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Author: Tod Newman

  • Travel by Star: A Journey of Hope and Redeeming Joy

    Travel by Star: A Journey of Hope and Redeeming Joy

    There is a place in C.S. Lewis’ Prince Caspian where Aslan returns after a long absence from Narnia and utter joy ensues. It is a wild passage. Bacchus arrives—young and virile—along with dancing girls known as Maenads. Grape vines begin erupting from the earth and covering anything available. It appears like Lewis’ organized, methodological storytelling is about to detonate into chaos.

    But then in a conversation with her sister, Lucy (the youngest) offers this steadying moment: “I wouldn’t have felt very safe with Bacchus and all his wild girls if we’d met them without Aslan.” And thus we see the redeeming of the recklessness that we perceive into blessed joy.

    Paul Scott Grill’s novel Travel by Star is clearly influenced by many of the works that my writing is also touched by. The Narnia series, Tolkien, Pilgrim’s Progress, and even Louis L’Amour appear to be prominent. This makes for a read that is personally quite thrilling.

    Note that Mr. Grill is a current author who has chosen the independent publishing path. This approach frees one from the conforming biases of the publishing industry and allows full creative control. Unfortunately, it also may discourage the buying public who sees the independently published novel as potentially lesser. I tend to feel the opposite way.

    This is why I will be buying and reviewing (unbeknownst to the author) independent novels here on my site from time to time. I hope this will be a positive deviation from my traditional Classics reviews. Perhaps it will be helpful to both authors and readers who want better content not influenced by “the industry”. Back to the review.

    Western Grit Meets Magical Wonder

    In places, we see the western stability and rugged individualism characteristic of L’Amour and we garner a notion about the type of book this is. But then the magic and joy of Grill’s world building erupts out of nowhere and takes the reader into an exciting new place for a short while. Once control is regained, we resume the main story—or is it the main story? We don’t know for sure because the author maintains suspense for quite a long time.

    Three characters garner the majority of the love from Grill. The main Clint Eastwood plains drifter (or plains Runner as the book describes him) is named Travel. Early on he meets a challenging and powerful young woman named Nichole who has a mission she needs Travel’s attendance to. He has various beliefs about what this mission is, and even though he’s initially reluctant (of course, the heroic journey is featured here as with many of the best novels), eventually he becomes invested, though he still is mistaken about the purpose. Nichole is compelling and surprising throughout, but Travel begins to truly care for her. We learn a truth about Travel and Nichole fairly early on:

    “Nichole lived in a haunted world, as did Travel, as did everyone else. It was a world where nothing beautiful could ever rise up without something coming for it.” (p. 102)

    This is excellent foreshadowing, but as with heroes in our own real world, neither of these two is affected by these challenges, constantly adapting and seeking to overcome.

    My favorite character is perhaps more of a mighty supporting character, a “protector” named Hatchet who is also far more than he appears. What I appreciate about this character is the clothing in humility and grace Grill provides him that enables him to serve and regard the other characters in the novel far higher than himself.

    Magical Realism Done Well

    Magical realism is featured throughout, often in surprising ways. As with García Márquez, the best examples of this are short and never get fully resolved in the book. This lends these moments a great amount of interest.

    Hope as Our Sure Possession

    My opinion on the main theme in the novel is that it continually returns to hope. For example, much of the story revolves around searching for a majestic city (à la the Celestial City from Pilgrim’s Progress). Travel isn’t so sure at the beginning of the book, but we learn his thoughts and get insight into his character:

    “Travel shrugged. ‘I believe there was once a city, and I’m sure it had its day.’ He paused, and the watchfulness returned. ‘But I don’t believe anything can sustain that kind of hope.’” (p. 86)

    I highlighted the theme of hope throughout my Kindle edition of this novel. One phrase that is repeated by many characters is initially thrown out as a surety by Hatchett: “Hope is our sure possession.” How much do we need to hear this in our own era where we have sacrificed hope to the mere tangible? It is food for much thought.

    There are many smaller characters like Nivenna who pursue this hope through strenuous and systematic sacrificial investment in the advancement of others. We learn that Nivenna is training groups of young women to become anchors in the community. Grill writes:

    “For in addition to the well-known work and provision of their land, there was a quiet, lesser-known work that also sustained the town, whereby these four women took in wayward girls and taught them how to set their sights on something more than the day after. Here, they learned to read, to make plans, to keep a schedule, to garden and cook, to care for animals, to care for people, to stretch a coin and mend a seam and close a wound. These were Occam’s Daughters, and they did more to keep the town from descending into a brothel-pocked ruin than most would ever know. It was dangerous work.” (p. 153)

    Those who love horses (like me) will also enjoy this book, for there is a race of horses that are higher and more noble. Perhaps these horses even aspire to the Greek legends of Pegasus, the winged symbol of divine inspiration. What is certain is that they are critical partners to the human teams seeking the blessed city in full hope.

    The Journey’s End—and Beginning

    Near the end of the book, Travel reaches the City. But has he? He is uncertain, for he detects some adjacent injustice. He meets an important character in a dingy room who addresses the whole issue about the City and the remnants of evil:

    “Do not fear him,” he said. “As for you…” he stopped for a moment, and it seemed then that he looked past Travel, at something the horsemaster could neither hear nor see. The Man smiled briefly then returned his gaze. “Did you think I could bring you all the way here, and not finish what I’ve begun?” he asked. (p. 603)

    With this advice, Travel moves forward confidently and hopefully into his new life’s work, no longer unaware of who he is and who he is serving.

