Jon Cronshaw – The King of Nobledark
Author of epic fantasy with heart, grit, and moral weight. Where hope bleeds, but never dies.
This week, I wrote a new Soren short story for Patreon, set in the Guild of Assassins universe, and talk about managing SAD and winding down for the Christmas break.
This week, I wrote a new Soren short story set in the Guild of Assassins universe, exclusively for Patreon supporters.
It’s always great to return to Soren’s world and explore new corners of the guild.
I also talk about struggling with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and how I’m starting to wind down for the Christmas break to rest and reset before the new year.
This week, I launched The Ravenglass Throne boxed set, released Punks Versus Zombies and Trial of Thieves on audiobook, and answered questions about my writing process and worldbuilding.
This week’s been packed with releases and reader questions!
I launched The Ravenglass Throne: Parts 1–4 as a boxed set, available now in ebook and paperback formats.
The Punks Versus Zombies audiobook is now live, as is the Trial of Thieves audiobook (Dawn of Assassins, Book 2)—great news if you’re an audio listener!
I also took time to answer questions from readers about my writing process and worldbuilding techniques.
This week, I took a mini-break to Chester, enjoying peaceful walks in Delamere Forest, the stunning Chester Cathedral, and strolling the historic city walls—a great way to reset.
Creatively, I’ve been working on Hunters, my wacky Space Western originally written as a Patreon side project. I’m now rewriting it as a nautical fantasy set in the Ravenglass Universe, and it’s been a fun challenge adapting the tone and setting while keeping the spirit of the original.
I also reflect on my prolific writing strategy—following my energy and excitement rather than rigid plans, which keeps things creatively fulfilling.
Elsewhere, Trial of Thieves has now been submitted to ACX, so the Audible edition should be available soon.
And my interview with the British Fantasy Society just went live—check it out at https://britishfantasysociety.org/meet-jon-cronshaw/
Punks Versus Zombies trilogy – all three books go live on August 31 (paperbacks are already available, audiobooks in production).
Dark Gambit (The Ravenglass Throne: Part Six) – launches September 1 on Amazon.
The Ravenglass Throne (Parts One to Four boxset) – goes live September 15 (paperback available, audiobook in production).
The Ravenglass Throne: Part Seven – need to schedule the final three chapters for Patreon.
The Ravenglass Throne Parts Eight to Twelve.
Dragon Squadron (RAF Dragon Corps, book 1).
Ravenglass Legends book 4 – 70% complete, chapters posting on Patreon.
The Silent Watcher (Ravenglass Guardians).
Hunters – rewrite from space opera to nautical fantasy, 50% complete.
Sentinel’s Mercy (Ravenglass Guardians) – 40% through first draft.
Scoundrels – 25% first draft (last worked on March 2025).
Mark, The Chosen One – 70% first draft (last worked on April 2025).
Dawn of Assassins 4 – last worked on July 2024.
Guild of Assassins 4 – last worked on January 2025.
Lord Sidebottom novel – 25% first draft (last worked on April 2025).
Churchill’s Dragons (RAF Dragon Corps, book 2) – 10% (last worked on March 2025).
Pen name sci-fi book 2 – 20% (last worked on June 2025).
Ravenglass Guardians – Seekers.
Ravenglass Guardians – Keepers.
Ravenglass Guardians – Apothecaries.
Ravenglass Guardians – Inquisitors.
Ravenglass Guardians – Shadows.
This week, I began work on my new seven-book nobledark fantasy series about the Guardians in the Ravenglass Universe, reaching 25% of Book 1. Plus, I share why I’m focusing on shorter, 60k-word novels.
This week, I’ve dived into my new series set in the Ravenglass Universe, focusing on the Guardians—a seven-novel, nobledark fantasy exploring the different paths within the order. I’ve written the first six chapters of Book 1, putting me at 25% of the draft already.
I also reflect on my shift toward writing more 60,000-word novels, similar in length to the Guild of Assassins books. This feels like the sweet spot for the kinds of focused, intense stories I want to tell going forward. Exciting times ahead!
