didn’t mean to become the King of Nobledark.
Truly.
I was just minding my own business, poking around the edges of grimdark, whispering sweet nothings to hope, when I stumbled upon a dusty old crown lying in a forgotten corner of the fantasy genre.
No one was wearing it.
No one was even looking at it.
So, I picked it up, gave it a polish, and popped it on my head.
It fits rather well.
Naturally, I assumed someone would try to stop me. Perhaps a grimdark usurper, still drunk on blood and betrayal, lurching from the shadows, broadsword in hand, quoting Nietzsche and snarling about nihilism.
But alas, no.
Apparently, claiming the crown of Nobledark—that little corner of fantasy where honour still breathes (barely), where sacrifice means something, and where good people try to stay good in worlds that want them broken—isn’t high on anyone’s to-do list.
So here I am.
Jon Cronshaw. The King of Nobledark.
Now, I realise some of my fellow authors might feel tempted. You may think, “That crown would look rather fetching atop my morally complex, world-weary protagonist, actually.”
And I respect that.
But before you mount your literary siege engines, a word of warning: I’ve got wyverns. Highly trained ones. They don’t breathe fire—they just watch. Constantly. Silently. Judgementally. And if that doesn’t unsettle you, it really should.
I also carry a Ravenglass blade, forged with my own blood and tears. Beautiful, yes—but with the rather unfortunate side effect of burning its victims from the inside out. You won’t notice at first. You’ll think you’re fine. And then the screaming starts.
So if you, too, write stories where the world is cruel, but your characters dare to care anyway… then by all means, take up the mantle. Write nobledark. Spread the word. Let readers know that fantasy doesn’t have to choose between despair and delusion.
Discover the story behind The Ravenglass Throne cover design. Learn how Covers by Christian blended stock images and digital painting to create a stunning fantasy book cover that captures the heart of the series.
When it came to creating a cover for The Ravenglass Throne, I knew I needed something that would truly capture the tone and scale of the story—royalty, rebellion, and wyverns.
The result? A breathtaking cover that exceeded all expectations, thanks to the incredible work of Covers by Christian.
Christian’s approach combines expertly chosen stock photography with layered digital painting to bring the Ravenglass Universe to life.
Irmin in her armour, Berthold at her side, the Imperial Palace in the background—it’s all there in a single, striking image.
Every element on the cover was selected with care: the lighting, the pose, even the subtle background details that hint at deeper story threads.
The final image isn’t just beautiful—it feels like the book.
Explore the Ravenglass Universe by Jon Cronshaw—an epic fantasy world of royal intrigue, rebellion, and wyvern magic. Discover the reading order, series connections, and where to start in this complete guide for new and returning readers.
The Ravenglass Universe is an epic, interconnected fantasy world created by British author Jon Cronshaw.
Rich in history, political intrigue, personal drama, and wyvern magic, the universe spans over a thousand years of in-world history and multiple series.
While each series can be read on its own, they all connect through recurring characters, families, relics, and one mysterious wyvern: Witz.
Whether you’re drawn to royal succession drama, grimdark warfare, coming-of-age fantasy, or brutal assassin tales, there’s no wrong place to begin—just start with book one of whichever series catches your eye.
Here’s a breakdown of the four major eras and how the stories fit together.
First Kingdom Era (Years 0–200)
Themes: Dynastic power struggles, royal succession, the early role of wyverns in politics
📘The Ravenglass Throne
Begin with Book 1: Shattered Kingdom A sweeping royal fantasy told in serial format, The Ravenglass Throne follows three sisters—Irmin, Adelinde, and Elana—each trained in a different discipline: war, knowledge, and diplomacy. After the king’s sudden assassination without naming an heir, the sisters must navigate court politics, hidden conspiracies, and the secrets surrounding the powerful material known as ravenglass.
🐉Wyvern Rider (Patreon exclusive)
A coming-of-age story about a girl who forms a close bond with a rescued wyvern. Visit: patreon.com/joncronshawauthor to learn more.
Expansion Era (Years 200–500)
Themes: Imperial conquest, resistance, legacy, the cost of civilisation
📗Ravenglass Legends
Begin with Book 1: The Fall of Wolfsbane Set during the rise of the Ostreich Empire, this series charts the bloody conquest and political transformation of Wiete. The story centres on Ragnar and Maja Wolfsbane—siblings caught on opposite sides of history. Ragnar is taken in by the empire and raised to lead, while Maja must survive on the outside and spark a rebellion.
⚔️ Prequel novellas (Patreon exclusives):
Blades of Wolfsbane
The Long Night
The Skald’s Quest Each offers vital backstory on Ragnar’s upbringing, the early resistance, and the mythology of the north.
High Empire Era (Years 500–700)
High Empire Era (Years 500–700)
Themes: Prophecy, identity, rebellion, and divine power
Set at the height of the Ostreich Empire, The Ravenglass Chronicles follows Princess Kathryn Ostehild (Kat), a young woman whose life is shattered when she’s chosen by the gods to fulfil a prophecy that will shake the Empire to its core. With the weight of divine power on her shoulders and the machinations of the court closing in, Kat must forge her own path—one that defies expectation, tradition, and fate itself.
This 22-part fantasy saga is structured around the Major Arcana of the Tarot, with each instalment reflecting a new stage in Kat’s journey—from The Magician through The Tower and finally The World. As the Empire teeters between stagnation and upheaval, Kat’s rise from sheltered princess to revolutionary icon reveals the cost of power—and what it means to claim your destiny.
