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.
The Veiled Critique: Fantasy as Political Commentary
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.
Three Faces of Power: Military, Knowledge, and Diplomacy
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: Hard Power
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: Soft Power
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: Structural Power
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.
The Political Economy of Magic
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.
Identity Politics in Fantasy Realms
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.
The Personal as Political
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.
Why Political Fantasy Matters
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.