Jon Cronshaw – The King of Nobledark
Author of epic fantasy with heart, grit, and moral weight. Where hope bleeds, but never dies.
Back working on Dawn of Assassins after years away, sharing thoughts on a disappointing WrestleMania, and gearing up for the launch of Ravenglass Legends Books 1–3. Plus updates on The Prince and the Fool.
This week I’ve returned to Dawn of Assassins after a few years away and made solid progress on the draft.
It’s been great getting back into that world and finding the story again.
I also share my thoughts on a disappointing WrestleMania, particularly from a storytelling perspective.
On the publishing side, Ravenglass Legends Books 1–3 are launching this Monday, and The Prince and the Fool is currently with my editor.
Lots happening behind the scenes!
Finished Four of Swords, started The Wandering Inn, and reflected on WrestleMania storytelling. Also considering a return to Dawn of Assassins Book 4.
This week I’ve finished the draft of Four of Swords, which feels like a great milestone as I continue The Ravenglass Chronicles.
I’ve also started reading The Wandering Inn and I’m really enjoying it so far—huge world, compelling characters, and a very different pacing to what I usually read.
I also share some thoughts on the build-up to WrestleMania, which, from a storytelling perspective, has felt a bit off—more corporate than compelling.
Finally, I’ve been taking another look at my Dawn of Assassins series, and considering whether it’s time to return and work on Book 4.
Feeling better after a month of illness. Progress on Four of Swords and Guild of Assassins Book 4. Also saw Project Hail Mary at the cinema—thoroughly enjoyed it.
This week I’m finally feeling better after a month of illness, which means a welcome return to proper momentum.
I’ve been working on Four of Swords and also going back over my progress on Guild of Assassins Book 4, getting a clearer sense of where that story is heading.
I also went to see the film adaptation of Project Hail Mary, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s well worth a watch if you liked the book.
A much more positive and productive week all round.
This week: editing Churchill’s Dragons and Four of Swords, reading Project Hail Mary, and starting The Silent Watcher on Patreon. Plus thoughts on dark domestic fantasy.
This week I’ve continued working through edits on Churchill’s Dragons and Four of Swords, keeping the momentum going across both projects.
On the reading front, I finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, which I thought was excellent—a brilliant mix of science, tension, and heart.
I also talk about my dark domestic fantasy project, Until the Wyvern Spoke, and share that I’ll be starting to post Silent Watcher on Patreon from Monday.
Lots of new content on the way!
Finished edits on The Prince and the Fool and sent it to my editor. Also revisiting Dragon Squadron, composing music, and sharing storytelling lessons from Dungeon Crawler Carl.
The illness is still hanging around, so it’s been another editing-focused week.
I’ve now finished my edits for The Prince and the Fool and sent it off for a professional edit.
I’ve also been revisiting Dragon Squadron (RAF Dragon Corps, Book 1), going through the manuscript and tightening things up.
On the creative side, I’ve written a short piece of music to accompany Until the Wyvern Spoke, which was a fun change of pace.
I also share some storytelling lessons from Dungeon Crawler Carl—what’s working, what keeps readers hooked, and what I’m taking into my own writing.
Grab yourself a cuppa—this one’s a bit longer than usual.
Started writing Four of Swords, re-watching The Good Place, and developing a new thriller inspired by Influenced. Plus thoughts on hitting a reading lull with Dungeon Crawler Carl.
This week I’ve started work on Four of Swords as I continue with The Ravenglass Chronicles.
It’s always exciting to begin a new instalment and see where the story leads next.
I’ve also begun re-watching The Good Place with my son, which has been a lot of fun revisiting together.
On the reading front, I talk about flagging a little with Dungeon Crawler Carl—still enjoyable, but I may take a short break before continuing.
I’ve also been developing a new psychological thriller, inspired by one of my short stories from Influenced, and exploring where that idea might lead.
Finished Three of Swords, made progress on Guild of Assassins Book 4, and started the second Dungeon Crawler Carl. A busy and productive week of writing and reading.
This week, I wrapped up Three of Swords (The Ravenglass Chronicles, Part 24)and moved straight onto writing a few chapters of Guild of Assassins Book 4.
It’s been great shifting gears between projects while keeping the momentum going.
On the reading front, I’ve jumped into the second Dungeon Crawler Carl book, and I’m thoroughly enjoying the ride so far. Safe to say, the series has me hooked.
