The Way of Thorn and Thunder, an Indigenous Epic Fantasy
Many scholars in the history of ideas have carefully analyzed the socially-constructed binary of “civilization” vs. “savagery,” two concepts quite firmly entrenched in much of mainstream fantasy, just as it is much contemporary political rhetoric and cultural interaction. (See, for example, Roy Harvey Pearce’s seminal study,
Savagism and Civilization, as well as Robert F. Berkhofer, Jr.’s
The White Man’s Indian: Images of the American Indian from Columbus to the Present, Richard Drinnon’s
Facing West: The Metaphysics of Indian Hating and Empire-Building, and Richard Slotkin’s
Regeneration Through Violence: The Mythology of the American Frontier, 1600-1860.) In this binary, the differences between communities—social, political, economic, military—are often measured by assertions of the more powerful group’s supposedly more “civilized” status in comparison with the more marginalized group’s ostensibly “savage” state. The binary is so commonplace that it’s become normalized, but it’s still a constructed concept—there’s nothing objectively “natural” about these ideas. “Civilization” and “savagery” are ideologically-driven shortcuts to help define relationships of power; they don’t accurately represent the complexities of human societies of either our age or those that came before.
Much mainstream fantasy literature chronicles the bloody adventures of pseudo-European, proto-Aryan psychotics with super-powers who cut a murderous swath through various tribal “savages” in their quest to bring “civilization” to the howling wilderness. There are generally two types of such “savages” in the literature. The first are the Noble Savages, the elves/faeries/Fair Folk, beautiful and mysterious creatures whose own once-powerful civilizations have faded/are fading before the inevitable rise of Men. They’re almost always elegant children of Nature, connected to the wilderness but melancholy over their ultimate doom. These Noble Savages live only to die, but in a peaceful, resigned way, understanding that they must go the way of the dodo so that humans can rule supreme. They generally help the human heroes along with some good advice, a temporarily safe haven, and a mystical weapon or two, then vanish into the sunset of an alien world.
The second and more numerous savages in mainstream fantasy are the Ignoble Savages. These bestial antagonists are often represented as swarthy marauders, brutal and ignorant, with a taste for “man-flesh” and a visceral hatred for the values of the (generally white) heroes who are very often enthusiastic colonizers and empire-builders. Generally driven by the will of a tyrannical overlord, the primary goal of these nameless, faceless hordes is to bring a “primitive” veil of darkness over the “civilized” light of the heroes’ world. The Ignoble Savages, too, exist only to die, but their destruction is usually gory, very detailed, and frequent. They’re the obstacles that must be slaughtered for the quest to succeed.
But there's another side to the story….
Kynship: The Way of Thorn and Thunder, Book One
Kynship tells of the Everland, home of the forest-dwelling Kyn and the other Eld-Folk since time immemorial, a deep green world of ancient mystery and sacred shadow. The
wyr-powers of the Kyn and the other Eld Folk have preserved this lush region from the ravenous imperialism of Humanity for over a thousand years, but those powers are now under siege, as the assimilationist Kyn Shields seek to purge their people of the
wyr, seeing only savagery in its mysteries and in its guardians, the Wielders. As the power of the Shields grows—and as the hungry eyes of Men turn once more to the Everland and its rich bounty—the leaders of the seven nations of the Folk gather in Sheynadwiin, the Kyn capital, to seek a way of surviving the growing storm.
Born into a town dominated by the Shield creeds, Tarsa'deshae, a headstrong Kyn warrior, awakens to the long-suppressed wyr -ways after an act of courage goes horribly awry. Exiled from Red Cedar Town, and struggling to understand her new calling as a Wielder, Tarsa is swept into a dangerous world of political and spiritual struggle, where the old wyr-ways of the Greenwalkers clash with the fragmenting intrigues of the "civilized" Shields and their allies. As the Everland is torn apart by treachery and the ever-encroaching threat of Humanity, the Redthorn warrior arrives at the Sevenfold Council in Sheynadwiin to help find a way to heal the ravages of her wounded world.
