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Tag: historical fiction

  • A New Home for The Halls of the Shadow King

    A New Home for The Halls of the Shadow King

    Third century Rome. Emperor Valerian is hunting down church leaders. In the middle of it, a Damascus street thief named Amal discovers he can reshape reality itself โ€” and the discovery makes him a target.

    That’s where The Halls of the Shadow King: The Apprentice begins. It’s the first book in a series I’ve spent over ten years researching and writing: historical fiction grounded in the third-century Roman Empire, with a supernatural, magical realism thread running through itโ€”the notion that there’s an undercurrent to reality we’d call magic if we could sense it, and that the old myths might have been pointing at something real all along. I think I picked this up in my early years from C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien, and even Stephen Lawhead.

    Amal’s story is about gifts of power and what it costs. About what it means to prepare yourself and to serve something greater than yourself when the world is asking you to be small, careful, and safe instead. I feel this is a message we need to hear now more than ever.

    I write these books hoping they land in the hands of the right readerโ€”someone who needs a story about courage, risk, and cost. That’s a harder thing to aim for on a platform built for volume rather than connection. So Desdichado Books is making a change.

    Starting now, The Apprentice is no longer available through Amazon. Over time, the rest of the series โ€” Into Deeper Waters, The Hidden Order, Britannia Calls, and possibly even the connected novelettesโ€”will move the same direction. Going forward, you’ll find these books in two places online: todnewman.com/shop and desdichadobooks.com/bookstore. And also in any bookstores willing to take the plunge.

    Why leave a platform with that much reach? Because reach isn’t the same as connection. On Amazon, a sale is a saleโ€”I never know who bought the book, whether it found them at the right moment, or whether it did what I hoped it would do. A direct shop is smaller, but it’s mine. I can know who’s reading. I can put the book directly in the hands of someone who’s looking for it, rather than hoping an algorithm decides to show it to them. And a purchase made there supports the work in a more direct, more personal way than it ever could buried in a marketplace of millions of other titles.

    This isn’t a stunt, and it isn’t about volume. As I write in all of my books, my measure of success has never been sales numbersโ€”it’s the right book reaching the right person, and that person passing it on. If Amal’s story is one you’ve already read, or one you’ve been meaning to start, I’d be grateful if you found it through the new shop. It’s a small thing, but it’s one more way to know this work is reaching someone who wanted it.

    The voyage is just beginning. Thank you for coming along.

    Cover montage of the Novels and Novelettes in the Halls of the Shadow King Series
  • The War They Forgot to Put in the History Books

    The War They Forgot to Put in the History Books

    Most Arizonans know the name Tombstone. The O.K. Corral. Wyatt Earp. The gunfight that lasted thirty seconds and generated movies and a hundred years of mythology.

    Fewer know about Pleasant Valley.

    In the summer of 1887, a feud erupted in the Tonto Basin between two ranching families โ€” the Tewksburys and the Grahams โ€” that would kill somewhere between thirty and fifty men over the next five years, wipe out the male lines of both families, and leave a valley so saturated with violence that the survivors renamed it just to escape the memory. By body count, the Pleasant Valley War was the deadliest range conflict in the history of the American West. It makes the O.K. Corral look like a disagreement over a fence line.

    And almost nobody outside Arizona has heard of it. And few inside Arizona, to be honest.

    I’ve been researching this conflict for the better part of a year, and the more I dig, the more convinced I am that the Pleasant Valley War is one of the great untold stories of American history. Not because of the violence โ€” though the violence is extraordinary โ€” but because of what the violence reveals. This wasn’t a simple feud between bad men. It was a collision of cattle and sheep interests, racial prejudice against the half-Native American Tewksbury family, the corrupting influence of a territorial cattle baron with political aspirations named James Stinson, the arrival of hired killers like Tom Horn, and the fundamental question of who had the right to determine what an ideal ranching valley was for.

    Why I’m writing about it as fiction

    When I first encountered the Pleasant Valley War, my instinct was to research the history for a possible historical fiction novel. But the historical record has a gap at its center that no amount of research can fill: the inner lives of the people involved. We know what happened from a few differing perspectives. We don’t know what it felt like to watch it happen from inside the valley, day by day, before anyone knew how it would end. That feels useful to me. Is this the sort of pressure between opposing sides we’re feeling today — and are we equally unsure of the outcome?

    As someone who loves filling in these human gaps of history, I revel in the knowledge that this is where beautiful fiction lives.

    The Rim Country is my attempt to inhabit that gap. The novel follows Nora Callahan, a widowed Irish immigrant who settles in Pleasant Valley in 1882 โ€” five years before the killing starts โ€” and finds herself positioned between the two families as their friendship slowly becomes something else. Nora has an unusual gift: a barometric sensitivity to the intentions of the people around her, a kind of reading weather that gives her early warning of what’s coming and no way to stop it.

    She is fictional. Everything around her is as historically accurate as I can make it.

    The Mogollon Rim, which forms the northern boundary of Pleasant Valley and rises 2,000 feet above the Tonto Basin floor, is the novel’s central symbol โ€” a wall between worlds, between the valley’s closed world and the open country above, between what the valley was and what it was becoming. I’ve driven that rim. I’ve stood at the edge and looked down into the basin and understood, in a way that no map communicates, why the people who settled there felt both protected and trapped.

    That feeling is what I’m trying to put on the page.

    Why Wattpad?

    I’m publishing The Rim Country serially on Wattpad, which means you can read it chapter by chapter, free, as it develops. There are fourteen chapters posted now, covering the years 1882 through 1884 โ€” the friendship, the partnership, the betrayal, and the first death that makes everything that follows inevitable.