Collected in a single omnibus edition and available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook, The Ravenglass Chronicles delivers a sweeping tale of transformation, sacrifice, and the fight to reclaim your voice in a world that demands silence.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Epic fantasy at its best.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Kat’s journey is raw, real, and utterly gripping.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A unique, beautifully structured fantasy saga.”
Perfect for fans of Robin Hobb, Kristin Cashore, and Tarot-inspired fantasy, The Ravenglass Chronicles blends political intrigue, symbolic depth, and emotional stakes into one unforgettable saga.
✨ Additional stories (Patreon exclusives):
Orphan Farm Boy of Destiny
The Princess and the Tailor Short tales expanding on the Empire’s height and the personal stories of characters outside the main series.
Retraction Era (Years 700–1000)
Themes: Collapse, legacy, revenge, and shadow warfare
🗡Guild of Assassins
Begin with Book 1: Guild of Assassins The Empire has fractured. As old colonies fight for independence and imperial cities turn inward, the Assassins’ Guild rises. This dark fantasy series follows Soren, a sculptor’s apprentice whose quest for vengeance leads him into the heart of the most feared organisation in the world.
Soren’s Guild years are explored in a growing number of Patreon-exclusive short stories.
🦴Dawn of Assassins
Begin with Book 1: Dawn of Assassins Set in the same era, this companion series explores Soren’s legacy from another angle. A gang of young thieves is drawn into the world of contract killing, political sabotage, and moral compromise.
🔪 Prequel novellas:
Birth of Assassins (Included in the starter library)
The Little Thief and The Great Tower Heist are available on Patreon.
The Witz Meta-Story
A hidden thread binding the Ravenglass Universe
Across centuries, a single character weaves in and out of history: Witz, the black wyvern. At times advisor, at others manipulator or even deceiver. His motivations remain unclear—but his influence is undeniable.
All series titled Ravenglass (Throne, Legends, Chronicles) feature Witz in key roles. His story emerges slowly, and readers can piece together his true nature by reading across the full universe.
Suggested Reading Approach
You can start with any series—just begin with Book 1 in that series. Here’s a simple breakdown depending on your reading preferences:
Love royalty, politics, and sibling drama? Start with The Ravenglass Throne
Want a gritty war epic with a Norse flavour? Start with Ravenglass Legends
Prefer symbolic, character-driven high fantasy? Start with The Ravenglass Chronicles
Enjoy dark fantasy, revenge, and assassins? Start with Guild of Assassins
And if you’re a completionist or looking for bonus content, join the Patreon for exclusive novellas and short stories that expand the lore and deepen character arcs.
Discover the magic system of the Ravenglass Universe, where sentient weapons, wyvern bonds, and mind manipulation intersect with cosmic horrors. Explore how the mysterious ravenglass substance shapes this intricate fantasy world.
Today, I want to pull back the curtain and give you an exclusive peek into the heart of the Ravenglass Universe – its magic system.
As the architect of this world, I’ve always believed that a well-crafted magic system is the lifeblood of any great fantasy realm.
So, let’s explore the forces that shape this universe.
The Cornerstone: Ravenglass
At the core of our magical world lies ravenglass, a substance as mysterious as it is powerful.
This black, light-bending material is more than just a magical McGuffin.
It’s the thread that weaves through the fabric of our universe, connecting disparate magics and parallel worlds.
Ravenglass is a paradox
It’s cold to the touch yet only malleable under extreme heat.
It’s nearly indestructible yet capable of cutting through the very fabric of reality.
Its properties challenge our understanding of physics and magic alike, making it the perfect foundation for a world of wonder and peril.
Blood, Tears, and Shadows
The magic of ravenglass is not for the faint of heart.
To forge a ravenglass weapon requires a ritual sacrifice of blood and tears, binding the wielder to the weapon in a deeply personal way.
This connection between life essence and magical power is a recurring theme in the Ravenglass Universe, reminding us that great power often comes at a great price.
But oh, what power it is!
A ravenglass weapon can cut rifts into the shadow realm, a parallel dimension that mirrors our own.
Imagine the possibilities – and the dangers – of moving unseen and unheard through a colourless, silent world.
It’s no wonder that assassins and thieves prize these weapons above all others.
The Whispers of Power
One of the most intriguing aspects of ravenglass weapons is their apparent sentience.
These aren’t mere tools, but partners – sometimes willing, sometimes not.
The whispers of a ravenglass dagger can be seductive, tempting its wielder towards darker paths.
This interplay between magical item and user adds layers of complexity to our characters’ journeys.
It forces them to grapple not just with external challenges, but with the very source of their power.
Beyond Ravenglass
While ravenglass is the cornerstone, it’s far from the only magic in our universe.
The Ravenglass world is teeming with various forms of mystical energy.
Each interacts with and enhances the others in fascinating ways.
Take mind manipulation magic, for instance.
This insidious form of power blurs the lines between persuasion and control.
It adds a chilling psychological element to our magical repertoire.
But here’s where it gets really interesting.
When combined with ravenglass, these mental powers can be magnified to terrifying degrees.
Imagine the possibilities, and the dangers, of a mind manipulator wielding a ravenglass artifact.
The potential for both great good and unthinkable evil is staggering.
And let’s not forget the wyverns.
These magnificent, dragon-like creatures can form magical partnerships with humans.
Their ability to sense minds hints at a form of psychic magic.
This adds yet another layer to our magical ecosystem.
The bond between wyvern and human is a magic all its own.
It blends the raw power of these ancient beings with the ingenuity and adaptability of humanity.
