Liminal Thresholds: The Spaces Between
“Every exit is an entry to somewhere else” — Tom Stoppard Each December, I look forward to the week between Christmas and New Year. The world closes in on itself. Everyday life pauses and routines are suspended, giving time for reflection. This lull is a liminal time — an in-between stage when we transition from…Read More
Quest Stories as a Genre
“Many the men whose cities he saw, whose ways he learned.” — Homer, The Odyssey Quest stories have one thing in common: a search to find, control, or destroy something. The hero will do anything to achieve their goal. The villain will lie, cheat, or kill to thwart them. Think of the hunt for El…Read More
World-building: The Gnostic Creation Myth
“God is not the author of all things, but only of good.” – Plato Graëlfire’s world-building is not intended to endorse a religious view, though it draws inspiration from Gnostic creation myth. Gnosticism is a theology that predates Christianity. It is an esoteric doctrine that aims to explain the presence of evil and suffering within…Read More
Graëlfire, a Fantasy Thriller, is Now Available
I’m delighted to announce that Graëlfire is OUT NOW in e-book and paperback formats. Published by Troubador in the UK, it’s available from major online retailers by clicking on the links below. Graëlfire is a fantasy thriller for adults. Inspired by the Arthurian Grail quest, the story is set in present-day Switzerland and thirteenth-century Occitania…Read More
Cathars: The Italian Connection
“Heresy signifies no more than private opinion.” — Thomas Hobbes In my novel, Graëlfire, the medieval subplot revolves around the persecution of the gnostic, Christian Cathar sect in Languedoc and a flight to sanctuary among their brethren in Northern Italy. I knew this storyline might raise questions in some readers’ minds: Cathars in Italy? I…Read More
Supernatural Stones and the Grail Quest
“Men have collected stones since the beginning of time and have apparently assumed that certain ones were the containers of the spirit of the life-force.” – Carl Jung Graëlfire is a contemporary reinterpretation of a timeless tale: the legend of the Grail and the quest to locate it. The story was inspired by the medieval…Read More
Real-World Inspiration for Fantasy Settings
“The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust Perhaps it’s my northern soul, but the connection between landscape and myth has always lured me – how prominent features in the countryside provided a prism through which our ancestors sought to understand the mysteries…Read More
My Debut Novel Graëlfire is Coming Soon
Hello, and welcome! My name is Stephen Chamberlain, and I’m thrilled to announce Troubador Publishing will soon release my debut fantasy novel, Graëlfire. About the book: A centuries-old quest A feud spanning universes A life in the balance. University student Lena Dubois is dying. Her only hope of survival is a centuries-old quest for the…Read More