    Travel by Star is an enjoyable read that will alternately leave your head spinning and then focus your attention on the reality that underlies and sustains all of the many symbols that Grill sneaks past our attention.

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  • Waverley: When Privilege Meets Rebellion

    Waverley: When Privilege Meets Rebellion

    When Sir Walter Scott published Waverley anonymously in 1814, he ignited a literary sensation across Europe. The novel succeeded for two compelling reasons: it revived historical fiction as a popular genre after centuries of dormancy, and its anonymous authorship sparked intense speculation about the identity of its brilliant creator. By the time Scott’s authorship became known, Waverley had already secured its place as one of the era’s defining novels.

    The Story

    The story follows Edward Waverley, a young English nobleman who becomes entangled in the Jacobite uprising of 1745—the doomed conspiracy to restore the Stuart dynasty to the English throne. Scott drew upon his Scottish heritage and conducted meticulous research and local interviews to capture the Highland culture with impressive authenticity. His descriptive prose brought the fierce loyalty and poetic passion of the Highland clans to life, creating scenes that in retrospect bear striking resemblance to James Fenimore Cooper’s later portraits of Native American tribes. Given Cooper’s known admiration for English novels, one wonders if the young American author found inspiration in Scott’s Highlanders when crafting his own tales of upstate New York’s indigenous peoples.

    At its heart, Waverley traces the maturation of an idle young man of privilege who seeks purpose through an Army commission, only to find himself plunged into the full spectrum of human experience: treachery and self-sacrifice, unexpected kindness and passionate infatuation, and ultimately, genuine love.

    The Characters!

    The novel’s strength lies in its memorable characters—ironically, everyone except Waverley himself, who proves the least compelling figure in his own story. The Baron of Bradwardine, a Scottish lowlander and Stuart loyalist, embodies the old feudal order with his antiquated sense of lordship and love of shifting conversations to Latin. His daughter Rose emerges as a surprisingly strong and capable woman who quietly shapes the story’s resolution. The Highland chieftain Fergus Mac-Ivor offers Edward genuine friendship while drawing him deeper into rebellion, while Fergus’s sister Flora—passionate for Stuart glory—reveals that her interest in Edward stems more from political calculation than romance. The erratic thief Donald Bean Lean rounds out a cast that captures the full range of Highland passion and intrigue.

    Edward’s gradual awakening forms the novel’s emotional core. He discovers too late that Flora views him merely as a political asset for Prince Charles Stuart, who desperately needs English nobles to legitimize his cause. After early rebel successes give way to inevitable defeat, Edward must find his way back to his family and to the woman who protected him and loved him without calculation.

    A Message for Our Time

    Scott illuminates an era of political turmoil where religion and geography fractured the British Isles—a situation uncomfortably familiar to our own age of polarization. Then as now, political gamesmanship drew people into dangerous conflicts over grievances both real and manufactured. Waverley represents the privileged young man caught between warring forces through no real fault beyond his failure to take his responsibilities seriously. And like our own time, countless people suffered for decisions made in rooms they could never access.

    Waverley reminds us that political upheaval has always carried human costs, and that maturity often arrives through painful lessons about loyalty, love, and the true meaning of duty.

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  • The Paradox of Self-Centeredness and an Omnipotent God

    The Paradox of Self-Centeredness and an Omnipotent God

    We have all learned from experience at being humans to ferret out and subsequently be disgusted by self-centeredness. The paradox is that this tendency toward pride in one’s self may be one of the great hallmarks of humanity (and is the plague of those in pursuit as well). And due to the recent collapse of restraining virtues, it has become a condemning feature of our culture at large.

    We hate this in others, yet we tolerate it in ourselves. Why?

    I’ve been thinking about how God is perfectly justified to be self-centered. He embodies perfection; angels and humans were created to know and worship Him. Does this trigger our revulsion to self-centered behavior? Probably, if we don’t think through the situation much. Perhaps this is a chief complaint made by those offended by God—His glory conflicts with an unreasonable expectation of our own.

    But pondering this honestly, we quickly realize that if God is exactly as He describes Himself, He fully possesses the right to be self-centered—meaning, He organizes reality to demonstrate His glory. This would indicate that He is the center of all things and knows this because it is true. Does this still bother us?

    One more thing is puzzling—something we as imperfect beings don’t yet understand. The one who should rightly elevate Himself over all others chose to demonstrate that perfect self-awareness also involves sacrifice.

    Where Do We See This in Scripture?

    All throughout, if one pays attention. For instance, in Hebrews 2 we read:

    But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

    A Monumental Change Happened

    For a “little while” He “was made” lower than the angels. This was not His normal state. He is the one “for whom and by whom all things exist.” But He became lower than the angelic forms and joined humanity.

    The Paradox, Resumed

    Why did this change happen? The one who is the very definition of truth demonstrated that His form of self-existence was not complete without the rescue of the ones who were created to love and adore Him. For God’s glory is not the shadow of self-centeredness we have authored. It is something true and higher.

  • A Historically Important Novel you Ought to Consider: “Daniel Deronda” by George Eliot

    A Historically Important Novel you Ought to Consider: “Daniel Deronda” by George Eliot

    Recently I’ve been reading books recommended by Chris Scalia in his guide Novels for Conservatives. George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda stood out immediately. Since Middlemarch is one of my favorites, I was eager to read Eliot’s final novel.

    The Characters

    As with all of Eliot’s work, character building and contrast take center stage. Four fascinating personalities orbit around Daniel Deronda, who serves as the linchpin connecting them all.

