I sat down with Hannah Baller to talk about writing, fantasy, and how characters tend to steer stories in directions I didn’t plan.

If you’re curious about the thinking behind the books, the interview’s here:
hannahballer.com/2021/05/30/s...

#SebastienDeCastell #FantasyAuthor

I gave every book in this series 5 Stars. I'm stingy with 5-star ratings. I'm old. I'm jaded. These books just did it for me EVERY TIME. I haven't been this emotionally affected by a book since Tigana. I got goosebumps at least once per book, probably more. I didn't actually cry, but I got pretty damn sad. Like Tigana I wanted to throw the book at some point, but I was listening to it on my phone so that might not have been great. I've been writing on and off my whole life and I'm currently writing. This book is inspiring me to be a better writer. It's forced me to think, "What is Mr. Castell doing that I'm not?" and "How can I make my readers feel like his writing is making me feel right now?" So I gave all my characters trenchcoats and named my 3 main characters: Kalcio, Best, and Frasti. Totally kidding (maybe). Definitely looking forward to the other books set in this world, even if they don't have the characters I've come to know and love in them (I'm not sure if they do, haven't looked into them yet). Also will be checking out the rest of Castell's catalog ASAP.

Tyrant's Throne by Sebastien de Castell
Book #50 for 2025, 5 out of 5 Stars

Review in pic and alt-text.

#fantasybooksky #FantasyBookReview #Tyrant'sThrone #SebastienDeCastell

This unusual silver piece displays four famous pirates and contains an actual working compass. I really think more coins should contain working compasses....
#SebastienDeCastell #SwashbucklingFantasy #Greatcoats #PirateVibes #FantasyAesthetic #FantasyCollectors

Sebastian De Castell's book Series about the Greatcoats.

I've read two of these so far, not within my normal range of authors and style of book. However sword play, swearing, humour and quite fun in a slightly more serious Terry Pratchett style.

They're often at £0.99 on kindle too.
#SebastienDeCastell

Just finished this book….i loved it. The world and characters, their friendship and way they talk to each other. I can’t reccomend this book enough.
#fantasy #malevolentseven #lovetoread #reading #books #beautiful #sebastiendecastell

Here's a clip from Sebastien de Castell's appearance on Histories of Horror.

Listen to the full episode here: open.spotify.com/episode/27EY...

#fantasybookseries #themalevolenteight #sebastiendecastell #fantasyauthors #historiesofhorror

The Best of Kaiju & Gnome

This article by resident roaming book gnome, Jordan, looked at his most anticipated releases of April 2024. Lots of swashbuckling fun was had by all!

kaijuandgnome.substack.com/p/gnomes-mos...

#books #fantasy #scifi #stevenbrust #sebastiendecastell #substack #starwars