Forged in Blood is out now! This week’s diary includes free Guild of Assassins short stories, available to download, plus thoughts on watching the intense Netflix drama Adolescence.
This week, I’m excited to announce that Forged in Blood is now available! It’s always a great feeling getting a new book out into the world.
I’ve also been working on some new Guild of Assassins short stories, which are now available to download for free at joncronshaw.com/guildassassin. If you’re enjoying the series, these are a great way to dig deeper into the world.
On the viewing front, I watched Adolescence on Netflix—a gritty, intense drama that I highly recommend if you’re in the mood for something powerful and thought-provoking.
This week, I finished drafting Hunters and shared updates on three April book launches: Forged in Blood, Wyvern’s Shadow, and Blade of Sorrows. Plus, new Guild of Assassins stories coming to Patreon!
This week, I finished the draft of Hunters—a gritty Space Western I’ve really enjoyed working on.
I’m still undecided on what to do with it long-term, but for now, it may stay as a Patreon-only project.
April is shaping up to be huge, with three book launches on the way: 📖 Forged in Blood (Guild of Assassins, book 2) – April 4 🐉 Wyvern’s Shadow (The Ravenglass Throne: Part Two) – April 12 ⚔️ Blade of Sorrows (Guild of Assassins, book 3) – April 17
I also wrote a couple of Guild of Assassins short stories, which I’ll be sharing on Patreon over the coming weeks.
Plenty of exciting content on the way—thanks for following along!
This week, I finished Dragon Squadron and shift focus to prepping three upcoming book launches: Wyvern’s Shadow, Forged in Blood, and Blade of Sorrows. Time to wrap up open projects!
This week, I wrapped up the draft of Dragon Squadron (RAF Dragon Corps), and I’m thrilled with how it’s turned out.
But with three book launches on the horizon—Wyvern’s Shadow (The Ravenglass Throne: Part Two), Forged in Blood, and Blade of Sorrows—my focus now shifts to prepping those releases.
In this episode, I reflect on the many open projects I’ve got on the go and the importance of staying focused rather than jumping into something new (no matter how tempting!).
It’s time to clear the decks before taking on the next big adventure.
Discover how dark fantasy turns heroes into villains. From Forged in Blood by Jon Cronshaw, explore Soren’s transformation and why the most compelling villains are created through rational choices and moral compromise.
The most compelling villains are often failed heroes.
In Forged in Blood, the second book in the Guild of Assassinstrilogy, we witness Soren’s transformation from a justice-seeking youth into someone who can kill his closest friend without hesitation.
His journey exemplifies how dark fantasy creates villains not through sudden falls, but through a series of rational choices that lead to monstrous ends.
The Path to Darkness
What makes these transformations fascinating isn’t the destination, but the journey.
Soren begins with a noble goal: finding justice for his father’s murder.
Yet each step toward that goal requires compromise.
Learning to kill becomes necessary for survival.
Betrayal becomes a tactical advantage.
Friendship becomes a liability.
Morality becomes an obstacle.
The Rational Monster
The true horror in these stories lies not in dramatic moments of evil, but in how reasonable each choice seems.
When Soren finally betrays Alaric, it’s not a moment of malicious triumph—it’s the logical conclusion to a path he’s been walking all along.
Like Arthas in Warcraft or Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into Darth Vader, the fall comes through choices that seem necessary at the time.
Breaking Bonds
Dark fantasy understands that the most powerful corruptions require breaking fundamental human connections.
Soren sacrifices his friendship with Alaric.
Raistlin Majere abandons his twin brother.
Daemon Sadi in Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels series severs his ties to those he loves.
The Bloody Nine in Joe Abercrombie’s works forsakes companionship for survival.
These characters don’t just lose their connections—they actively sever them, believing isolation equals strength.
The Seduction of Power
What makes these transformations believable is how they tap into universal desires.
The need for justice.
The drive for excellence.
The pursuit of knowledge.
The thirst for power.
Soren doesn’t just become skilled at assassination—he finds he has a natural talent for it.
Like Baru Cormorant or Kvothe, his abilities make each compromise easier to justify.
The Point of No Return
Every villain’s journey has moments where turning back becomes impossible.
For Soren, this comes not with his first kill, but when he realises he’s begun to see the artistry in death.
Like Walter White’s transformation in Breaking Bad (though not fantasy, it follows the same arc), the change isn’t about necessity anymore—it’s about excellence.