    Daniel Deronda is a young man who has grown up as the unacknowledged son—he suspects—of an English aristocrat. He stands apart: patient with people’s idiosyncrasies, thoughtful, and devoted to others. His main foil is Gwendolen Harleth, a character to whom much has been given and who has received it all in great self-devotion. Eliot spends considerable energy convincing us that Gwendolen is shallow and conceited:

    Other people allowed themselves to be made slaves of, and to have their lives blown hither and thither like empty ships in which no will was present. It was not to be so with her; she would no longer be sacrificed to creatures worth less than herself, but would make the very best of the chances that life offered her, and conquer circumstances by her exceptional cleverness.

    Gwendolen clearly sees herself as “the main character”—as our young people might say about our modern royalty of self-centeredness—with everyone else mere supporting players in her drama.

    Two Intersecting Stories

    Deronda meets Gwendolen at the peak of her social success, just before she loses her fortune overnight. That brief encounter stays with her through the ups and downs that follow, including a miserable marriage of convenience to a weak but manipulative British aristocrat. Watching Deronda’s visible kindness and encouragement—qualities she utterly lacks—she begins to recognize virtue outside herself. This recognition is perhaps the best thing we can say about Gwendolen.

    But the novel’s other pillar tells a strikingly different story. The jarring contrast between Gwendolen’s self-absorption and the selflessness on this second side seems intentional. This strand involves Jewish people—folks segregated from polite British society.

    Deronda saves the life of Mirah, a beautiful and talented young Jewish woman who despairs over her lost family. A singer exploited by her scoundrel father across Europe, she escapes to Britain where Deronda rescues her and provides a new family. Though Christian, they are kind, and Eliot uses them to explore the nature of Jewishness in British society.

    While searching for Mirah’s missing mother and brother, Deronda meets Mordecai—a deathly-ill but vividly alive Jewish mystic and Kabbalah student. Daniel finds him remarkable, though he’s puzzled by Mordecai’s disappointment that he speaks no Hebrew. Increasingly, Deronda’s thoughts shift from his aristocratic life toward this unusual man and his urgent vision.

    Transformation and Vision

    Mirah flourishes in the home of Deronda’s college friend, where his mother and sisters adore her. She becomes a blessing, teaching singing to wealthy students. Gwendolen is drawn to her—perhaps due to Mirah’s character, but likely because of her connection to Deronda.

    In one pivotal exchange, Gwendolen reveals her understanding that Deronda admires Mirah’s blamelessness while surely despising her own mercenary marriage. But Deronda sees deeper—that Gwendolen’s real problem is her extreme self-centeredness:

    “Then tell me what better I can do,” said Gwendolen, insistently.

    “Many things. Look on other lives besides your own. See what their troubles are, and how they are borne. Try to care about something in this vast world besides the gratification of small selfish desires. Try to care for what is best in thought and action—something that is good apart from the accidents of your own lot.”

    This exchange gives her food for thought for years.

    Meanwhile, Mordecai reveals that he’s seen Deronda in visions as a kindred spirit who will continue his work for the Jewish people after his death. Though puzzled, Deronda feels an inexplicable empathy for the plight of British Jews. In a powerful pub discussion with Mordecai and his philosopher friends, Deronda is stirred by Mordecai’s fervent dream of a Jewish homeland:

    Let the torch of visible community be lit! Let the reason of Israel disclose itself in a great outward deed, and let there be another great migration, another choosing of Israel to be a nationality whose members may still stretch to the ends of the earth, even as the sons of England and Germany, whom enterprise carries afar, but who still have a national hearth and a tribunal of national opinion.

    After further plot twists, Deronda realizes his calling is now intertwined with Mordecai’s vision. The novel makes an abrupt decision to sunset Gwendolen’s story, which dissipates predictably.

    Historical Impact

    I’m deliberately avoiding plot spoilers—read it yourself for those details. What fascinates me is this book’s influence on world events. Written in 1876, Daniel Deronda was one of the first exposures polite society had to Jewish suffering and the dream of returning to a homeland.

    Many readers actually hated the Jewish plotline, preferring Gwendolen’s aristocratic drama instead. Her recklessness and pride fascinate like a car wreck. But Eliot revolutionized the portrayal of Jewish people in English literature and set events in motion that—regardless of how one views them—have shaped much of world history since.

    Fifty-one years after publication, the British issued their support for establishing a Jewish state in the Middle East. Historian Paul Johnson noted in History of the Jews that Daniel Deronda was “probably the most influential novel of the 19th century” and that “to hundreds of thousands of assimilated Jews the story presented for the first time the possibility of a return to Zion.”

    A Word on Reading This Novel

    This is an important work that should be read. But readers need to know it will challenge our iPhone-depleted attention spans. The writing bears no resemblance to the staccato dialogue patterns of modern novels. Paragraphs stretch on. Dialogue is rich in detail and insight but long in words. Occasionally Eliot dives into reveries the reader struggles to follow. As a writer and student of the classics, I understand her efforts to communicate deeply, though I generally (sadly?) choose to edit such episodes from my own work in response to modern reading fashions.

    I hope potential readers are challenged by this but not dissuaded. I’ll say it again: this is an important book. And it also makes the case that people aren’t always completely reducible to groups. A woman from a Caucasian British background was able to communicate the thoughts and desires of an underprivileged minority group with a very lasting effect. In this sense, Daniel Deronda fulfills the highest goals of a novelist—carefully and graciously stepping into another’s life and earning the right to tell someone else’s story.

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  • Q&A for the Author of The Halls of the Shadow King

    Q&A for the Author of The Halls of the Shadow King

    Q&A with W. Tod Newman, Author of The Halls of the Shadow King

    Being a full-time author means dealing with a strange paradox.