The fragile days of peace are at an end…
- Kynship: The Way of Thorn and Thunder, Book One—now
available from Kegedonce Press. Includes maps,
interior art by Cree artist Steve Sanderson, comprehensive glossary, and an early look
at Book Two, Wyrwood.
Wyrwood: The Way of Thorn and Thunder, Book Two
The Sevenfold Council stands firm against Dreydmaster Vald’s treaty terms—they will not surrender the Everland. Their will is strong, but there is a traitor in their midst, and Vald intends to win this struggle…by any means necessary.
As the Everland is torn apart by invasion and the threat of civil war, the young warrior-Wielder, Tarsa’deshae, and the Tetawa Leafspeaker, Tobhi Burrows, travel to Eromar City, the centre of Vald’s influence, in hopes of rescuing the diplomats who have long languished in the shadows of Gorthac Hall. But only one remains alive, and he knows all too well the price for fighting the Dreydmaster’s will. It will take all their strength, courage, and good fortune to escape with their lives.
Whether they have a home to return to is another matter entirely….
-
Wyrwood: The Way of Thorn and Thunder, Book Two—now available from Kegedonce Press.
Includes maps, interior art by Steve Sanderson, character genealogies, comprehensive
glossary, and an early look at Book Three, Dreyd.
Dreyd: The Way of Thorn and Thunder, Book Three
The Eternity Tree has fallen, and with it falls Sheynadwiin. The forces of Eromar ravage the Everland, and the skies are filled with the smoke and ashes of the burning forests. Those Folk who do not escape into the far mountains and hidden valleys are driven into the broken westlands of Humanity, where Dreydmaster Vald reveals the full vision of his grand ambition, one that will annihilate even the memory of the Kyn and their kind.
Yet not all the Folk walk down the Darkening Road. As the Redthorn Wielder, Tarsa’deshae, and her group of freedom fighters travel west to free their people, a young Tetawa Dolltender and her Strangeling compatriot head to the East, to plead their case to the Reachwarden in great Chalimor, the shining capital of the Reach of Men. Unexpected allies stand at their side, even as deadly enemies rise up to surround them. Yet surrender is not an option, for the Folk stand at the edge of oblivion.
Never since the Melding have they faced such danger. Will their roots hold fast, or will they be lost upon the storm?
-
Dreyd: The Way of Thorn and Thunder, Book Three—now available from Kegedonce Press.
Includes map, interior art by Steve Sanderson, lore-leaf images, and a comprehensive
glossary.
Stories
Art
Author's Character Sketches: Kynship
- Tarsa'deshae--"The Spear, She Breaks It," or "She-Breaks-the-Spear." She-Kyn of Cedar Branch. Redthorn Warrior and Wielder.
- Tobhi Burrows--Tetawa of Badger Clan. Leafspeaker, scribe, and lore-keeper.
- Neranda Ak'Shaar--She-Kyn of Willow Branch. Legislator and Shield.
- Quill Meadowgood--Tetawa of Spider Clan. Dolltender and wyr-worker.
- Unahi Sam'Sheyda--Aged she-Kyn Wielder of Cedar Branch.
- Blackwick--The aged Chancellor of the Ubbetuk Swarm.
- Garyn Mendiir--He-Kyn Governor of the Kyn Nation and Speaker of the Sevenfold Council.
- Wears-Stones-for-Skin--A predatory spirit of the Eld Days.
Author's Character Sketches: Wyrwood
- Tarsa'deshae–"The Spear, She Breaks It," or
"She-Breaks-the-Spear." She-Kyn of Cedar Branch. The Redthorn Wielder.
- Tobhi Burrows–Tetawa of Badger Clan. Leafspeaker, scribe, and lore-keeper.
- Qwill Meadowgood–Tetawa of Spider Clan. Dolltender and wyr-worker.
- Daladir Tre'Shein–Ash Branch he-Kyn diplomat.
- Jitani Al'daar–She-Kyn mercenary of Thorn Branch.
- Denarra Syrene–Flamboyant Strangeling Wielder.
- Averyn–Zhe-Kyn healer and consort to Garyn Mendiir.
- Jago Chaak–Strange Tetawa toymaker.
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