Why These Stories Resonate
These transformations fascinate us because they challenge our assumptions about the nature of evil.
They force us to reconsider the power of choice.
They reveal the cost of ambition.
They highlight the strength and fragility of human bonds.
Perhaps most disturbingly, these stories force us to question our own capacity for darkness.
When we understand and even sympathise with each choice that leads to corruption, what does that say about us?
Beyond Simple Villainy
The best dark fantasy villains aren’t evil for evil’s sake.
They’re heroes who lost their way through choices we can understand, even as we recoil from the results.
In Forged in Blood, Soren’s transformation is horrifying precisely because we can follow his logic every step of the way.
These characters remind us that villains rarely see themselves as villains.
Like Marvel’s Magneto or Sanderson’s Lord Ruler, they often believe they’re still serving a greater purpose, even as their methods become increasingly monstrous.
What fallen hero arcs have resonated most with you?
At what point do you think these characters cross the line from hero to villain?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Join my Patreon community for early access to chapters, exclusive content, and behind-the-scenes insights into how these complex character transformations are crafted.
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xplore how creativity transforms into a weapon in dark fantasy. From Forged in Blood by Jon Cronshaw, follow Soren’s journey from sculptor to assassin, where artistic precision and deadly intent blur the lines of morality.
What happens when an artist’s eye is turned to darker purposes?
In Forged in Blood, the second book in the Guild of Assassins trilogy, we follow Soren’s transformation from a sculptor’s apprentice to a professional killer.
His journey explores a fascinating theme in dark fantasy: how creative talents can be perverted into instruments of destruction.
The Artist’s Eye
Soren’s background as a sculptor doesn’t fade when he joins the Guild—it transforms.
His understanding of form, his attention to detail, and his appreciation for precision all make him a more effective assassin.
He approaches his targets as he once approached his sculptures, seeing the vulnerabilities, understanding where to apply pressure, and knowing exactly where to strike.
This perversion of artistic talent isn’t unique to Soren.
Consider Neil Gaiman’s Morpheus, who uses his creative powers to both inspire and torture.
Or think of Patrick Rothfuss’s Kvothe, whose musical gifts become weapons in their own right.
The Dark Side of Creation
What makes these transformations so compelling is how they challenge our assumptions about creativity.
We tend to think of artistic talent as inherently positive, a force for beauty and enlightenment.
Dark fantasy shows us how these same skills can serve darker purposes.
An eye for detail becomes crucial for surveillance.
Understanding of form transforms into knowledge of vulnerabilities.
Precision in art becomes precision in killing.
Creative problem-solving applies equally to infiltration and assassination.
The Craftsman’s Approach
In Forged in Blood, Soren applies his sculptor’s mindset to lockpicking, treating each lock as a puzzle to be solved, just as he once approached blocks of marble.
This mirrors how Brandon Sanderson’s Kelsier approaches Allomancy as an art form, showing how the methodical nature of craftsmanship can be applied to violence.
The Beauty in Darkness
Perhaps most disturbing is how these characters find beauty in their darker arts.
Just as Soren once saw potential in raw stone, he begins to see elegance in a perfectly executed assassination.
This reflects a broader theme in dark fantasy: how appreciation for craft can blur moral lines.
The Cost of Transformation
This transformation doesn’t come without cost.
As Soren’s artistic talents are turned to darker purposes, he loses something of his original creativity.
Like Joe Abercrombie’s Sand dan Glokta, whose torture techniques become a perverted art form, the ability to create beauty becomes corrupted by its application to violence.
Why It Resonates
These stories of transformed creativity resonate because they reflect real-world concerns about how talents can be misused.
They ask uncomfortable questions.
Does skill have inherent moral value?
Can art exist in destruction?
What happens when creativity serves darkness?
How does purpose change perception?
The Final Sculpture
By the end of Forged in Blood, Soren has become a different kind of artist.
His medium has changed from stone to shadow, his tools from chisel to dagger.
Yet he retains that fundamental drive to perfect his craft—only now, perfection means something far darker.
This isn’t just a story about corruption—it’s about transformation.
Like how Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein shows science perverted to horror, these narratives explore how creative gifts can be turned to unexpected purposes.
They remind us that talent itself is neutral; it’s purpose that defines its nature.
How have you seen creative talents transformed in other dark fantasy works?
What does it say about the nature of art and skill when they’re turned to darker purposes?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Experience the evolution of dark fantasy stories firsthand by joining my Patreon community.
