When a fantasy world is overrun with a mob of ravenous zombies, there are no guns to stop them. No tanks. No airstrikes. Just a man with a shovel.
In the last of the Arcane Academies, the actions of a powerful and corrupted wizard sets into motion the events that will turn the mundane world against the practicioners of magic and mark the end of the Dreaming Tower. Shunned and cast out by his fellow mages, Troius curses them all and dedicates himself to creating a scourge that will sweep the world and earn him well-deserved vengeance.
North of the bustling port city of Anticus lies a tranquil backwater, populated by independent-minded rural folk making a living among the foothills of the Kronspine Mountains. In the centuries since the fall of the Dreaming Tower, these farmers and townsfolk are unaware of a lonely, isolated tower standing alone at the foot of a forgotten mountain.
When the tower is breached by power-hungry outsiders, the final curse of the wizard Troius is unleashed on a land unprepared for the stalking horror of undeath, one that grows with every bite of its shuffling horde.
THE CURSE OF TROIUS is a zombie novel set in a unique fantasy world. Combining strong horror elements and a low-magic fantasy setting, it tells the story of the villages that get in the way of a zombie invasion and the ill-prepared people who can only hope to survive the onslaught.
Q: What will readers like about your book?
I think that readers will enjoy the twist that a Romero-esque zombie outbreak in a "traditional" fantasy world. Without firearms, there is a whole new challenge to dealing with a horde of creeping cannabalistic undead, especially for the common man. Additionally, I wanted to spend time with the characters in the story before just sending them out to be eaten, so that their stories have resonance with the reader, and their survival or death actually means something. Even though it is a fantasy setting, it isn't filled with powerful wizards and knights and dragons, but focuses its attention more on the believable and realistic characters that exist in the setting. Plus, there are a whole lot of scenes, especially in the latter half, filled with flesh-ripping zombie goodness.
Q: Why did you self publish?
Like many new self-published authors, I grew tired of spending my time writing and redrafting and endlessly sending out query letters, begging agents and publishing houses to take money for something I produced. Let's face it - a zombie fantasy novel is a niche inside a niche in another niche, so the marketability of the concept to mainstream publishers is likely quite small, even if there is a large overlap in zombie and fantasy fans. So, one day I just decided that it was more important to publish my work on my own, since otherwise it would never see the light of day.
Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
J.L. Bourne (whose self-published zombie novel made it possible for him to become a mainstream published author), Steven Erikson (whose realistic fantasy writing is an inspiration), Max Brooks, George R. R. Martin, J. R. R. Tolkien, and a multitude of others.
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