Guest Author: Steven M. Booth

Steven BoothI am excited to welcome author Steven Booth, who is celebrating the release of his debut novel, Dark Talisman.

Meet the Dark Elf, Altira. She set out to rob a sultan, and ended up stealing the deadliest gem in the world. This mistake could cost Altira her life or save her race, and possibly the world as she knows it. As Altira struggles to triumph over the vast forces arrayed against her, she acquires (mostly against her will) a rich cast of unexpected allies perceptive dwarves, giant Phoenix birds with mysterious powers, and ephemeral creatures made from nothing but air. Together they must find a way to defeat the army of assassins set against her, overcome the wrath of three nations, and forge allegiances with despised enemies, to reveal the truth to a people kept in darkness for millennia.

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The Plight of the Avian

(or… why do birds always get the short end of the stick in Fantasy?)

When the National Emblem of the United States was being designed in 1782, by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, a wide-spread bald eagle was featured prominently thereupon. After several years, the Second Continental Congress of the U.S. approved the eagle-based seal, accepting the bird as an appropriate symbol of “supreme power and authority”. In 1787, the American Bald Eagle was officially accepted as the Emblem of the United States.

This was hardly the first time the eagle had been used in a nationally symbolic way. Throughout history the magnificent creature has featured prominently in promoting the image of many nations and peoples. It was the standard of a Roman Legion, featured extensively and prominently in British Heraldry, was used throughout Europe, and today is featured in the flags of no fewer than twenty seven different nations.

So, if all of this is true, why then do eagles not feature as prominently in modern literature? Why are there not scores of covers in the bookstores featuring Great Eagles bearing our hero aloft? Eagles, for some reason, are always ‘upstaged’ by scaly-sided dragons, for some reason, and to me, that just seems confusing in the extreme. It’s certainly true that avians are present in many stories, but they seem to always be relegated to secondary roles and serve as a ‘deus ex machina’ mechanism in story after story. They come, they save, then they vanish, never to be seen until the hero once again needs saving.

Tolkien, for example, has eagles in his Ring Trilogy, and in The Hobbit, but every single time they appear, they do so to save someone in an impossible situation and from the brink of utter destruction; Bilbo and the Dwarves from falling off the cliff in The Hobbit; Galdalf (twice) in the Lord of the Rings, and a critical moment in the battle of Minas Tirith, and of course in the epic climax in Return of the King when they rescue a nearly-expired Frodo and Sam from the midst of a vast flow of boiling lava. Yet, we never learn who they are, where they came from, or why they act to help the hero. Quite sad.

Nor is Tolkien the only one guilty of this. Another prime example comes from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. When J.K. Rowling needed to get Harry, Guilderoy Lockhart, Ron and Ginny out of what amounted to an inescapable ‘pit of despair’, she summoned her marvelous avian, Fawkes. The diminutive phoenix, no larger than a peacock, accomplishes the impossible task of hauling four full-grown people out of this dungeon (did I mention it was inescapable?), and then mysteriously flies away, his task seemingly complete.

Here’s an example from film. If you’ve ever watched Lady in the Water by M. Knight Shyamalan, you know that in the final scene, our heroine, Story, is saved from the ‘Grunts’ by a Roc, or giant bird, who vanishes into the clouds.

I could go on.

SBooth-Dark TalismanBack in 2006, I decided that the time had come to do away with dragons as the archetype fantasy masters of the skies, and start giving back to the eagles of the world, or at least the Eagles of Fiction. My recent released Dark Talisman, the first in the Guardian Chronicles series, is an introduction not only to the magical world of Salustra and the Dark Elf Altira, but also to the mysterious and powerful Phorin `Tra. These giant eagle-like phoenix birds not only do not vanish back into the woodwork after saving the day, but instead fill a prominent role in the series, have their own city and culture, and have weaknesses and foibles, and comrades and enemies. They also have no problem dispatching assorted dragons of various sizes with a little help from a Companion or two.

The very cool thing is that getting into the mind of an immortal phoenix turned out to be a fascinating endeavor made even more dramatic by teaming them up intimately with mortal companions in an attempt to keep the world from spinning into the dark universe of the undead.

In short, the Phoenix rules!
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Meet Steven M. Booth!

Steve is a long-time computer guy who, among other things, works with artists in the film industry to create some of the most spectacular effects and animation on the silver screen. He has also worked as a software developer, programming the production and artist tools used to convert 2D to 3D films, on films such as Transformers 3, The Green Lantern, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Smurfs. Coming from an artist-centric family and a love of science, Steve uses his innate understanding of story and the universe to create the fantasy world of his first novel, Dark Talisman.

Contact Info
Website: website
Blog: Blog

Want to purchase Steven’s novels?
Dark Talisman

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

1 Comment

  1. What a great post – I never really gave birds and their role in fantasy a second thought before, but now that Stephen points it out, I see what he means. Mammals and reptiles get all kinds of top billing, but yeah, birds are kind of short-changed. :-)

    I love the cover of Dark Talisman – I’m definitely going to check that book out!

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