But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of all is the hint of something greater lurking behind ravenglass itself.
As I’ve delved deeper into this world, I’ve uncovered suggestions of vast, unknowable forces or entities connected to this mystical substance.
It raises profound questions.
When a character wields a ravenglass weapon, who – or what – is truly in control?
Are they tapping into powers beyond their comprehension?
And what might be the consequences of such a connection?
These questions add a delicious layer of cosmic horror to our fantasy world.
They remind us that even in a realm of magic, there are some powers that remain beyond mortal understanding.
It’s a theme that I find endlessly fascinating to explore.
It’s also one that I hope keeps readers on the edge of their seats, always wondering what greater mysteries might be revealed.
A World of Possibilities
What excites me most about this magic system is its versatility.
From the grand, world-shaking power of ravenglass to the intimate whispers of mind magic, the Ravenglass Universe offers a spectrum of magical experiences.
This allows us to tell a wide range of stories – from epic sagas of empires in turmoil to personal tales of individuals wrestling with their own power.
The magic of Ravenglass is not just a tool for spectacle, but a mirror reflecting the complexities of human nature.
It can corrupt as easily as it can empower, heal as readily as it can destroy.
In this, it becomes a powerful metaphor for power itself, and how we choose to wield it.
The Magic Continues
As we continue to explore the Ravenglass Universe together, I find myself more excited than ever to delve deeper into these magical mysteries.
With each new story I write, a different piece of the puzzle reveals itself, expanding our understanding of this complex and fascinating magic system.
There are still so many questions to answer, so many secrets to uncover, and so many stories to tell.
What other properties of ravenglass are yet to be discovered?
What happens when different forms of magic interact?
And what price must be paid for the greatest magical feats?
These are the questions that keep me up at night, scribbling in notebooks and dreaming of new stories.
But the beauty of this journey is that I’m not exploring alone.
My hope is that you will join me in this adventure, finding clues and answers scattered throughout the Ravenglass stories like magical breadcrumbs leading us to greater revelations.
For those of you who’ve followed me through multiple series and stories, you may have already noticed how the magic system connects across different tales.
Perhaps you’ve spotted a hint in one book that sheds light on a mystery in another.
This interconnectedness is intentional, and I’m thrilled to see readers piecing together the larger picture of Ravenglass magic.
As we move forward, I promise there’s still much more to uncover.
The magic system of Ravenglass is a living, breathing entity that grows and evolves with each tale.
It’s an ongoing exploration, and I’m committed to pushing the boundaries of what we know and understand about this mystical force.
So, are you ready to continue this magical journey with me?
There are more shadows to explore, more secrets to unearth, and more mind-bending magical interactions to witness.
It’s my sincere hope that these mysteries will spark your imagination, drawing you ever deeper into the magical world of the Ravenglass Universe.
Discover how Egypt’s ancient history and culture inspired the world of “The Fall of Wolfsbane.” From cultural artifacts to powerful female leaders, explore how a journey through Egypt shaped the themes, characters, and worldbuilding in this fantasy novel.
As a fantasy author, inspiration can strike in the most unexpected places.
For me, the seed that would grow into “The Fall of Wolfsbane” was planted not in some misty forest or atop a craggy mountain, but in the arid heat of Egypt.
This happened somewhere between the ancient cities of Cairo and Luxor.
A Flight of Fancy
It was on a domestic flight, soaring over the timeless landscape of Egypt, that the initial idea for “The Fall of Wolfsbane” began to take shape.
As I gazed out of the window at the Nile snaking through the desert below, I found myself pondering the rise and fall of civilisations, the clash of cultures, and the enduring power of history.
Little did I know that these musings would eventually crystallise into the story of Ragnar and Maja Wolfsbane.
The Question of Cultural Artifacts
One of the most thought-provoking experiences of my trip was a visit to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The original, as many know, resides in the British Museum.
This sparked a train of thought that would significantly influence “The Fall of Wolfsbane”.
Where do cultural artifacts truly belong?
How does the way we display these artifacts affect our understanding of them?
What messages do these displays communicate about power, ownership, and cultural identity?
These questions found their way into my novel, particularly in Maja’s storyline.
Her experiences in the Ostreich capital, surrounded by artifacts looted from her homeland, echo the complex emotions and ethical questions raised by the display of Egyptian artifacts in Western museums.
Monuments of Power
My visits to iconic sites like the Giza Plateau, with its Great Pyramid and Sphinx, left an indelible mark on my imagination.
These colossal monuments, built to project the power and immortality of the pharaohs, influenced my conception of the Ostreich Empire’s architecture and self-image.
The Step Pyramid at Saqqara, with its innovative design marking the transition from earlier burial practices, inspired me to think about how societies evolve and how these changes are reflected in their built environment.
This idea is mirrored in the transformation of Meerand into Nebel Hafen under Ostreich rule.
Hidden Histories
Exploring the Valley of the Kings, with its elaborately decorated tombs hidden beneath the earth, sparked ideas about hidden histories and buried truths.
This concept found its way into “The Fall of Wolfsbane” through the secret tunnels beneath the imperial palace and the hidden aspects of ravenglass lore.
The vast temple complex of Karnak, with its successive additions by different pharaohs, each leaving their mark on the site, influenced my approach to worldbuilding.
It reminded me that fantasy worlds, like real ones, should bear the imprint of successive generations and changing cultural influences.
Women in Power
The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, with its grand scale and the fascinating story of Egypt’s female pharaoh, provided inspiration for some of the strong female characters in “The Fall of Wolfsbane”.