    No one outside your immediate circle will ever read your book without marketing. For introverted authors who loathe self-promotion, this stinks. But I’ve accepted it as necessary. Most of us write because we believe we’re offering something valuable—entertainment, wisdom gleaned from experience, or both. That value disappears if we never reach the right readers.

    I’ve also learned that there are sadistic people out there who find great satisfaction in tearing down authors through anonymous one-star reviews. Often these come from individuals who never bought or read the book. I’ve heard stories of authors receiving one-star reviews describing entirely different books from the one they wrote. Amazon rarely removes these unless they’re extreme violations. They’ll tell you it averages out eventually.

    Getting actual readers to leave reviews? Nearly impossible. Whole industries exist around “review farming” to manufacture early buzz for new releases. I find this distasteful.

    So here’s my attempt at a different approach—a Q&A based on questions people have actually asked me. Maybe some stray Google search will bring an interested reader this way. Stranger things have happened.

    Question: How did you come up with the idea for The Halls of the Shadow King series?

    Most authors writing Young Adult series don’t start with AD 280 in the Roman Empire. This choice reflects my love of research—after writing two novels set during the Old Testament prophets, diving into this era was easy and enjoyable.

    But the idea came as a question: “What would have happened if the powerful gifts seen in the early church had manifested during Roman persecution?” The timing seemed obvious. Emperor Valerian launched unusually harsh persecutions that began suddenly and ended just as suddenly under his son. My research never turned up a compelling reason why.

    Amal emerged as the answer to that question—a gifted young man drawn from street crime in Damascus into a secretive organization dedicated to furthering The Way. His gift combines elements I’ve seen scattered through legends worldwide. Why not place a character who can reshape reality at the center of world-changing events?

    Question: Is Amal a perfectly powerful character like Superman?

    I struggled to keep Amal human. I don’t enjoy all-powerful, all-good characters in literature. Besides his extraordinary gift, I gave Amal something perhaps more valuable: humility.

    Where did this come from? Partly from the kindness of his Creator, but also from making mistakes and learning his capacity for error. He never feels fully confident to me, which makes him real.

    If anyone actually reads this and engages, I’ll keep writing these Q&A pieces until people get sick of it!

    Want to Check out the SERIES? Head over to my store (product is fulfilled from Lulu.com, which makes a nicer paperback product than Amazon).

    Question: Why do you love writing so much?

    I’ve asked myself this since high school. Writing was something I kept pushing forward on despite never being satisfied with the output. Eventually I started appreciating my own style and discovered that I could finally complete works I’d started and abandoned. The Halls of the Shadow King is an example—I wrote about half of it between 2016 and 2018, then let it rest. After publishing my two Old Testament prophet novels in the 2020s, I returned to “Halls” and found I could finally tell Amal’s story the way it needed to be told.

    But why do I love it?

    I write because I like to share. What I’ve learned and gradually understood about life might be transferable to others. My reading taste has always leaned toward the classics, where authors were less distracted by material things (and iPhones!) and more focused on sharing their wisdom, their hearts, and their imaginations.

    I think readers may detect this influence in my writing. I hope it has a good effect.

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  • Reviews of “The Halls of the Shadow King: The Apprentice”

    Reviews of “The Halls of the Shadow King: The Apprentice”

    Here are a few of the professional reviews I’ve received on the first book in the series. I’m not really obsessed with reviews or marketing my books, but I won this review package in a Independent Book Contest and figured I ought to repost. They were all 5-star reviews… Readers’ Favorite does seem to give a fair number of 5-star reviews, but it’s hard to know the percentage since they don’t post anything lower than 4-star. Still, maybe good?

    Find the Full Series on Amazon HERE

    Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers’ Favorite

    The Halls of the Shadow King: The Apprentice by W. Tod Newman follows Amal, an orphaned street thief in third-century Syria, fighting to keep his younger sister Neffie alive in a harsh and unforgiving world. When slave traders take her, he discovers a remarkable ability to reshape reality, altering outcomes and alliances in ways others cannot. His daring rescue of dozens of enslaved children draws the attention of the Shadow King, who leads a network safeguarding followers of The Way across the Roman Empire. As Emperor Valerian intensifies the persecution of bishops and believers, Amal is tasked with infiltrating Rome and influencing the emperor. Guided by sages and strategists, he must master his powers while confronting ancient, formidable forces that threaten the empire and the survival of The Way. “That is the balance we all must find – between power and restraint, between action and wisdom. Today you learned more about both than a hundred lessons could have taught you.”

    The Halls of the Shadow King: The Apprentice by W. Tod Newman is a really ambitious undertaking, but the author handles it well. I love the contrast of scale, authority, and vulnerability. Amal and Neffie are small children entering spaces filled with political and mystical authority, and we quickly learn that Amal, as a seemingly powerless protagonist, is about to navigate a complex, threatening world. The world-building itself is phenomenal. Newman constructs a richly layered world with cultural, historical, and mystical dimensions. References to both tangible and legendary histories suggest that Amal’s experiences are part of a broader continuum. The inclusion of diverse locations and scholarly networks, like the Alexandrian manuscripts and the Wanderer’s travels, anchoring these elements in a historical context, got me wondering how, through Amal, visions and altering events will shape future outcomes. Overall, this is a solid first entry into the new series, and I look forward to seeing what comes next.

