Author Focus - PL Stuart
This occasional series aims to highlight the work of new authors I admire and this month I’m featuring Canadian fantasy writer PL Stuart. Stuart is the author of two novels so far in his epic fantasy series. A Drowned Kingdom was released in 2021 and the sequel, The Last of the Atalanteans, followed in 2022. Forming part of his A Drowned Kingdom Saga, Stuart excels at telling tales set in a vast world involving multiple continents, rich with dynamic, unpredictable politics and complex characters.
The first word that comes to mind when I think of PL is ‘driven’. Let’s just take stock for a moment and consider the following:
The Drowned Kingdom Saga will comprise seven planned novels. Seven. I’m checking out at four with my current series and there’s a reason for that. Writing is hard but writing a compelling series and handling the various storyline arcs and character development that comes with multiple books is far more of a challenge. Whilst I’m grappling with how my disparate plot strands come together, PL has reliably informed me that he not only knows the titles of all seven books but he also has their colour scheme planned out. It’s sickening.
After that, just in case he gets bored, Stuart intends to write a follow-up seven-book series, expanding on the wider world established in the original saga. And let’s not forget there are two prequel trilogies to the main series also in the works. One thing is for sure – PL Stuart will not be bored when he reaches retirement age.
For many people, that would be more than enough but in his spare time Stuart is an Assistant Editor for the Before We Go Blog – a review site aimed at Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Graphic Novel fans. He’s also part of their reviewer team for SPFBO 8. The Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off (SPFBO for short) is an annual competition run by the author Mark Lawrence, which aims to showcase the best independent fantasy authors. Their review landing page is here.
Stuart is also one of the hosts of the Page Chewing podcast series. These in-depth episodes feature the work of various writers and more general themes for those interested in fantasy fiction. Stuart has provided some amazing and insightful content, working with his co-hosts Steve Talks Books and Taylor, who fronts Maed Between the Pages.
In case you’re unsure concerning the point I’m making, this is A LOT. It takes someone with real passion and commitment to his own readers, other writers and those who enjoy the fantasy genre in general to undertake all of the above and, more importantly, do it well. It’s a real labour of love.
When I picked up A Drowned Kingdom I immediately knew this was something different and Stuart’s decision to use Othrun as his central viewpoint character was a bold choice. Born into the ruling elite of his country, Othrun is that most difficult of all literary creations – the unlikeable protagonist. However, Stuart doubles down on this premise and by the end of the first book the reader is left in little doubt that noble Othrun is really the antagonist of the novel. I’m not sure I could be so bold with my own writing, and this got me thinking. What was Stuart trying to achieve when he began writing A Drowned Kingdom and the series that followed on from this?
In this 2021 interview with Bodacious Copy Stuart makes clear that his work, whilst clearly influenced by some of the high fantasy greats, past and present, is intended to explore some complex issues and themes:
“First, I wanted to write an epic high fantasy reminiscent of my favourite fantasy authors: J.R.R. Tolkien, G.R.R. Martin, T.H. White, Bernard Cornwell, N.K. Jemisin, John Gwynne, and others. That is the kind of fantasy I love to read, and that is what I have always wanted to write.
Second, I wanted to write a book that had its origin story as my version of the legend of Atlantis.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, I wanted to write a book that examined various significant and timely themes, like racism, misogyny, colonialism, and more. I wanted that kind of book centred around a person who came from privilege and prejudice and to examine how (if) such a person could change.”
Stuart also uses his novels to explore the themes of religious intolerance and persecution.
“One of the most terrible things, I believe, we as humans can do, is condemn non-religious people, or people of different religions. Therefore, I wanted to send a message about this in The Drowned Kingdom Saga. I wanted to highlight that we need to look carefully at how we think about the religions (or denominations/sects) of others.”
This is a series with real ambition and something important to say. These are not easy subjects to tackle successfully and sensitively. However, Stuart approaches these issues with real nuance and Othrun’s blinkered view of the world is incredibly effective at shining a light on them without becoming ‘preachy’. Stuart treats the reader as an adult and allows them to draw their own conclusions. You can enjoy these books for their world building, magic and battles and there’s plenty of that to be found within the pages. Look a little deeper, though, and you’ll find so much more to think about and consider.
If you’ve read my reviews for Stuart’s current books (A Drowned Kingdom and The Last of the Atalanteans) you’ll know I’m a fan of his work. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of Lord and King, the third book in the saga, which is slated for release in Spring 2023. This series, which has so much more to offer as it progresses, is well worth investigating. Highly recommended.
Book links
Social media links
Website – https://www.plstuart.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/plstuartwrites
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/plstuartwrites
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/p.l.stuart/
