Griffins are a sadly underused creature in fantasy novels, and I’m really not sure why.
They’ve appeared in plenty of titles, but almost never as the main focus of the story. That’s what I had in mind when I started to write The Dark Griffin, my first high fantasy novel and the first thing I ever wrote for adults. I also wanted to play with traditional fantasy elements as I’d encountered them, and so I set out to tell a story in which the protagonist is also the villain – though at first it may not be obvious, I meant to make it increasingly obvious as the storyline progressed over the next two books.
The Dark Griffin is essentially a villain’s origin story, complete with all the usual hallmarks of a villain in training: an unlikely person with a dubious background (in this case, coming from a race that has an age-old rivalry to the “main” race), who receives training no other person from his background has been given, and rises high, only to be struck down by tragedy and ultimately become twisted by rage and hatred.
The Fallen Moon trilogy is that story. The story of Arren Cardockson, alias Arenadd Taranisaii, and the tale of a dark griffin who changes his life forever. No matter what happens, the world they live in will never be the same.
Covers
The Land of Bad Fantasy was the first book I ever published, way back in 2004. A sequel was planned but never came to be. Not yet, anyway.
The Australian cover art for The Fallen Moon. Lovely and unique! The word is that the next three will use a different design style, which is a shame, but I have every confidence they’ll be just as wonderful in a different way.
The American covers. Same books, different (and much more dramatic) style.
And finally, and perhaps my favourite, the Czech cover. There are more illustrations inside, too. And they’re going to do the sequel!