A productive week all round—on the page and off it.
In this unsettling episode of Speculative Fiction Tales, Jon Cronshaw delivers a masterful slow-burn horror story set in the seemingly mundane world of public transportation.
“I’m Not Allowed Past Dudley” follows a veteran bus driver who has spent twenty-two years piloting the number 12 route between Wolverhampton and West Bromwich. When management suddenly truncates his route to end at Dudley, he begins noticing subtle but disturbing anomalies. His attempts to venture beyond the new boundary—whether in his bus, car, or on foot—are met with increasingly bizarre and frightening consequences.
As our narrator’s investigations deepen, the very fabric of reality begins to unravel, revealing a terrifying truth about the nature of his world and his place within it. What begins as a simple route change spirals into an existential nightmare that challenges everything he thought he knew about his familiar Midlands surroundings.
Themes & Topics
• Reality simulation and boundary enforcement
• The unsettling nature of the familiar made strange
• Working-class routine disrupted by cosmic horror
• The psychological impact of lost autonomy
• The Black Country as a setting for existential dread
• The surreal horror of bureaucratic control
Listener Discretion
This episode contains themes of existential horror and psychological distress that some listeners may find disturbing.
About the Author
Jon Cronshaw crafts speculative fiction that transforms everyday settings into landscapes of subtle terror. His stories often feature ordinary people confronting extraordinary circumstances, revealing the fragility of what we perceive as reality.
Support the Show
If you enjoyed this story, please consider supporting Jon Cronshaw by becoming a patron. Your support helps bring these stories to life and gives you early access to audio stories plus exclusive text versions of every episode. Visit patreon.com/joncronshawauthor to learn more.
In this episode of Speculative Fiction Tales, Jon Cronshaw invites us into a bleak near-future where hope seems all but extinguished.
“To Grip the Bright White Chains” follows Elsie, an elderly woman navigating a harsh world of addiction, poverty, and environmental decay. When we first meet her, she appears to be engaging in a dubious transaction with a desperate young addict. But as Cronshaw gradually reveals Elsie’s true intentions, we discover her quiet act of resistance against the desolation surrounding her.
• Finding hope in dystopian circumstances
• The importance of creating safe spaces
• Memory and nostalgia as motivating forces
• The power of simple pleasures
• Intergenerational connection
• Environmental deterioration
• The cycle of addiction
This episode contains references to drug addiction and child poverty that some listeners may find affecting.
About the Author
Jon Cronshaw crafts speculative fiction that finds light in the darkest of futures. His stories often focus on characters who maintain their humanity and compassion despite overwhelming societal collapse, offering glimmers of hope in otherwise bleak landscapes.
If you enjoyed this story, please consider supporting Jon Cronshaw by becoming a patron. Your support helps bring these stories to life and gives you early access to audio stories plus exclusive text versions of every episode. Visit patreon.com/joncronshawauthor to learn more.
In this micro-fiction from Speculative Fiction Tales, Jon Cronshaw offers a piercing allegory of colonialism and cultural erasure through the lens of an Indigenous Earth scholar in a Martian-dominated world.
“Meditations on the Martian Invasion” follows an academic who has dedicated their life to preserving Earth languages and customs in a society where Martian culture has become the default. Through the narrator’s reflections on being treated as a curiosity for wearing “traditional” Earth clothing and studying “dead” Earth languages, Cronshaw delivers a commentary on cultural appropriation, assimilation, and the persistent othering of Indigenous peoples.
• Colonialism and cultural erasure
• Indigenous identity and resistance
• Cultural appropriation and assimilation
• The preservation of language as cultural resistance
• The myth of post-racial/post-colonial societies
• The persistent “othering” of Indigenous peoples
This episode contains themes related to colonialism and cultural erasure that may resonate deeply with listeners from historically marginalized communities.
Jon Cronshaw crafts speculative fiction that uses the lens of science fiction to illuminate real-world power dynamics and social issues. His flash fiction often packs complex political and cultural commentary into deceptively simple narratives.
If you enjoyed this story, please consider supporting Jon Cronshaw by becoming a patron. Your support helps bring these stories to life and gives you early access to audio stories plus exclusive text versions of every episode. Visit patreon.com/joncronshawauthor to learn more.