In The Fall of Wolfsbane, Ragnar and Maja Wolfsbane face cultural erasure under an empire determined to reshape them. Discover how this epic fantasy novel explores identity, resistance, and survival when everything familiar is lost.
One of the central themes in The Fall of Wolfsbane is the question of identity.
What happens when everything that defines you — your home, your language, your customs — is taken away?
Who do you become when your world is conquered?
This is the struggle that shapes both Ragnar and Maja Wolfsbane in The Fall of Wolfsbane.
Their story is about more than war. It is about survival in a world designed to erase them.
When I created the Ostreich Empire, I wanted it to reflect a truth found in history.
Empires do not only conquer land. They conquer culture. They rename cities. They rewrite history. They teach the conquered that their way is the only way.
This is the process of cultural assimilation.
It is not always done with swords and soldiers. Often, it is done with schools, religion, and ceremony. It is done with laws and language. It is done slowly—until people forget what they lost.
Ragnar’s story is shaped by this pressure to assimilate.
As a hostage in the Empire, he is forced to learn their ways. He must speak their language. He must fight with their weapons. He must survive within their rules. But Ragnar never fully becomes one of them.
He learns to adapt without surrendering who he is. He keeps his father’s name. He remembers the songs and stories of his people. Even when he earns a title in the Empire, he carries his past like a hidden blade.
For Ragnar, survival does not mean forgetting.
It means waiting. It means learning. It means biding his time.
Maja faces a different challenge. She is taken to the Empire’s capital as a living trophy.
Her captors want to civilise her — to cut her hair, change her clothes, and teach her how to walk, speak, and dance like them.
But Maja resists in every way she can. She learns their lessons, but only to use them against them. She speaks their words, but dreams in her own tongue. She is clever enough to survive their court, but never lets herself become what they want her to be.
Maja’s resistance is quiet.
It is the resistance of memory. It is the refusal to forget who you are, no matter how isolated or powerless you feel.
For Maja, identity is a weapon. It keeps her alive. It keeps her strong.
I believe fantasy is at its most powerful when it reflects the struggles of the real world.
Throughout history, countless cultures have faced erasure at the hands of empire.
Languages have been banned. Traditions have been outlawed. Stories have been lost.
But there is always resistance. There are always people who remember. There are always voices that survive.
In The Fall of Wolfsbane, this is the heart of the story.
Ragnar and Maja are not just fighting for their lives. They are fighting for their culture. For their names. For their future.
That is the question I want readers to carry with them. Who are you when your home is taken? When your language is forbidden? When your stories are silenced?
For Ragnar and Maja, the answer is simple. You survive. You remember. You resist.
Even in the heart of the Empire, they carry the spirit of Meerand.
They are Wolfsbanes. And that will never be forgotten.
Discover how The Fall of Wolfsbane explores coming of age in a world shaped by war and empire. Follow Ragnar and Maja Wolfsbane as they navigate survival, resistance, and identity in this gritty epic fantasy of conquest and rebellion.
The Fall of Wolfsbane is a story shaped by war, conquest, and survival, but at its heart, it is also a coming-of-age story.
It follows Ragnar and Maja Wolfsbane—a brother and sister forced to grow up in a world shattered by empire.
Their parallel arcs show two very different journeys into adulthood, shaped by loss, resistance, and the search for identity.
When I set out to write The Fall of Wolfsbane, I knew I didn’t want a traditional coming-of-age story.
I wanted to show what happens when childhood ends too soon.
For Ragnar and Maja, there is no gentle transition into adulthood.
There are no safe mentors or welcoming communities.
Their world is broken from the start.
Their home is conquered. Their father is executed. Their people are scattered.
They don’t get to choose to grow up. They are forced to.
Ragnar begins the story as the heir to Meerand, raised in a warrior culture built on tradition, honour, and strength.
He believes in clear lines between right and wrong.
But when the Ostreich Empire conquers his home and takes him hostage, his world collapses.
Ragnar’s coming of age is shaped by adaptation.
He learns to survive within the very empire he hates.
He forms bonds with his captors. He learns their language, their fighting styles, and their politics.
Yet he never fully loses his identity as a Wolfsbane.
His growth is painful.
He carries shame for not dying in battle like his father.