    Reviewed by Makeda Cummings for Readers’ Favorite

    Amal, a young street orphan and thief, begins life under the cruel hand of the Roman Empire. His existence is one where Christians face persecution and slavery. When his sister, Neffie, falls prey to slave traders, Amal sets out on a harrowing quest to save her. Along the way, strange supernatural powers begin to stir inside of him when the dangers close in. Gradually, Amal’s journey draws him deeper along a secret path called The Way. Ultimately, he is guided by an enigmatic spiritual leader called the Shadow King. Soon enough, he meets friends and foes who force him to value the power of trust while embracing his true purpose. With time running short, Amal stands between light and darkness. Will his inner strength guide him toward freedom or plunge him deeper into the shadows? Find out in W. Tod Newman’s The Halls of the Shadow King.

    This captivating novel is more than your average YA historical fantasy. It is a story about inner turmoil and resilience. Set against the backdrop of Roman persecution, W. Tod Newman passionately writes about how ordinary people can find extraordinary strength to do brave things when faced with oppression and suffering. Through Amal’s eyes, readers will bear witness to how spirituality, power, and self-identity can clash in a world dictated by secrets and hidden threats. I’m genuinely amazed at how well the story merges real history and magical elements, making Amal’s encounters both believable and exciting to follow. The author knows how to create characters that come alive and stand out throughout the book. Each character, from the Shadow King to Amal and Gallien, conveys different ways people respond to issues like fear and control. From beginning to end, The Halls of the Shadow King challenges readers to think about the price of truth and what it means to withstand internal and external darkness. It truly is a literary gem.

    Reviewed by Isabella Harris for Readers’ Favorite

    The Apprentice by W. Tod Newman is the first installment in The Halls of the Shadow King series. Set during the Roman era, Amal, a young street thief, is searching for his sister, whom he believes has been kidnapped by slavers. During his search, he is overwhelmed by an extraordinary power that grants him the ability to reshape reality. He uses this power to successfully rescue his sister, with other children held hostage by the slavers, leading them to seek refuge in a community of worshippers called The Way. Unfortunately, the followers of The Way Amal are being threatened by the Roman Empire, which strongly opposes their beliefs. With Amal’s newfound powers, the fate of their beliefs now rests on his ability to understand and harness his extraordinary gift.

    I was really impressed by how W. Tod Newman was able to blend a historical setting with faith and mysteries. The Halls of the Shadow King shows the reign of the Roman Empire and the struggle the followers of The Way suffered at the hands of the Romans. I loved how remarkably the characters were developed, especially Amal, who goes from a young street thief to someone on whose shoulders the fate of an entire religion lies. The pacing kept me engaged, which allowed me to fully understand Amal’s motivations and his journey of fully harnessing his powers. The Halls of the Shadow King: The Apprentice covers themes of humility, determination, greed, deceit, and much more. I recommend it to readers who are interested in historical fiction with a touch of extraordinary mystery.

  • The Historical Fiction Dragon Book Readers Have Been Waiting For

    The Historical Fiction Dragon Book Readers Have Been Waiting For

    Looking for a historical fiction dragon book that breaks all the fantasy tropes? You’ve found it.

    After three books of supernatural intrigue spanning from Damascus to Rome, The Halls of the Shadow King series is taking an unexpected turn—straight into the mist-shrouded mountains of ancient Britannia.

    And this time, Amal faces something he can’t simply outsmart or outmaneuver: a dragon.

    From Street Thief to Dragon-Binder

    When we first met Amal in The Apprentice, he was a desperate thirteen-year-old stealing maps to save his sister. Now, as the Shadow King leading a vast underground network across the Roman Empire, he’s being called to confront an ancient evil that has terrorized British villages for generations.

    But here’s the twist: he might not be able to kill it.

    This isn’t your typical historical fiction dragon book where the hero simply slays the beast and rides off into the sunset. In fact, Amal’s mission is far more complex—and far more dangerous.

    What Readers Are Saying About This Historical Fiction Dragon Book

    “I thought this was historical fiction with a supernatural edge. Book Four turned it into something entirely different—and I couldn’t put it down.”

    The fourth installment, Brittania Calls, takes everything that made the first three books compelling—the intricate plotting, the richly researched historical detail, the exploration of power and humility—and adds something readers will love: a dragon.

    But not the dragon you expect.

    The Mission: Binding an Ancient Evil

    When three young Britons arrive at Amal’s safehouse in Malta with desperate pleas for help, he learns that the persecution-free awakening spreading across Britannia is threatened by something older than Rome itself. A dragon, dormant for decades, is stirring in the western mountains. Moreover, if The Morrigan—the ancient entity Amal barely survived in Rome—is behind its awakening, the consequences could reshape the entire empire.

    Amal’s solution? Assemble a team unlike any other:

    • Finn, the Irish warrior-prince with knowledge of Celtic magic
    • Andreas, the scholarly priest with expertise in ancient texts
    • Four Carthaginian practitioners experienced in binding rituals
    • Three desperate British youths carrying fragments of forgotten druid wisdom

    Their goal isn’t to slay the dragon in some heroic confrontation. Instead, it’s to bind it—seal it away using ancient rituals that combine Carthaginian, Hebrew, and Celtic traditions into something entirely new.

    Why This Historical Fiction Dragon Book Hits Different

    Historical readers will love the meticulous research into 3rd-century trade routes from Carthage to Britain, the authentic portrayal of early Christian communities, and the seamless blend of Roman, Celtic, and North African cultures.

    Fantasy readers will devour the dragon lore, the exploration of binding rituals versus destruction, and the way ancient spiritual entities interact with the physical world.

    Literary fiction fans will appreciate the deeper questions: What does victory look like when you can’t simply destroy your enemy? How do you wield supernatural power with humility? What happens when your faith requires you to walk into situations where success isn’t guaranteed?

