A J Dalton – författare

In the Empire of the Saviours, the People are forced to live in fortified towns. Their walls are guarded by an army of Heroes, whose task is to keep marauding pagans out as much as it is to keep the People inside. Several times a year, living Saints visit the towns to exact the Saviours'' tithe from all those coming of age - a tithe often paid in blood.When a young boy, Jillan, unleashes pagan magicks in an accident, his whole town turns against him. He goes on the run, but what hope can there be when the Saviours and the entire Empire decide he must be caught?Jillan is initially hunted by just the soldiers of the Saint of his region, but others soon begin to hear of his increasing power and seek to use him for their own ends. Some want Jillan to join the fight against the Empire, others wish to steal his power for themselves and others still want Jillan to lead them to the Geas, the source of all life and power in the world. There are very few Jillan can trust, except for a ragtag group of outcasts.His parents threatened, his life in tatters, his beliefs shaken to the core, Jillan must decide which side he is on, and whether to fight or run ...

Ancient Gods begin to stir and demand resurrection...A naked and crazy holy man leads a young warrior into the realm of the dead...In fear for his life, a young member of an evil race flees his home...An uneasy peace has settled upon Jillan''s remote corner of the Empire, but he cannot return to his previous simple life. Tricked into a bargain with the manipulative God of Mayhem, he is forced to embark upon a journey that will leave his hometown undefended. Unsure of his fellow travellers, pursued by assassins and spies, he must discover the means by which to raise up the old gods and defeat the cruel Empire of the Saviours.Meanwhile, the Empire''s vast army of Saints and Heroes descends upon Godsend. Jillan''s beloved Hella and a few loyal companions resist the dark magicks used against them for a while, but the Saviours cannot allow such resistance to go unpunished...And from another realm, the Declension watches. Their servants, the Saviours, have suffered setbacks. The God of Mayhem is loose. A young boy with wayward powers is on his way to Haven, where he may find a way to destroy them. A renegade member of their race is rampaging through their realms.Everything is going to plan.

The gods will see you brought down...The spirits of your ancestors will have their revenge upon you...The Saviours will drain you of your very soul. In claiming a place in the world, mortals have won many enemies for themselves. The ancient gods are jealous and conspire against them. The King of the Dead looks to lead his armies into the land of the living. In their own realm, the mighty Declension watches and waits, as events begin to unfold precisely as they had always planned. Jillan and his companions are beset on all sides, yet are plagued by self-doubt and internal division. When the final battle for survival begins, both they and their gods face extinction. They are easy prey for the warriors of the Declension, who are intent upon stripping Jillan of his magic and raising up their empire once more.His friends and beloved Hella taken from him, Jillan is captured and tortured. He is ultimately broken and condemned to work in a mine, to see out his days labouring in misery for the enemy he has fought against his entire life.He is a man without hope.

Nominated for the BSFA Awards 2017 for non-fiction and cover art!

'This is an essential guide to help readers and writers of fantasy know their grimdark from their urban, dark, epic, high and metaphysical fantasy. International fantasy author A J Dalton explains how each of the sub-genres of fantasy literature is a response to their own social and historical period. Each sub-genre thereby describes a distinct political and philosophical outlook. Fantasy is far more important than many people truly understand!'

“Thoughtful, insightful, while sure to prompt debate, and that can only benefit all facets of the fantasy genre.” Juliet E. McKenna

WINNER OF THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARDS 2018 - NON-FICTION.

2 of the papers have been nominated for the BSFA Awards 2017: Kim Lakin-Smith and Juliet McKenna.

JULIET MCKENNA'S PAPER SHORTLISTED FOR THE BSFA AWARDS 2017

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARD NON-FICTION 2018!

“Gender identity and sexuality in Current Fantasy and Science Fiction” is the first Call for Papers of Academia Lunare, the non-fiction arm of Luna Press Publishing.

The papers explore how society, as reflected in real life, literature, movies, TV, games and cosplay, is currently dealing with gender identity and sexuality in speculative fiction, asking an important question: do we have a problem?

Featuring papers from Juliet E McKenna, Kim Lakin-Smith, Cheryl Morgan, A J Dalton, Jyrki Korpua, Hazel Butler, Lorianne Reuser, Anna Milon, Rostislav Kůrka and Alina Hadîmbu.

Satan, Dracula, Sauron, Lord Foul, Darth Vader. The motif of the Satanic Dark Lord is ever-present in science fiction and fantasy, a malign intelligence seeking to thwart the Chosen One.

In the literature of the 1980s and 90s, the Dark Lord is always defeated. However, post-millennium, there are signs that he has finally begun to get the upper hand, as we witness his change from anti-hero to hero.

In this enthralling study, prize-winning author A J Dalton considers how our understanding and characterisation of Satan has developed over time. From early depictions of Satan as a brutal dragon in the Bible, to the playfully seductive friend in the works of Chaucer and Marlowe, to the sympathetic and sensitive vampire of the modern-day, to the alien and unknowable artificial intelligence of tomorrow.

This book provides a starting point for researchers, writers and fans of science fiction and fantasy interested in the development of one of the biggest tropes in speculative fiction.