Get early access to chapters, exclusive content, and behind-the-scenes insights into the creative process.
Watch as characters and plots transform from initial concept to final form, and join discussions about the craft of writing dark fantasy.
Discover how dark fantasy redefines coming-of-age stories by exploring the loss of innocence, the price of knowledge, and the corruption of ideals. Uncover the haunting truths behind Soren’s transformation in Forged in Blood.
Coming-of-age stories have always captivated readers.
When filtered through the lens of dark fantasy, they take on a particularly haunting resonance.
In my novel Forged in Blood, from the Guild of Assassins trilogy, we witness Soren’s transformation from an idealistic sculptor’s apprentice into a ruthless assassin.
His journey reflects a darker truth about growing up: sometimes innocence isn’t gently shed but violently stripped away.
Beyond Traditional Coming-of-Age
Traditional coming-of-age stories often focus on self-discovery and first experiences.
Dark fantasy takes these familiar themes and twists them, showing how knowledge can corrupt and experience can destroy.
When Soren first joins the Guild seeking justice for his father’s murder, he still believes in clear divisions between right and wrong.
By the end, those moral lines have blurred beyond recognition.
The Price of Knowledge
Like Kvothe in Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind, Soren’s pursuit of knowledge and power comes with unexpected costs.
But where Kvothe’s story maintains elements of wonder, dark fantasy protagonists often discover that knowledge brings not enlightenment but disillusionment.
Think of Robin Hobb’s Fitz, whose training as an assassin forces him to confront brutal truths about loyalty and sacrifice.
Broken Friendships
One of the most painful aspects of dark coming-of-age stories is the destruction of childhood friendships.
In Forged in Blood, Soren’s relationship with his best friend Alaric slowly deteriorates as their paths diverge.
This mirrors George R.R. Martin’s treatment of the Stark children, showing how circumstance and choice can shatter even the strongest bonds.
The Loss of Choice
Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of these stories is how they strip away the illusion of choice.
When Soren begins his training, he believes he’s choosing his path.
Gradually, he realises he’s been manipulated from the start, much like Pierce Brown’s Darrow in Red Rising.
The real horror lies not in the loss of innocence itself, but in the recognition that it might have been inevitable.
The Corruption of Ideals
Dark fantasy coming-of-age stories often show how ideals become corrupted.
Soren begins as an artist, creating beauty from raw stone.
His transformation into an assassin perverts this artistic talent into something darker – he’s still shaping and creating, but now his medium is death.
This mirrors how Mark Lawrence’s Jorg Ancrath twists his noble education into tools for revenge and conquest.
Why These Stories Matter
These darker coming-of-age tales resonate because they reflect truths about growing up that more optimistic stories often ignore.
Knowledge can destroy as easily as it empowers.
Growth often requires sacrifice.
Childhood friendships don’t always survive into adulthood.
Our choices may be more limited than we believe.
Talent can be turned to dark purposes.
The Appeal of Darkness
What makes these stories compelling isn’t just their darkness, but how they reflect real aspects of growing up through a darker lens.
When Soren finally completes his transformation, it’s tragic precisely because we understand every step that led him there.
We see our own compromises and lost innocence reflected in these darker mirrors.
Beyond Simple Corruption
The best dark fantasy coming-of-age stories aren’t simply about corruption.
They’re about the complexity of growth, the price of knowledge, and the sometimes terrible choices we make in pursuit of our goals.
They remind us that growing up isn’t always about becoming better – sometimes it’s about becoming what we need to be to survive.
What dark fantasy coming-of-age stories have resonated most with you?
How do they differ from more traditional coming-of-age tales?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Want to explore more dark fantasng? Check out my Patreon for early access to chapters, exclusive content, and behind-the-scenes insights into the writing process. See how stories evolve from first draft to final publication, and join a community of readers passionate about dark fantasy.
Discover the hidden cost of ambition in dark fantasy literature through Forged in Blood. Explore how power corrupts, humanity erodes, and choices shape heroes into villains in this gripping analysis of moral compromise and sacrifice.
Every great power comes at a cost. This theme resonates throughout dark fantasy literature, where characters’ pursuit of power often leads to their moral corruption.
In my novel Forged in Blood, the second book in the Guild of Assassinstrilogy, we follow Soren’s transformation from an idealistic sculptor’s apprentice to a ruthless assassin.
His journey exemplifies how ambition can slowly erode one’s humanity through seemingly rational choices.