But his survival is not weakness.
It becomes a different kind of strength — one built on patience, understanding, and strategic thinking.
Ragnar’s journey shows how coming of age sometimes means letting go of who you were — without forgetting who you are.
Maja’s arc runs parallel to Ragnar’s but follows a very different path.
While Ragnar is forced to adapt, Maja is determined to resist.
She is taken to the Empire’s capital and paraded as a project — a symbol of civilisation imposed on a conquered people.
But Maja never accepts her role.
Outwardly, she learns the Empire’s customs. She studies their language and culture. But inwardly, she plans her escape.
Maja’s coming of age is shaped by rebellion.
She becomes skilled at subtle defiance. She learns when to wait, when to listen, and when to strike.
Her journey shows the power of inner resistance — of surviving with your identity intact even when everything around you is designed to erase it.
What I love most about writing Ragnar and Maja is that neither of them has the luxury of a safe childhood.
They both grow up too fast. They both suffer loss, betrayal, and isolation. But their responses are shaped by their circumstances.
Ragnar finds strength in adaptation.
Maja finds strength in resistance.
Both paths are valid. Both paths require courage.
Their parallel arcs reflect the reality of growing up in a broken world.
Some people learn to live within it.
Others fight to change it.
Sometimes, survival means doing both.
Epic fantasy has always been a genre where coming of age stories thrive.
But I wanted The Fall of Wolfsbane to approach this theme from a darker, more grounded angle.
I wanted to show how growing up isn’t always about gaining power or reaching a grand destiny.
Sometimes, coming of age is about surviving loss.
Sometimes, it’s about holding on to who you are when everything is taken.
Ragnar and Maja’s journeys are only beginning in The Fall of Wolfsbane.
But their paths are already shaped by the hard lessons of a world torn apart by empire.
Their story is about finding strength in the ruins.
It’s about identity, loyalty, and the cost of survival.
And for both of them, growing up will never mean forgetting where they came from.
iscover The Fall of Wolfsbane, a gritty epic fantasy novel of war, empire, and survival. Follow Ragnar and Maja Wolfsbane as they fight for identity, resist conquest, and uncover the dark magic of ravenglass weapons.
The Fall of Wolfsbane is the first book in my epic fantasy series, Ravenglass Legends.
It is a story about war, empire, and survival. It is a story about identity and resistance in a world shaped by conquest.
I wanted to write a fantasy novel that didn’t shy away from the complexity of empire.
This isn’t a simple tale of good versus evil. It’s a story about people caught in impossible situations.It’s about the cost of survival and the price of power.
The novel follows two main characters.
Ragnar Wolfsbane is a warrior and heir to the northern territory of Meerand.
His world is destroyed when the expansionist Ostreich Empire conquers his homeland.
He watches his father executed. He is taken hostage. He is forced to live among the people who murdered his family and renamed his home.
Ragnar is a character shaped by loss and rage. But he is also a character who learns to adapt.
He forms alliances. He learns the language of the Empire. He survives by understanding his enemies.
Maja Wolfsbane, Ragnar’s younger sister, is taken to the imperial capital and is forced into the role of a court project, paraded as proof that the Empire civilises its captives.But Maja has her own quiet resistance.
She learns their ways while never forgetting her own. She uses their lessons against them. She plots her escape in secret.
I wanted the dual narrative to show two sides of the same war.
One sibling survives within the Empire. The other fights to break free from it.
The world of The Fall of Wolfsbane is shaped by politics, power, and cultural conflict. It’s a world where ancient magic exists but comes at a cost.
Magic in my story is tied to blood, memory, and sacrifice.
Ravenglass is a rare black mineral that can be forged into weapons.
These weapons aren’t just tools—they are bound to the person who creates them.
To forge a ravenglass weapon, blood must be spilled, tears must be shed.
I wanted magic to feel dangerous. I wanted it to feel personal.
At its heart, The Fall of Wolfsbane is about identity.
It’s about what we cling to when everything else is taken. It’s about how we change when we are forced to survive in hostile worlds.
The story is gritty and violent at times, but I never wanted it to feel nihilistic.
There is honour in resistance.