    Historical Accuracy Meets Celtic Magic

    What sets this early Christian fiction apart is the exhaustive research behind every detail. The trade goods carried from Carthage to Britannia? Historically accurate—wine, olive oil, grain, and garum (fermented fish sauce) were staples of Roman-era commerce. The Atlantic crossing through the Pillars of Hercules? Based on actual Carthaginian trade routes that predated Roman dominance.

    However, the magic system isn’t borrowed from modern fantasy. The binding rituals draw from genuine ancient traditions—Carthaginian texts on containing spiritual entities, Hebrew practices of spiritual warfare, and Celtic druid wisdom that survived Rome’s suppression of their culture.

    A Three-Week Voyage Into Darkness

    The Atlantic crossing alone is worth the price of admission. As Amal’s team sails from Carthage through the Pillars of Hercules into the wild Atlantic, they’re not just traveling to Britain—they’re preparing for spiritual warfare unlike anything they’ve faced before.

    They study ancient texts on binding rituals. They train in coordinated combat tactics. They listen as the young British woman Branwen sings songs her grandmother taught her—songs that contain fragments of the original ritual that once sealed the dragon away.

    And slowly, they transform from a group of individuals into something more powerful: a unified force capable of confronting ancient evil.

    Behind the Scenes: Researching the Dragon

    Creating a believable historical fiction dragon book required diving deep into multiple mythological traditions. Celtic dragon lore differs significantly from Greek or Norse traditions. The ancient Britons viewed dragons not as mindless beasts but as intelligent, potentially corruptible beings—guardians who could be twisted into monsters.

    This research led to one of the book’s central questions: What if the dragon wasn’t always evil? What if ancient kings made pacts with it, offering worship in exchange for protection? And what happens when such a creature, corrupted over centuries, can no longer be reasoned with?

    The Questions Readers Are Asking

    Q: Do I need to read Books 1, 2, and 3 first?

    While Brittania Calls can stand alone, the full impact of Amal’s journey—from street thief to apprentice to Shadow King—is best experienced from the beginning. Plus, his confrontation with The Morrigan in Rome sets up crucial context for the Britannia mission.

    Q: Is this Christian fiction?

    It’s historical fiction set in the 3rd-century church during Roman persecution. The characters are believers navigating how to use supernatural gifts faithfully. But it’s written for a broad audience—anyone who loves well-researched historical fiction with supernatural elements.

    Q: Does the dragon get killed?

    No spoilers! But I will say this: the resolution challenges typical fantasy tropes in ways readers are finding surprisingly satisfying. This spiritual warfare fiction takes a different approach to victory.

    Q: How accurate is the Roman Britain setting?

    Extremely. From the garrison locations to the trade networks to the tension between Romanized Britons and unconquered tribes beyond the Wall—every detail is grounded in historical research. Even the dragon’s lair placement is based on actual Celtic sacred sites in western Britain.

    Q: When does the book release?

    Brittania Calls is coming soon! Meanwhile, check out the full series (Kindle or Paperback) on Amazon HERE. At Desdichado Books, we attempt to keep the prices as low as possible to prevent any barrier to potential readers.

    What Makes This Series Unique

    The Halls of the Shadow King isn’t your typical “hero with a sword saves the day” fantasy. It’s about:

    • Power wielded with humility rather than domination
    • Communities working together rather than lone heroes
    • Spiritual warfare that acknowledges some battles are about containment, not conquest
    • Historical accuracy that brings the 3rd-century Mediterranean world to vivid life
    • Deep questions about faith, calling, and what it means to serve something greater than yourself
    • Multi-cultural perspectives blending Roman, Celtic, Carthaginian, and Hebrew traditions

    A Map of Amal’s Journey to Britannia

    The team’s route takes them through some of the most strategic locations in the ancient Mediterranean:

    • Antioch – Network headquarters where the mission begins
    • Cyprus – First gathering point for intelligence
    • Rhodes – Strategic maritime crossroads
    • Crete – Where they survive a devastating storm
    • Carthage – Where they recruit the binding specialists
    • Through the Pillars of Hercules – Entering the wild Atlantic
    • Western Britannia – The dragon’s domain

    Each stop adds crucial pieces to the puzzle—knowledge, resources, and team members who will prove essential in confronting the dragon.

    The Author’s Vision

    W. Tod Newman set out to write a different kind of early Christian fiction—one that didn’t shy away from supernatural elements but grounded them in historical reality. The result is a series that appeals to fans of Bernard Cornwell’s historical accuracy, Stephen Lawhead’s Celtic spirituality, and Frank Peretti’s spiritual warfare—but with its own unique voice.

    “I wanted to explore what would happen if someone with genuine supernatural gifting lived during the Roman persecution. Not a sanitized, safe version—but the real questions: How do you use such power faithfully? What does it cost? And what happens when simply ‘winning’ isn’t the point?” – W. Tod Newman

    Ready to Join the Voyage?

    If you’re tired of the same old fantasy tropes… if you love historical fiction that doesn’t sacrifice accuracy for drama… if you want characters who wrestle with real questions about power, faith, and purpose… then this is your series.

    Start with The Apprentice and watch a street thief become something extraordinary.
    Continue with Into Deeper Waters as the stakes expand from one city to an empire.
    Proceed to The Hidden Order which is the conclusion of the first three novels and explores conflict with ancient evil powers and saving the soul of Rome.

    Then Finish with Brittania Calls as Amal faces his greatest challenge yet in the misty mountains of Britannia.

    Because sometimes the most powerful victories don’t come from destroying your enemies.