Hatshepsut’s legacy as a woman who seized and held power in a male-dominated world resonated with me and influenced my portrayal of characters like Maja and Princess Saranka.
Cultures in Collision
Perhaps the most profound influence of my Egyptian trip on “The Fall of Wolfsbane” was the omnipresent sense of cultures in collision.
From the ancient Egyptians and their conflicts with neighbouring powers to the later influences of Greek, Roman, Arab, and European cultures, Egypt is a testament to the complex interplay of different civilisations over time.
This culture inspired the rich, complex world of “The Fall of Wolfsbane”, where the clan culture of Meerand collides with the imperial ambitions of Ostreich.
The struggles of characters like Ragnar and Maja to maintain their cultural identity in the face of an overwhelming foreign influence draw directly from the historical dynamics I observed in Egypt.
From Ancient Sands to Fantasy Realms
My trip to Egypt provided more than just a fascinating journey through history.
It offered a wellspring of inspiration that profoundly shaped “The Fall of Wolfsbane”.
From questions of cultural ownership to the dynamics of power and resistance, the influences of this ancient land are woven throughout the fabric of my fantasy world.
It just goes to show that for a fantasy author, every journey can be a creative odyssey.
The next time you visit a historical site or museum, who knows?
You might be planting the seeds of your next great story.
Have you ever found inspiration for your writing or creative projects in unexpected places?
No wizards. No fire-breathing wyverns. Step inside the Ravenglass Universe, a nobledark fantasy world where magic is nearly gone and always costs blood.
Welcome to the Ravenglass Universe
There is a stone in this world that costs more than gold, and it will not let you look at it properly.
It is called ravenglass. Hold a piece up to a lamp and the light bends away from the edges, so you never quite fix where the thing ends and the shadow begins. Reach for it and your hand arrives before your eye agrees it should. Once worked, it sits cold in the palm. It does not chip. It does not scratch. It does not dull, tarnish, bend or break, and no hammer in any forge on any coast will persuade it otherwise. Only volcanic heat will make it soft enough to shape.
There is not much of it left. Nobody has found a new seam in centuries. Every blade, cup, ring and orb in the world was something else first, melted down and recast and melted down again, so that a merchant’s pendant might once have been a crown, and a crown might once have been an altar. Nothing is destroyed. It only becomes something else.
That is where these books start.
Magic here is old, and it is nearly gone
There are no wizards. No academies of sorcery, no wands, no memorised words of power, no helpful old man in a hat. Magic was freely available once, long ago, and then it was taken away, or spent, or sealed, depending on which priest you ask and which empire pays him. What survives is residue.
Most people live and die without seeing it work. Plenty of them think it never did.
So when the uncanny does arrive, it arrives with a bill attached. Ravenglass answers to blood and to tears, and it wants both from the person it belongs to. Blood binds it. Tears open it. And the tears have to be real – the grief genuine, the guilt earned, the shame paid in full. You cannot fake your way into this power. You have to feel something honestly first, and then you have to live with what you spent to feel it.
Magic here solves one problem and hands you a worse one. It always has.
The wyverns are sapient
Let us clear up the obvious question. They do not breathe fire. Not once, not ever, not in a single book. Any story you hear about a wyvern burning a village is propaganda, superstition, or a lie told by someone with an interest in you being frightened.
Most of them are about the size of a dog. Leathery wings, scaled hide, beady black eyes, a forked tongue and a barbed tail. They perch on rafters. They waddle. They snap at fingers they do not like.
They also talk. They remember, argue, sulk, judge, grieve, bargain and manipulate, and they will absolutely lie to you if it suits them, regardless of the superstitions that wyverns can’t lie. Many of them can press against a human mind, and most humans cannot keep them out.
A bond between a wyvern and a human is intimate, psychic and mutual, and it is not ownership. It can be earned, damaged, broken, mended or poisoned. Treat a wyvern as transport and you will find out how fast a partnership becomes a grudge. How a culture handles that question – partner or property – tells you almost everything you need to know about the culture.
An empire that builds roads and takes children
The great imperial power of the age brings law, medicine, aqueducts, schooling, engineering and grain in winter. It also brings slave gangs, hostage-taking, public executions and the quiet erasure of anything that came before it.
Both of those sentences are true. I am not going to resolve them for you.
Some conquered peoples grow to prefer the roads. Others count their dead. Priests of a faith that forbids killing bless armies on their way to kill, and mean it kindly. Believers are right about some things and catastrophically wrong about others, and no god in these pages will step out from behind the curtain to settle the argument. Faith comforts and faith excuses. Usually in the same chapter.
What I promise you
The world is harsh. Institutions are compromised. Good intentions fail, violence leaves scars that do not fade by the next book, and nobody gets to use magic without paying for it out of their own body.
But this is not misery for its own sake. People here still choose courage when cowardice is cheaper. They still show mercy inside systems built to punish it. Those choices matter precisely because the world makes them so difficult.
Hope bleeds. It never dies.
Where to begin
The series in this universe share the rules, the ravenglass and the wyverns, but they stand on their own feet. One follows assassins. One follows hostages. One follows the young and the bonded. You can start anywhere, and reading one will quietly sharpen the others.
A weekend trip through Cumbria tracing my wife’s Wharton family ancestry, from Lammerside Castle and Wharton Hall to rebellion, exile and a lost fortune.
This past weekend, my wife and I went on a bit of an adventure into her family history.
She’s been researching her ancestry recently and uncovered the story of the Wharton family in Cumbria. It turns out she has aristocratic lineage, although that particular chapter of the family history came to a fairly dramatic end.
