This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Benjamin Patterson will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Hi, my name is Benjamin Patterson, a medieval fantasy author from Queensland, Australia. I write low-order, clean fantasy. Here are my five musts, every fantasy story should include.
1. Adventure – Adventure defines the genre in my opinion. Characters should be discovering new worlds, encountering foreign creatures and having their minds blown every other chapter. Whether those new worlds and creatures force themselves upon the protagonist’s doorstep, or the protagonist embarks on an epic quest in strange lands, it does not really matter. As long the adventure is there in some shape or form.
2. Impossible Odds – The greatest fantasy novels feature near undefeatable enemies. Readers are get halfway through the story and wonder how the goodies will survive, let alone win.
3. Suffering – Nobody wants to read a story where everything goes right. Fantasy must be hard on its characters. The anguish they endure must be horrific, their suffering unbearable. It makes their eventual victory so much sweeter when they’ve paid the ultimate price.
4. Romance – Now remember, I’m a clean fantasy author. That does not mean romance should be ignored. Great fantasy includes a compelling love story. The inclusion of a love interest elevates the stakes and tugs on the heart strings. It imbues the story with extra context. Fantasy thrives on the extra story threads.
5. Sword-fighting – I might be alone on this one, but to me, sword-fighting is a must. As a youngster, I fell in love with Zorro, The Princess Bride and The Scarlett Pimpernel. These are all great swordsmen. There’s nothing better than a duel to the death, and you’ll never convince me otherwise.
So there it is. That’s my list. You might be screaming at the page right now, saying “but where’s the magic? The fae? The elves?” If that’s the case, please include your musts in the comments. I’d love to know what else I’ve missed.
Look to the hills with dread: Salmmonaksa has arrived. His armies swarm like a plague of locusts. As the emperor prepares for his final assault, the Home City trembles. Overrun by desperate refugees, the monarchs have gathered to plot their defence. High King Eldilin is back at the helm, but there’s no food and no answers.
Princess Kathryn has not given up hope. Lying on a cot in her room is the man destined to save the realm. They desperately need him, and for the prophecies to prove themselves true, but he will not wake no matter how much she prays. Even if he did, he cannot do it alone. Many more will die, that is certain.
The Mark of the Unseen God is the final instalment of the Markulian Prophecies, a refreshingly original tale set in a breathtaking medieval world. To rid realm of evil, everything will be required. There is no peace without sacrifice, and no love without loss. May who they are and what they have be enough.
Enjoy an Excerpt
Footsteps. The prisoner must have heard them because he looked up and squinted. Oh, what a wretched expression on his face. Somebody was out there in the darkness, but he could not see them. She was safe back here, out of his sight. Out of his reach.
Secure in her anonymity, she revelled in his pathetic appearance, his arms stretched out and clasped in irons, his legs chained to a bolt hole in the floor. The remnants of his meagre ration stained the front of his tattered shirt. The way the moonlight whispered down from the grate above and circled about him, one could have been mistaken to think he was a showman, a figure of fame, the centre of a play or musical. Alas, he was wrecked, thin, a character pitiable above all men. Once respectable, now despised … and rightly so.
About the Author: Benjamin Patterson lives in North Queensland, Australia with his wife and four children. When not writing, arguing with pilots or volunteering, he’s battling a life-controlling addiction to sport, an addiction his poor wife has discovered is easily passed from father to sons.
The Mark of the Unseen God completes his first fantasy trilogy. He hopes you enjoyed reading it as much as he enjoyed writing it. Writing is not easy. Without the encouragement of friends and family, the series would never have made it to print.
Though the series has sold well, Benjamin remains about one million book sales short of his goal. You can help him fulfill his goal, and encourage him to finish his next writing project, by writing rave reviews in every forum available and catching up with him on his social media sites.
Buy the book at Amazon, iBooks, Indigo Chapters, or Booktopia.
This looks like a great read. Thanks for sharing.