    Sometimes they come from learning to bind them—and trust that the Great King’s purposes will ultimately prevail.

    Available Now at All Major Retailers

    The Halls of the Shadow King series by W. Tod Newman
    Published by Desdichado Books

    Order your copy today:

    Connect with the author:
    Website: todnewman.com

    Twitter/X

    “Newman has crafted something rare—a historical fiction dragon book that respects both history and faith while delivering edge-of-your-seat supernatural thriller pacing. The Britannia storyline is his best work yet.”

    Tags: historical fiction dragon book, early Christian fiction, Roman Britain fantasy, spiritual warfare fiction, Celtic magic historical novel, 3rd century Rome, Carthage to Britain, dragon binding ritual, The Halls of the Shadow King

  • More Detailed Cover Art Process Post

    More Detailed Cover Art Process Post

    I enjoyed creating my short post the other day about the “in-process” cover art for my latest book, so I decided to break down how I layer my cover art and how I proceed from line art all the way to finished, filtered images. Plus, it gives me a nice break from writing.

    First, the tools I use are pretty much 1) pencil and paper (and pen), 2) A scanner, and 3) GIMP (open source photo editing tool). I’ve been using GIMP for aeons now and have some pretty comfortable rituals to build up images layer by layer.

    First: The Line Art

    When I’m working on a book, I usually will sketch up 2 or 3 ideas that correspond with something “key” in the book. In the case of this image, from “The Halls of the Shadow King: Into Deeper Waters”, there is significant sea travel from Rome down the eastern coast of Africa. Lots of time in the water. So I came up with some drafts that showed my main character (a little older than he was in the first book) with people from a supporting village in the Kingdom of Aksum (present day Ethiopia). Once I have a sketch I like, I ink it in with fine tip sharpie then scan it into the computer. An important step comes next as I open it in GIMP (usually inside a book cover template where I paste it as a layer). I select the line art layer, go to the “Layer” pull-down, then “Transparency”, then “Color to Alpha”. What I’m trying to do is remove all of the white and leave just the black line art. That way, layers below the line art show up through–but not over–it. Then I play with darkening, thickening, etc., the line art to get it the way I like. At that point, it looks like this (shown with a plain white background behind the line art so you can see it).

    Line Art for “Into Deeper Waters” – Tod Newman, 2024

    Note that I like to leave some of the pencil in as greyscale, whereas the darker lines are penned in by the sharpie. I also tend to leave something like the squiggles for the ocean waves in pencil. Eventually I’ll fill these in with GIMP, sometimes using brushes that specialize in waves. Often I erase the line art in a place like the background if I feel like it is distracting, but I almost always leave it for the foreground characters, the ship in this case, etc.

    Next: Background Layer

    Generally, the next thing I do is start modifying a basic white background layer with whatever will be in the back. I make the line art visible and paint on the background layer “through” the line art. In this case, I chose the ocean and the sail as my main background elements. I painted the whole ocean at once for the sake of coherence/continuity of the waves, knowing that the ship layer and the character layers (and the line art) would sit on top of it. Here’s what the first pass at the background looked like.

    Background Layer – 2024

    As mentioned, I like to use GIMP “foam” brushes that make the foam on top of the waves look good. These brushes are created and open sourced by people all over the web and can be downloaded to your GIMP application. This same approach works for Photoshop too, but since GIMP is free, I’ve always used it. There are cloud GIMP brushes too, but my memory is that I hand drew these in GIMP using my Wacom Tablet and standard GIMP brushes.

    Next: Color Layers

    The next thing I typically do is build multiple layers to cover other elements in the image. I have always called these generically “color layers”. I’ll have one color layer for the boat, one for the characters, one for things like birds maybe, etc. These all start as a new “transparent” layer so the layers below show through. Keep in mind that the top layers (the ones you see over everything else) need to be on the top of your layer stack in GIMP (and background is typically the bottom. Here’s an example of an early “Character Color Layer”.

    Character Color Layer – 2024

    On these layers, I tend to be very sparing with colors and I pick 4-5 colors from one color palate. I find this keeps the drawing from being overwhelming. If I do a bad job here, I can always “cartoonize” the final flattened drawing down to 8 colors or some such.

    Finally: Flattened Layer for final edits and Artistic Filters

    At some point, I decide which of my 20+ layers are keepers and will become part of the final image. I will show only these layers and build a single flattened image (note: I never have Text in my flattened image. That comes later on other layers). This may or may not be a good approach, but I’ve used it for years, with the notion that I’m just doing light touchup on this flattened image. If I mess stuff up, I just hit undo. This layer is very good for fixing color issues (darkening/lightening/exposure/hue/brightness-contrast, etc.). I also use it to do a lot of “sunlight effects”, which are typically really light, low opacity effects trying to accurately capture the lighting of the scene. Once I have the lighting and colors appropriate and I’ve fixed anything about the original layers that is annoying me, I’ll apply various artistic GIMP filters. To be honest, this often helps fix problems with the image that I might not be good enough to fix. One artistic layer that I chose early on for all the books in The Halls of the Shadow King series was “canvas”, which imposes the structure of a canvas on the image and makes it look like a highly-detailed oil painting. See how the flattened/filtered image looks below.

    Flattened Image with Canvas (and maybe a couple other) filter applied. -2024

    Closing – The Rest of the Book Cover Process

    This front cover image becomes the main feature of the whole book cover, but you’re not done yet. I have a template for a 9×6 trade paperback cover that contains the front/back/spine. I then use GIMP to fill in Text on top of everything. Here’s what this looks like for the final book cover copy.