One of her ancestors found himself on the wrong side of the Jacobite rising and eventually ended up living in Spain, with the family lands seized by the Crown. By all accounts, he was also a gambler with a taste for extravagant living, which probably didn’t help matters.
So, in the space of a generation, an aristocratic family went from landowners to tenants of the Lowthers, with the estate and fortune largely gone.
You really couldn’t make it up.
We decided to visit some of the places connected with the family, starting with Wharton Hall, where later generations lived. The hall is still standing, although it’s on private land, so we could only see it from a distance.
Before Wharton Hall, though, the family had a castle.
Or, at least, what remains of one.
We visited the ruins of Lammerside Castle, where part of the central keep is still standing in the Cumbrian landscape. These days, its primary line of defence appears to be a field full of rather standoffish cows.
We wandered around the ruins, had our lunch there and took in the surrounding valley and the view towards Hunger Fell.
It was beautiful, but there was something quite sad about it too. You’re standing beside the remains of a home that once represented wealth, power and permanence, knowing that within a few generations nearly all of it had disappeared.It was beautiful, but there was something quite sad about it too. You’re standing beside the remains of a home that once represented wealth, power and permanence, knowing that within a few generations nearly all of it had disappeared.
Naturally, as a fantasy writer, my brain immediately started filing things away for future use.
There’s probably a novel hiding in there somewhere.
While we were in the area, we also visited nearby Pendragon Castle, another atmospheric ruin with an appropriately legendary name. We crawled through a low tunnel to explore the ruins, only to notice when we were on our way out that the ruins were closed to the public. Oops.
It was a fascinating weekend and a reminder that sometimes the best story fuel is sitting quietly in the landscape, waiting for you to notice it.
This week: halfway through Six of Swords, revisiting The Hammer and the Crown, publishing Blind Sight, returning to Black Death and reading Ghostwater by Will Wight.
This week I’ve been making good progress on Six of Swords.
I’m 12 chapters into the draft, which probably puts me somewhere around the halfway point.
I’ve also been going back over what I’ve written so far for The Hammer and the Crown, continuing work on the next Ravenglass Legends novel.
One of the more satisfying things this week has been returning to older projects. I revisited Blind Sight, a prequel novella to Blind Gambit that I originally abandoned back in 2018. I’ve finally finished it and published it on Patreon.
I’ve also been working through another story from my open projects folder, this time set in the Black Death world, which should hopefully be ready next week.
On the reading front, I’m continuing with Will Wight’s Cradle series and have now reached Book Five, Ghostwater. I’m really enjoying the series, and I’ve also finally worked out why I struggled to follow parts of the second book, Soulsmith. It turned out to be a useful lesson in storytelling craft.
Looking for fantasy novels where information is the battlefield? Discover five fantasy books about secrets, espionage, bureaucracy, political intrigue, and the struggle to control the truth.
Armies clash. Heroes fight villains. Kingdoms rise and fall.
But some of the most interesting fantasy novels I’ve read are about information.
Who controls it.
Who hides it.
Who gets to decide what’s true.
In these books, the decisive battles aren’t fought with swords. They’re fought with records, secrets, bureaucracy, manipulation, and the ability to shape what people believe.
If that sounds like your sort of thing, here are five books worth checking out.
This is probably the clearest example of what I’m talking about.
Baru comes from a conquered people and decides she’s going to destroy the empire that took her homeland.
The twist is that she doesn’t do it with an army.
She does it through administration. Tax policy. Economics. Bureaucracy.
It’s a novel where financial systems are weapons and accounting can be more dangerous than a sword.
What makes the book so compelling is the cost. To use the empire’s tools, Baru has to understand them. To understand them, she has to become part of them.
The result is one of the most devastating political fantasies I’ve ever read.
You could put several K. J. Parker novels on this list, but this is probably the easiest place to start.
The protagonist isn’t a great warrior or a chosen hero. He’s an engineer.
When a city comes under threat, he survives through logistics, planning, deception, and sheer nerve.
The joy of the novel is watching an intelligent person solve impossible problems.
The horror is realising how easily practical solutions can become moral compromises.
Parker understands better than almost anyone that institutions often run on paperwork, procedure, and people convincing themselves they’re being reasonable.
Abraham is interested in leverage rather than spectacle. Most of the important moments involve negotiations, agreements, obligations, and people understanding things their opponents don’t.
Very little is settled by violence.
Almost everything is settled by information.
What I love about Abraham’s work is that he never loses sight of the human cost. These aren’t abstract political manoeuvres. They’re choices that affect real people.
If you’ve read any of these books, I’d love to know what you thought of them.
And if you’ve got recommendations for fantasy novels where information, bureaucracy, espionage, or institutional power sit at the heart of the story, let me know. I’m always looking for more.
A week of adventure in the Lake District with Galloway’s, including sailing, canoeing, fell walking, Rydal Cave and plenty of new experiences.
I didn’t do any writing last week.
And, for once, I’m very happy about that.
I spent the week in the Lake District on an adventure week with Galloway’s, a charity supporting blind and visually impaired people.
We were based around Coniston, and the week was packed with activities. It was a chance to get outdoors, try some new things, meet other visually impaired people, and learn how they approach activities that I’d either never tried before or hadn’t thought much about doing without sight.
One of the first adventures was canoeing out on the lake.
We used a tethered raft made from two three-person canoes tied together, which gave us a stable platform for getting out onto the water. The lake itself was surprisingly warm, certainly warmer than I’d expected.