There is courage in survival.
Ragnar and Maja both carry the spirit of their lost home, even as they are shaped by the Empire.
They are both forced to make impossible choices.
Sometimes they win. Sometimes they lose. But they endure.
I wrote The Fall of Wolfsbane for readers who enjoy complex worlds and morally grey characters, for readers who want their fantasy to feel real, grounded, and emotionally honest.
If you enjoy stories about empire, rebellion, and the quiet strength of those who resist, I think you’ll find something here for you.
This is a story about conquest. This is a story about resistance. This is a story about magic that hurts and heals in equal measure.
This is The Fall of Wolfsbane. And this is only the beginning…
Enter the Assassins’ Guild in Forged in Blood, a dark fantasy of loyalty, betrayal, and brutal training. Available now on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and paperback.
The wait is over!
Forged in Blood is now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and paperback.
Welcome to Welttor, where assassins are trained, loyalty is a liability, and the only way forward is through blood.
Soren never sought out the life of an assassin. He was a sculptor’s apprentice—until the night his father was murdered.
Now, he and his closest friend, Alaric, have joined the secretive Assassins’ Guild, training under Raz, the very man responsible for his father’s death.
Their brutal education will push them to their limits, demanding mastery of combat, stealth, and deception.
But survival in the Guild is not guaranteed.
As their training intensifies, the line between ally and rival begins to blur.
Their final test will determine who deserves a place among the Guild’s ranks—and who will be left behind.
If you enjoy dark fantasy, morally complex characters, and the brutal path from apprentice to assassin, Forged in Blood belongs on your shelf.
🔹 No romance. No mercy. Just a blade between you and the next step forward.
🔹 Perfect for fans of Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie, and Brent Weeks.
🔹 Read now on Kindle or Kindle Unlimited.
Sharpen your blade. The Guild awaits.
Political fantasy does more than entertain—it reflects real-world power struggles, corruption, and leadership. Explore how The Ravenglass Throne and other fantasy worlds mirror political dynamics in our own society.
Political fantasy has grown in popularity over the past decade.
Audiences are drawn to its complex characters, intricate plots, and high-stakes power struggles.
Beyond the dragons, magic, and medieval settings lies something deeply familiar.
Fantasy often mirrors the same power dynamics that shape our own world.
When crafting The Ravenglass Throne series, I found myself drawing parallels between fantasy politics and real-world systems of power.
Sometimes, this was intentional.
Other times, it was entirely subconscious.
Fantasy has long served as a way to examine real-world issues from a safe distance.
By shifting political conflicts to imaginary realms, authors can explore sensitive topics without directly challenging existing power structures.
This tradition dates back to works like Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels and continues in modern political fantasy.
In The Ravenglass Throne, the struggle between noble houses after the king’s assassination reflects historical succession crises.
Baron Gerlach’s manipulation of evidence to frame House Darius echoes real-world propaganda tactics.
Political operatives have always used misinformation to discredit their opponents.
By placing these dynamics in a fantasy setting, readers can recognise familiar patterns.
The fantasy backdrop allows for critical examination without the emotional weight of real-world conflicts.
The ravenglass corruption spreading through Ostreich serves as a metaphor for institutional decay.
Just as real institutions can be corroded by self-interest, prejudice, and abuse of power, the kingdom’s magical foundation faces an existential threat.
Many refuse to acknowledge the crisis—until it is nearly too late.
Political scientist Joseph Nye distinguished between hard power (military and economic coercion) and soft power (persuasion and influence).
In The Ravenglass Throne, these ideas manifest through the three royal sisters.
Irmin embodies military strength and direct action.
She believes in confronting threats head-on.
Her leadership reflects the enduring importance of military force in politics, both in fantasy and reality.
Yet, the series also explores its limitations.
Even the sharpest sword cannot cut through corruption, mistrust, and divided loyalties.
Elana represents diplomatic influence and strategic alliance-building.
She understands that perception often matters more than reality.
In both fantasy and modern politics, power frequently operates through narrative control and relationship management rather than brute force.
Her visual impairment reminds us that those underestimated by traditional power structures often develop alternative ways to wield influence.
