Bane of All Things

EPIC FANTASY WITH A 17th CENTURY FLAVOR: Bane of All Things is also a gunpowder fantasy, set in a secondary world where both Robert E. Howard's steadfast Solomon Kane and Alexandre Dumas's swashbuckling musketeers would feel at home.

A STORY DRIVEN BY PERSONAL CONFLICT: Bane of All Things explores the theme of conscience versus loyalty through the contrasting characters of Lieutenant Ryn Ruscroft, a man scarred by his actions as a dutiful officer who has betrayed his oath to a corrupt church, and Captain Segas Tovald, who knows too well the flaws of that same church, yet chooses to remain loyal.

STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS: Bane of All Things’ primary female protagonist is Josalind Aumbrae—a strong young woman with agency who is complex, brave, ambitious, and ultimately kind. She demonstrates that strong female characters can exist in epic fantasy without falling into the stale stereotypes of the warrior princess or the damsel in distress. But that’s not to say she isn’t in distress, or wouldn’t pick up a sword if the need arose.

VIVID WORLD-BUILDING THAT’S MORE THAN ANKLE DEEP: Valiquette’s characters have agendas and motives that often clash. Locations are richly rendered and have the lived-in feel of real, historic places. Power struggles between factions are messy and complicated, as power struggles always are. The mythology and the pantheon of gods are both complex and capable of being interpreted in different ways that can breed conflict, as we so often see in our own world.