Being in the Lake District in good weather is always impressive, but spending so much of the week outside, moving through the landscape rather than simply visiting somewhere, gave me a very different experience of it.
The highlight, though, was sailing.
We went out on a Dart catamaran in some very windy conditions.
And it was brilliant.
At one point, we apparently hit around 32 knots. I can’t verify that personally because I was rather occupied with hanging on, but it certainly felt fast.
Really fast.
The combination of the wind, the movement of the boat and the water rushing past was exhilarating. Of everything we did during the week, sailing was the thing that immediately made me think: I need to do more of this.
So I’m now going to have a look at what sailing opportunities there are closer to home.
One of the best parts of the week wasn’t any particular activity, though. It was getting to know the other people there.
It was interesting hearing about how other blind and visually impaired people do things, what activities they’re involved with, and the opportunities that are out there if you know where to look.
I came away with quite a few ideas for things I’d like to try.
And, inevitably, plenty of story fuel.
There’s something useful about getting away from the desk and having completely different experiences. The physical sensations of being on a catamaran in high winds, scrambling up a fell, entering a cave or paddling across a lake are the sort of details that eventually find their way into stories, even when you’re not consciously looking for them.
So, no words written last week.
But after a fantastic week in the Lakes, I think the break was probably worth far more than another few chapters.
This week I swap writing for an Adventure Week in the Lake District with Galloway’s, trying canoeing, fell climbing and sailing, including a brilliant session on a Dart catamaran.
This week’s Author Diary is a little different because I did absolutely no writing.
Instead, I spent the week at Coniston in the Lake District on an Adventure Week organised by Galloway’s, a charity supporting blind and visually impaired people.
It was a brilliant week packed with canoeing, sailing, fell climbing and plenty of other activities.
One of the best parts was getting to meet other blind and visually impaired people, hearing how they approach different challenges, and picking up ideas about ways of doing things that I hadn’t considered before.
The highlight for me was definitely the sailing. I especially loved getting out on a Dart catamaran, which was enormous fun. It’s something I’d really like to do more of, so I’m now looking into what sailing opportunities might be available locally.
No word count this week, then, but plenty of new experiences, new people and perhaps the start of a new hobby.
This week I prepare RAF Dragon Corps Book 3 for my editor, begin drafting The Hammer and the Crown, share my thoughts on Soulsmith and decide to take a much-needed break.
This week I’ve been getting RAF Dragon Corps Book 3 ready to send to my editor.
After finishing the draft, I’ve been working through the manuscript one last time, checking that everything is in place before handing it over.
I’ve also started drafting The Hammer and the Crown, the fourth book in my Ravenglass Legends series. It feels good to be back with Ragnar and Maja and moving forward with the next stage of the story.
On the reading front, I’m halfway through Soulsmith by Will Wight. I really enjoyed Unsouled, but I’ve found parts of the second book harder to follow. I’m going to keep reading for now, as so many readers love the Cradle series, and I’m hoping the story finds its footing again.
I also talk about feeling increasingly tired. I haven’t had a proper break since our trip to Rome in May, so I’ve decided to take next week off and give myself some time to recharge.
What if your honesty, diligence, and loyalty made you part of the problem? A look at institutions, complicity, and the central question behind the fantasy spy thriller Silent Watcher.
One of the questions that sits underneath Silent Watcher is surprisingly simple: What if you’re part of the problem?
Not the villain. Not the mastermind. Not the person giving the orders. Just someone doing their job.
It’s an uncomfortable question because most of us naturally imagine we’d be the exception.
When we read about corruption, institutional failures, or historical injustices, we picture ourselves as the person who would have spotted it. The whistleblower. The dissenter. The person who refused to go along with it.
Very few people imagine themselves as the person quietly helping the system function.
Yet that’s where most people live.
Not because they’re bad people.
Because most institutions are built from ordinary people doing work they believe matters.
The uncomfortable truth is that systems rarely depend on villains.
They depend on competent people. People who show up every day and do their jobs well.
Most of the time, those people don’t see the whole picture.
The person filling in the form doesn’t know where the form goes next.
The person writing the report doesn’t know how it will be used.
The person recording an event doesn’t know who benefits from the record.
Everyone sees a small part of the machine.
That’s what makes these systems so effective.
The people inside them don’t need to be wicked.
They just need to keep doing their jobs.
What interested me most wasn’t the discovery of corruption.
It was what comes afterwards.
Imagine discovering that you helped something harmful happen.
Now imagine discovering that your best qualities were the reason.
Your strengths. Your honesty. Your diligence.
The institution didn’t need to exploit your flaws.
It relied on your virtues.
That’s a much harder thing to live with.
It’s one thing to discover you made a mistake. It’s another to discover that the qualities you’re proudest of were exactly what made you useful.
When I started writing Silent Watcher, I knew the protagonist couldn’t be cynical.
She had to believe.
Anselma has spent twenty years serving an organisation she genuinely respects. She believes in its mission. She believes in its values. She believes she’s helping preserve the truth.
She’s good at her job.
She’s proud of her work.
She’s convinced she’s one of the good people.
That’s what makes the story work.
A cynic expects corruption. A believer doesn’t.
When a cynic discovers a lie, they shrug.
When a believer discovers a lie, the discovery threatens their entire sense of self.
Because suddenly the question isn’t whether the institution can be trusted.
It’s whether they can trust themselves.
I won’t spoil where Anselma’s story goes. But I will say this was the question I kept returning to while writing the book:
If you were diligent, decent, honest, and loyal, would you have seen what was happening?