The Gradual Fall
What makes a fall from grace compelling isn’t the destination, but the journey.
Consider Prince Arthas in Warcraft’s lore – each step toward becoming the Lich King seemed necessary, even righteous, until it was too late.
Similarly, Soren’s path begins with a justifiable goal: seeking justice for his father’s murder.
Each compromise, each small sacrifice of his principles, leads him further from who he once was.
The most terrifying villains are often those who began as heroes.
Take Raistlin Majere from Dragonlance – his pursuit of magical power stemmed from understandable desires but ultimately consumed everything he was.
Like Soren, he sacrifices his closest relationships, including that with his twin brother, in his relentless pursuit of power.
The Cost of Power
In Forged in Blood, the ravenglass dagger serves as a physical metaphor for the price of power – it must be forged with blood and tears, literally consuming pieces of its wielder.
This mirrors how Martin’s Valyrian steel in A Song of Ice and Fire requires blood sacrifice in its forging, suggesting that great power always demands payment in flesh and soul.
The true horror lies not in the final price, but in how willingly characters pay it.
When Soren ultimately betrays his childhood friend Alaric, it’s not a moment of dramatic revelation but the natural culmination of choices made long before.
Like Baru Cormorant in Seth Dickinson’s The Traitor, the protagonist becomes what they once fought against, one rational decision at a time.
Breaking Bonds
Perhaps the most significant cost of ambition is the destruction of human connections.
Just as Rand al’Thor in The Wheel of Time becomes increasingly isolated as his power grows, Soren’s pursuit of mastery within the Guild requires him to sever his strongest bonds.
The tragedy lies not in the loss itself, but in how necessary these sacrifices seem at the time.
The Seduction of Power
What makes these stories resonate is their exploration of power’s seductive nature.
Like Patrick Rothfuss’s Kvothe or Sanderson’s Vin, Soren discovers he has a natural talent for his craft.
The thrill of mastery, the satisfaction of excellence – these become their own kind of addiction, making each moral compromise easier than the last.
A Different Kind of Horror
The horror in these stories doesn’t come from supernatural monsters but from watching characters we empathise with make choices we understand, even as we recognise their destructive nature.
In Forged in Blood, Soren’s transformation is terrifying precisely because readers can follow his logic every step of the way.
Dark fantasy reminds us that the most dangerous falls aren’t dramatic plunges but gradual slides.
The most terrible choices aren’t made in moments of passion but through careful rationalisation.
It shows us that the real price of power isn’t just what it takes from us, but what we willingly give up in its pursuit.
Forged in Blood and other dark fantasy novels serve as warnings about ambition’s cost, even as they compel us to follow their protagonists down these dark paths.
They remind us that the most frightening monsters aren’t born – they’re made, one choice at a time.
What Are Your Thoughts?
What dark fantasy novels examining the price of power have resonated most with you?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Want to discover more fantasy tales? Check out my Patreon for early access to chapters, exclusive content, and behind-the-scenes insights.
Chapters 13 and 14 of Forged in Blood (Guild of Assassins, Book 2) are now live.
Episode 6 of Hunters, my space Western side project.
Episode 6 of Niamh’s Journey (Punks Versus Zombies side story).
For Free Members:
As the Gravity Flipped—a sci-fi story about a cleaner caught in a rebellion on a space station, now with an audio version available!
My weekly author diary video, offering insights into my writing process and updates.
Coming this weekend: The Mediocre Maverick, a satirical story you won’t want to miss.
Whether you’re a free or paid member, there’s plenty to enjoy this week. Thank you for your continued support and for being part of this creative journey!
Here’s what’s been happening on Patreon this week:
For Paid Members:
Chapters 11 and 12 of Forged in Blood (Guild of Assassins, Book 2) are now live.
A new chapter of Hunters, my space Western side project.
The latest chapter of Niamh’s Journey (Punks Versus Zombies side story).
For Free Members:
Prisoner of the Wasteland—a side story set in the world of my Wasteland series.
As the Gravity Flipped—a sci-fi tale about a cleaner unwittingly joining a rebellion on a space station.
The Perfect Daughter—a brand-new satirical short story about a woman who uses an AI voice clone to call her mother.
Cyber Monday Special:
The 70% off offer for your first month on any paid tier ends Monday! Use the promo code WYVERN to claim this incredible deal and get access to exclusive chapters, audio stories, and more.
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