    One thing I’ll note too is that this process allows you to do a rev 2 on your cover art if you decide after a year that things need to be refreshed. I did that with book 1 of this series, where I felt after a while that I hated what I did with my main character’s hands (hands are hard for me to draw… lots of sketching and erasing) and thought the art should be lightened. All I had to do was then go in and edit individual layers (line art, character color, background) and make changes, flatten the changes and re-apply filters. Piece of cake!

  • The Happy Valley Problem: On Samuel Johnson’s Rasselas

    The Happy Valley Problem: On Samuel Johnson’s Rasselas

    I’m a bit worn out from researching 3rd-century Carthage for my latest “Halls of the Shadow King” novelette, but I still feel like writing before bed. So with a little motivation from my friend coffee, I’m going to share my thoughts on this short novel by Samuel Johnson. You might find it an interesting insight on human nature—particularly modern human nature.

    Legend has it that Rasselas was written by Johnson in a single week because he needed money for his mother’s funeral. Other legends say that Johnson wrote the book rather than spend time with his dying mother. In some ways, for certain, it does feel like a book written in a week—but by someone who had thought very hard for much of his life about the themes within it. Published in 1759, it was regarded as an important work of philosophy in its day. It reminds me of Voltaire in quite a few places (but is less funny).

    The Story

    This is the tale of a prince (and his siblings) whom the King of Abyssinia confines to an idyllic but inescapable valley (The Happy Valley) for his protection. The idea is that the King will summon him if needed. Rasselas is perhaps the least vapid of these royal children and begins questioning the seeming perfection around him. Imlac, a poet who has vividly experienced life and the world and was selected to entertain the royals in this secret valley, becomes Rasselas’ confidant.

    Through Imlac, we begin to see the depth of Johnson’s thinking. When the prince expresses perplexity that someone in the “real” world would harm another person without any real benefit to himself, Imlac explains:

    “Pride is seldom delicate, it will please itself with very mean advantages; and envy feels not its own happiness, but when it may be compared with the misery of others.” (p. 34)

    Thus begins the real education of Rasselas, though he is continually quite surprised to learn how people act outside his pleasant prison.

    The Search for Happiness

    Eventually, Rasselas—with help from Imlac and his sister, Princess Nekayah—escapes and enters the world. Fortunately, Imlac is able to sell wealth the prince can claim, so they’re all accepted in society as wealthy merchants. Rasselas’s goal is to discover how true happiness can be found. When Imlac reveals that “Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured and little is to be enjoyed,” Rasselas responds:

    “I am not yet willing to suppose that happiness is so parsimoniously distributed to mortals; nor can I believe but that, if I had the choice of life, I should be able to fill every day with pleasure. I would injure no man, and should provoke no resentment; I would relieve every distress, and should enjoy the benedictions of gratitude.” (p. 43)

    This exchange encapsulates one of the book’s central themes. Rasselas is hopelessly naive, and though he has been well educated, he is strangely ignorant. Perhaps this is the case for many who have received great amounts of education and been content with what they learned.

    Imlac continues to work vigorously to enlighten his young charge, as we see in this advice about overthinking hopes and fears:

    “Do not disturb your mind with other hopes or fears than reason may suggest: if you are pleased with prognostics of good, you will be terrified likewise with tokens of evil, and your whole life will be a prey to superstition.” (pp. 49-50)

    The Journey Through Life

    Rasselas seeks out a wide range of people representing the variability of human experience. At each turn, he quickly assumes that this culture or community has found true happiness, only to learn from Imlac’s observations: “Believe me, prince, there was not one who did not dread the moment when solitude should deliver him to the tyranny of reflection” (p. 57), or “Very few live by choice. Every man is placed in his present condition by causes which acted without his foresight, and with which he did not always willingly co-operate; and therefore you will rarely meet one who does not think the lot of his neighbor better than his own” (p. 58).

    This pattern continues for quite a while, with Rasselas examining the happiness of monks, philosophers, the highly educated, and even a scientist whose deep study has convinced him that he controls the weather and perhaps even the functioning of the world.

    Johnson’s Philosophy

    Johnson’s melancholy view of the world is evident throughout, for Rasselas’ search remains unsatisfied. Though he is exposed to a great amount of wisdom, he does not find “optimal” happiness anywhere. The modern reader is easily reminded of many fellow travelers searching for their “best” lives while refusing to be patient or content with the life given them—or at minimum, the life within their ability to reach.

    The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia is a philosophical meditation disguised as a travel narrative, and while it may feel hastily written in places, Johnson’s lifetime of contemplation shines through in every conversation and observation. It’s a timeless exploration of human discontent and the elusive nature of happiness.

    Other Links of Interest

    MORE BOOK REVIEWS by Tod Newman

    POSTS ABOUT SELF PUBLISHING by Tod Newman

    Buy Books authored by the same guy (Tod Newman)

  • Artwork Process for Next “Halls” Novelette

    Artwork Process for Next “Halls” Novelette

    Recently I published my third “Halls of the Shadow King” novels of the series. However, I didn’t feel like I had finished telling the story of Amal, my main character. So my current project (20K words in as of this moment) is creating a series of novelettes in the 40K word range to explore what happens with Amal.

    Here I am with my Wacom tablet putting some finishing touches on some sea monsters.

    What do you think about the cover so far? As with all my covers, I’m starting with hand-drawn line art which I scan and import into Gimp. I used the Canvas filter on the other three covers, but right now I’m just using it on the Gimp layer which contains the Island colorizations.

    Stay tuned. My thinking right now is to only make these novelettes available as Kindle Unlimiteds.

    Find the series at Amazon here