Or would those very qualities have made you useful to the system?
I’d like to think I’d have noticed.
I’d like to think I’d have asked the difficult questions.
Most of us would.
But that’s exactly why I find the question interesting.
I’m not sure any of us really know the answer.
And I suspect admitting that uncertainty is probably the most honest place to start.
Silent Watcher is a standalone fantasy spy thriller about a woman who serves the truth inside an institution that has learned to manufacture it.
For readers of Seth Dickinson, John le Carré, and K. J. Parker.
This week: I finished RAF Dragon Corps Book 3, began The Hammer and the Crown, completed two long-abandoned stories, and enjoyed Unsouled by Will Wight.
This week I wrapped up my draft of RAF Dragon Corps Book 3.
I’ll be letting it rest for a while before coming back with fresh eyes, but it’s always a great feeling to reach the end of another novel.
With that finished, I’ve started outlining—and even written the first chapter of—The Hammer and the Crown, the fifth book in my Ravenglass Legends series. It feels good to be returning to Ragnar and Maja.
I also decided to tackle a couple of older projects as part of my ongoing audit of unfinished work.
I completed Family of the Wasteland, a novella I originally drafted back in 2017. It’s now available exclusively on my Patreon, where even free members can download and read it.
I also finished Threads of Wolfsbane, a Ravenglass Legends prequel starring Maja. That story will be landing on Patreon this weekend, and I’m pleased to finally cross another long-standing project off the list.
On the reading front, I’ve been reading Unsouled by Will Wight and thoroughly enjoyed it.
It’s my first real taste of progression fantasy. I’m still not entirely sure where the genre boundaries lie, but the focus on steadily developing the protagonist’s abilities gave it an almost anime-like feel.
A really entertaining read, and I’m looking forward to continuing the series.
Looking for the best revenge fantasy books? These eight dark fantasy tales begin with loss, betrayal or murder, then grow into something far bigger.
The best revenge fantasy books begin with one wound.
A murdered parent. A burned home. A betrayal by someone who should have been trusted. The protagonist sets out after one person, one name, one debt to settle.
For a while, that seems to be the whole story.
Then the trail opens up. The killer was hired. The person who paid them answers to somebody higher. A private act of revenge becomes a conspiracy, a war, or a fight for control of an entire kingdom.
That is what I love about revenge fantasy.
Revenge gets a character moving. It gives them a purpose when grief has taken everything else away. But it rarely stays simple. The deeper they go, the more they learn that the world is bigger, darker and more complicated than the loss that first set them on the road.
The old template is The Count of Monte Cristo. Edmond Dantès begins as an innocent man destroyed by betrayal, but the real story is not whether he gets revenge. It is what revenge turns him into.
Fantasy has been using that formula ever since.
Here are eight revenge fantasy books that start with a single wound and refuse to remain small.
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
For revenge fantasy stripped down to its sharpest form, start here.
Monza Murcatto is the most feared mercenary captain in Styria until the duke she serves betrays her, murders her brother and throws her from a balcony. She survives, broken in body and changed in spirit, with seven names on her list.
What follows is a bloody journey through a country built on poison, politics and betrayal.
Abercrombie understands that revenge is never clean. Every name Monza crosses off costs her something. Every victory makes the rest of her world more dangerous. Her private vendetta soon becomes tangled up in a conflict that threatens cities, armies and nations.
The dialogue is sharp. The violence is ugly. The characters are compromised in ways that make them hard to trust and impossible to ignore.
Read this if you want revenge fantasy that is brutal, clever and morally murky. It earns its grimdark reputation.
The immortal ruler of the Final Empire took everything from him in the brutal slave pits where people are worked until they die. Kelsier survives, discovers extraordinary magical abilities, and comes out with a smile and a plan to bring the whole system down.
But this is not revenge with a dagger in an alleyway.
It is a heist. A rebellion. A plan to overthrow an empire that has stood for a thousand years. At its heart is Vin, a young street thief who becomes far more important than Kelsier first expects.
What begins as one man’s rage becomes a fight for hope.
Sanderson writes with clarity and momentum. The magic system is easy to understand but gives the action real weight, and the story keeps widening as it goes.
Read Mistborn if you want revenge fantasy that turns into revolution, adventure and something unexpectedly hopeful.
Rin claws her way out of poverty and into the Empire’s most prestigious military academy.
At first, The Poppy War has the shape of a school fantasy. There are rival students, brutal lessons, prejudice and a protagonist trying to prove she belongs in a world determined to keep her out.
Then war comes.
Rin’s anger, humiliation and need to prove herself become something much bigger once she is given real power. What begins as a personal struggle turns into a devastating story about war, atrocity and the terrible temptation of revenge.
Kuang does not make vengeance easy to cheer for. She forces you to sit with the consequences of it.
This is a hard book in places. It deals with extreme violence and horrific events. But for readers who want a revenge story that asks what happens when rage is handed the power to destroy nations, it is one of the strongest modern fantasy novels in the field.
By the time the story begins, he is fourteen years old, leading a band of cutthroats through a broken empire and willing to do terrible things to get what he wants.
The murder of Jorg’s family is the wound at the centre of the story. But his ambitions quickly grow beyond the people directly responsible. Revenge becomes a route towards power, then a route towards the throne itself.
Jorg is not a hero in any straightforward sense. He is cruel, clever and often deeply unpleasant.
That is the point.
Mark Lawrence writes an antihero who does not ask to be forgiven. The book is bleak, violent and darkly funny, with a ruined world gradually revealing more beneath the surface.