Adelinde reflects knowledge as power.
She embodies what political theorists call structural or institutional power—the ability to shape the systems that others must operate within.
Her research into ravenglass and its corruption represents how specialised knowledge can reveal vulnerabilities and opportunities.
These three approaches to power highlight a crucial truth: real-world leadership is rarely one-dimensional.
The most effective rulers combine multiple forms of influence.
Just as the three sisters must learn to unite their strengths, successful leaders adapt their methods to different challenges.
Fantasy often treats magic as a mystical force, detached from economic and political concerns.
In The Ravenglass Throne, I wanted to explore how a magical resource would inevitably become a source of political and economic power.
The control of ravenglass in Ostreich mirrors how access to oil, rare earth minerals, or water shapes political leverage in our world.
Those who control these resources wield immense influence.
Those without access remain vulnerable.
The Guardians’ knowledge of ravenglass mirrors the way technical expertise translates into political authority in modern society.
The corruption spreading through the ravenglass network reflects concerns about environmental degradation and resource depletion.
Just as real-world nations face the consequences of overusing finite resources, Ostreich’s leaders must confront the dangers of assuming their magical foundation is limitless.
Modern political discussions often revolve around identity—race, gender, class, and privilege.
Fantasy frequently reflects these dynamics while offering a space to reimagine them.
In The Ravenglass Throne, the question of whether a woman can inherit the throne mirrors real-world debates on gender and leadership.
Elana’s visual impairment challenges assumptions about disability—both in fantasy and modern society.
The different perspectives of wyverns and humans highlight how political systems often fail to account for all affected groups.
These elements are not decorative additions to make the world feel realistic.
They are central to the story’s exploration of power, legitimacy, and who gets a voice in political decisions.
Fantasy settings allow readers to reconsider their assumptions about leadership, representation, and privilege in an indirect but meaningful way.
Fantasy and real-world politics share one fundamental truth.
Power structures are ultimately shaped by personal relationships, loyalties, and betrayals.
Behind every major political shift—whether in Ostreich or our own world—lie individuals with complex motivations, ambitions, and fears.
The sisters’ strained relationship after their father’s death reflects how personal grief shapes political decision-making.
Baron Gerlach’s ambition and Lord Darius’s concern for appearances mirror the self-interest that drives political figures throughout history.
Even the bonds between wyverns and riders serve as a metaphor for how relationships shape our understanding of the world.
By exploring these interpersonal dimensions of power, fantasy reminds us that political systems are not just abstract institutions.
They are animated by real people, making choices based on values, survival, and strategy.
This recognition does not simplify politics.
It complicates it—because it demands an acknowledgment of the full humanity of everyone involved.
In a time of increasing political polarisation, fantasy offers a shared space where readers can explore complex political questions.
It allows discussions of power without triggering the defensive reactions that often arise in real-world debates.
When we recognise fictional power struggles as reflections of real-world dynamics, we gain fresh perspectives on issues that might otherwise seem insurmountable.
Like all political fantasy, The Ravenglass Throne offers more than escapism.
It serves as a laboratory for examining power—how it works, how it corrupts, and how it might be wielded more justly.
By journeying through Ostreich’s political crisis alongside the three royal sisters, readers are invited to reflect on their own relationship with power.
How do we seek it?
How do we use it?
How do we react when others wield it?
The best political fantasies do not simply recreate real-world power structures with added magic and monsters.
They help us imagine alternatives—new ways to govern, resolve conflicts, and distribute influence.
At a time when many real-world political systems face unprecedented challenges, this imaginative function of fantasy may be its greatest strength.
The Ravenglass Throne continues with monthly novella releases. Join Irmin, Elana, and Adelinde as they navigate the treacherous politics of a kingdom on the brink of collapse.
Explore the evolution of wyverns in fantasy, from medieval heraldry to psychic bonds. Discover how The Ravenglass Throne reinvents wyvern lore with unique biology, culture, and rider connections.
When I began creating the world of The Ravenglass Throne, I wanted flying mounts that weren’t simply dragons with a different name.
I wanted creatures with their own distinct biology, psychology, and cultural significance.