Read this if you want revenge fantasy with an unapologetically ruthless protagonist.
This is science fiction rather than traditional fantasy, but it belongs on this list.
Darrow is a Red, part of the lowest caste in a rigid society built on Mars. He believes he is helping prepare the planet for future generations. Then the ruling class murders his wife, and he learns the truth.
The surface has been habitable for centuries. His people have been enslaved by a lie.
Darrow’s grief becomes a mission. He is remade, sent into the world of the ruling Golds, and forced to survive a brutal proving ground designed to turn young people into leaders, killers and tyrants.
One woman’s death becomes a revolution against an entire civilisation.
The pace is relentless. The politics are ruthless. The stakes rise fast and keep rising.
Read Red Rising if you want a revenge story that becomes a war for the future of the world.
Jemisin begins with a woman whose husband has murdered their son and taken their daughter.
On the same day, the world itself begins to fall apart.
Essun sets out across a dying continent to find the man who wronged her and the child he has taken. That search leads into one of the most original fantasy worlds of recent years, a place shaped by catastrophe, oppression and the constant threat of destruction.
This is revenge folded into grief, apocalypse and a furious reckoning with power.
The personal story and the wider crisis are never separate. Essun’s loss is part of something far larger, and the structure of the novel reveals that connection with real force.
The prose is assured. The worldbuilding is unlike anything else. The book asks a great deal from the reader, but it pays that attention back.
Read The Fifth Season if you want revenge fantasy with literary weight and an uncompromising vision.
Sometimes the wound is inflicted on a family. Sometimes revenge becomes a war between clans.
In Janloon, jade gives power to those strong enough to wield it, and two rival families maintain an uneasy grip on the city. When that balance begins to break, the Kaul family is pulled into a conflict that costs them blood, loyalty and certainty.
What begins with insult, pride and violent reprisals becomes a fight for the future of an entire city.
Fonda Lee writes this with the energy of a great crime saga. Family obligations, political pressure, personal ambition and old grudges all tighten together until nobody can step away without losing something important.
Read Jade City if you want revenge fantasy with the sweep of a family epic and the tension of organised crime.
Soren is a sculptor’s apprentice in a quiet fishing town. He dreams of a bigger life and spends his days arguing with his best friend Alaric about whose work is worse.
Then he comes home and finds his father murdered.
Nothing has been stolen. The killer wanted something else, and nobody can tell Soren what.
Soren and Alaric set out to find the man responsible. Their search leads to rumours of an assassins’ guild, the kind of organisation the magistrates insist does not exist.
That is where the story grows.
The trail takes them far from home and into a remote training compound where recruits are tested against one another. They learn how to fight, hide, track, survive and kill. The only way out is to pass.
Soren begins with one question: who killed my father, and why?
But the deeper he goes, the harder question becomes this: what are you willing to become to get the answer?
I wanted the friendship between Soren and Alaric to sit at the heart of the story. They begin as two ordinary lads in over their heads, and their loyalty is tested when the Guild starts asking them to cross lines they cannot uncross.
It is fast-paced, friendship-led assassin fantasy with deadly training, wyverns, dark secrets and little romance.
Grief, rage and the refusal to let injustice stand are powerful reasons to act. They get characters moving when fear, caution or common sense might otherwise keep them at home.
But the best revenge fantasy books know that revenge is only the beginning.
It is a door.
Walk through it, and the world on the other side is bigger than your grief. The person you wanted to punish was only the nearest part of something much larger. The real cost is not always paid by your enemy.
Often, it is paid by you.
That is what makes these stories last. They are not simply about whether someone gets what they deserve. They are about what revenge does to the person who carries it.
Where to Start With Revenge Fantasy
For grimdark revenge at its finest, start with Best Served Cold.
For revenge that grows into rebellion and hope, choose Mistborn: The Final Empire.
For a devastating story about war and vengeance, read The Poppy War.
For an antihero you may not like but will struggle to forget, try Prince of Thorns.
And for a fast-paced assassin fantasy about friendship, grief and a murdered father’s unanswered questions, pick up Guild of Assassins.
Follow the wound.
It rarely leads where you expect.
Claim Your Free Copy of Guild Assassin
Behind every perfect assassination lies an imperfect conscience.
In a world where death is another transaction, Soren executes contracts with perfect precision.
Wielding a ravenglass dagger that hungers for essence and leaves only ash, he moves through the shadowy politics of Nordturm and beyond.
But when his targets begin to reflect the humanity he has tried to bury, the Guild’s most reliable assassin faces a different kind of contract: one written on his conscience.
From political schemes to quiet acts of rebellion, these dark fantasy tales examine the cost of loyalty and the unexpected mercy found in darkness.
This week: Five of Swords goes to my editor, I proof-listen to The Ravenglass Throne audiobook, and audit more than 15 unfinished novels from the past decade.
This week I finished Five of Swords and sent the manuscript off to my editor, marking another milestone in The Ravenglass Chronicles.
I also completed a proof-listen of The Ravenglass Throne: Parts 5–8 audiobook, and once again Emmy Coates has done an outstanding job bringing the story to life. I can’t wait for listeners to hear it.
One of the more interesting things I did this week was a full audit of all my open writing projects. The results surprised even me: more than 15 novels, around 10 novellas, and several short stories in various stages of completion—including ideas dating back more than a decade.
Some of them still excite me and will definitely get finished. Others have probably had their day. It was a fascinating exercise in taking stock and deciding which stories are still worth telling.