Wyverns, often overshadowed by their more famous draconic cousins, provided the perfect foundation to build upon.
Unlike the traditional Western dragon, which has four legs and wings, the wyvern has always been depicted with only two legs.
Throughout medieval European heraldry, wyverns symbolised strength, endurance, and protection.
The word “wyvern” comes from the Middle English wyvere or wiver, which derives from the Old North French wivre, ultimately linked to the Latin vipera, meaning viper or serpent.
Heraldic wyverns were often shown with bat-like wings, a reptilian body, and a barbed tail.
They were considered lesser dragons, frequently serving as sentinels or guardians rather than the monstrous adversaries of legend.
While dragons hoarded gold and fought knights, wyverns were protectors, marking borders and warning of danger.
This guardian role particularly appealed to me when developing the wyverns of the Ravenglass Universe.
Rather than existing as monsters to be slain, these creatures would form the backbone of the Kingdom’s defence—both literally and figuratively.
In developing the wyverns of The Ravenglass Throne, I wanted to ensure they were distinct from traditional dragons.
These differences help establish wyverns as a unique category of magical creature rather than just “dragons-lite.”
One of the biggest departures from traditional wyvern lore in The Ravenglass Throne is the psychic bond between rider and mount.
This element draws inspiration from contemporary fantasy, such as Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series and Robin Hobb‘s Realm of the Elderlings, rather than medieval mythology, where deep human-animal connections were rarely explored.
In creating the ravenglass network that strengthens these bonds, I wanted to explore several key themes:
This psychic link transforms wyverns from mere mounts into true partners, each with their own perspectives, desires, and motivations.
It also creates a unique social structure where relationships extend beyond simple human hierarchies.
I wanted the wyverns of The Ravenglass Throne to have their own culture, separate from human society.
They maintain distinct hierarchies, traditions, and a unique perspective on history—one that does not always align with human interests.
Witz, the royal wyvern, exemplifies this dual existence.
Though deeply connected to the royal family, he retains his own agenda and understanding of the Kingdom’s needs.
Sometimes, this means contradicting or challenging his human counterparts.
This cultural complexity prevents the wyverns from becoming mere exotic accessories to human drama.
They have stakes in Ostreich’s future, which sometimes align with humanity’s goals—and sometimes do not.
In developing wyvern biology, I wanted a system that felt both magical and grounded in natural laws.
The connection between ravenglass and wyvern physiology provides this foundation.
Instead of fire-breathing, Ostreich’s wyverns have evolved alongside ravenglass deposits, developing biological systems that resonate with this rare substance.
This resonance allows for the psychic bonding that defines rider-mount relationships and forms the backbone of the Kingdom’s power structure.
It also raises high stakes when the ravenglass network becomes corrupted.
The physical symptoms of this corruption—dulled scales, erratic behaviour, weakened flight capacity—manifest the unseen damage to the magical system that sustains them.
Beyond their role in the world’s mechanics, wyverns in The Ravenglass Throne serve as metaphors for several core themes in the series.
The rider-wyvern bond represents both the power and the risk of making oneself vulnerable to another.
The ravenglass network’s degradation mirrors the slow corruption of once-trusted institutions, often unnoticed until it reaches a crisis point.
The relationship between humans and wyverns reflects larger questions of power dynamics, interdependence, and the tension between control and partnership.
By developing wyverns as complex beings rather than traditional monsters or simple steeds, I’ve aimed to create creatures that feel both familiar to fantasy readers and fresh enough to support new storytelling possibilities.
Wyverns provided the perfect balance for The Ravenglass Throne—creatures with enough mythological resonance to feel at home in fantasy, but with enough flexibility to reinvent and deepen their role.
Their bipedal form, inability to breathe fire, and unique psychology all serve both worldbuilding and thematic purposes.
They aren’t just dragons with fewer limbs—they are their own distinct species with their own place in Ostreich’s complex ecosystem of power.
As the series continues, the nature and significance of these creatures will only grow, as will our understanding of the ravenglass network that binds them to their human partners—for better or worse.
Discover the world of wyverns and their riders in The Ravenglass Throne series, with new novellas releasing monthly on all major ebook platforms.