    Serial publication is how Dickens published. It’s how most of the great Victorian novels reached their audiences โ€” chapter by chapter, with readers waiting to find out what happened next. There’s something fitting about telling a story of this era the way stories were told in that era.

    If you’re interested in Arizona history, the Pleasant Valley War, or simply in fiction that takes its geography seriously, I’d invite you to start at the beginning. Chapter One is short. The mule is opinionated. The valley is beautiful.

    It won’t stay that way.

    [Read The Rim Country on Wattpad โ€” free]

    Tod Newman writes historical fiction under the Desdichado Books imprint. He reviews books at todnewman.com and posts about the writing life, Arizona history, and whatever the Mogollon Rim is doing today.

  • I Have a New Novelette โ€” and It’s Almost Free ($.99)!

    I Have a New Novelette โ€” and It’s Almost Free ($.99)!

    I’ve been living in the world of the Old Testament prophets for a long time now. The Eyes of Gehazi took me deep into the strange, volatile orbit of Elisha and his servant, Gehazi. The Prophet and the Queen dropped me into the exhausted, visionary mind of Jeremiah, taken hostage to Egypt. Both of those novels ask a lot of their readers โ€” they’re long, layered, and they don’t apologize for it.

    So I wanted to build a door.

    The Unknown Prophet is a 17,000-word novelette โ€” long enough to sink into, short enough to finish in an evening โ€” and it’s only $.99 (Amazon won’t let me keep it free, but I’d like to).

    It fictionalizes one of the strangest and least-discussed episodes in the entire Old Testament: the unnamed man of God from 1 Kings 13 who walks north alone, confronts a rebellious king at an idolatrous altar, watches God split stone and restore a withered arm, and then gets betrayed on the road home by an older prophet who should have known better. The story ends with a lion and a burial and a grief that has no clean resolution.

    What I love about this story is what it doesn’t explain. The biblical text gives us almost nothing about who this man was, what he was thinking, or why he made the choice that killed him. That blank space is where I live.

    If you’re new to my Prophetic Series, this is the place to start. If you’ve already spent time with Gehazi or Jeremiah, you’ll find the same world โ€” the same dust and wind, the same God who is present and terrifying and not always easy to understand.

    You can grab the ebook for only 99 cents on Amazon. If it finds you well, I hope you’ll wander further in.

    OTHER LINKS you might find interesting:

    The Halls of the Shadow King: Brittania Calls – Learn all about this fourth novel in the Halls of the Shadow King series!

    Tod’s thoughts about the damage that Post-modernism has done to modern literature

    Tod’s Book Reviews

  • 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 1745โ€”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 charactersโ€”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 Floraโ€”passionate for Stuart gloryโ€”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 Islesโ€”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.

    MORE BOOK REVIEWS by Tod Newman

    POSTS ABOUT SELF PUBLISHING by Tod Newman

    Buy Books authored by Tod Newman

  • 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 valuableโ€”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 approachโ€”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 researchโ€”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 questionโ€”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 exampleโ€”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.

    OTHER LINKS about this Series

    Reviews from Readers’ Favorite

    UP NEXT in the Series

    COVER ART process. Yes, I do my own covers (not AI).

    BEHIND THE SCENES of the making of the series

  • 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 Readersโ€™ 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. โ€œThat is the balance we all must find โ€“ between power and restraint, between action and wisdom. Today you learned more about both than a hundred lessons could have taught you.โ€

    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 Amalโ€™s experiences are part of a broader continuum. The inclusion of diverse locations and scholarly networks, like the Alexandrian manuscripts and the Wandererโ€™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 Readersโ€™ 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 Amalโ€™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 Readersโ€™ 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 Amalโ€™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.

  • Behind the Halls: The Making of the Shadow King Series

    Behind the Halls: The Making of the Shadow King Series

    When I began writing The Halls of the Shadow King, I knew I wanted to create something more than another fantasy adventure (maybe it’s “young adult”, maybe not). I wanted to explore a question that has haunted me for years: What if someone with extraordinary supernatural gifts had lived during the height of Roman persecution of early Christianity? What might have happened differently?

    Find the full three volume series on Amazon (both Kindle and Paperback) HERE.

    The Historical Foundation

    The series is set during one of the most turbulent periods in Roman historyโ€”the third century AD, specifically during the reign of Emperor Valerian (253-260 AD). This wasn’t a random choice. Valerian launched the first systematic, empire-wide persecution of Christians, targeting not just individual believers but the entire institutional structure of the early church. His edicts were calculated to destroy Christianity by eliminating its leadership, confiscating its property, and forcing apostasy through economic and social pressure.

    What fascinated me was how this persecution backfired spectacularly. Instead of destroying the church, it purified and strengthened it. Valerian himself was captured by the Persian king Shapur I and died in captivityโ€”a humiliation that Romans saw as divine judgment. His son Gallienus immediately reversed his father’s policies, ushering in nearly fifty years of peace for Christians.

    This historical irony became the backbone of my series. What if divine providence worked not just through miraculous intervention, but through humble individuals gifted with abilities that transcended natural law? A great example of this is the joke about the guy on the roof of his house as floodwaters rise. He holds out for the miracle and ignores multiple rescue attempts. After he is overcome by the flood, he chides God about not performing a miracle as he had hoped and prayed for. God responds, ‘Well, I did send you two boats and a helicopter!” Sometimes we expect and hope for the most dramatic interventions when history is actually made by collections of smaller people using their gifts collectively for good.

    The Character of Amal

    Amal began as an exploration of power and responsibility. I wanted to create a protagonist whose extraordinary giftsโ€”the ability to perceive and reshape reality itselfโ€”came with equally extraordinary moral burdens. Too often in fantasy literature, supernatural power is treated as inherently good or merely a tool to be wielded. I wanted to examine what happens when someone realizes their abilities can change the course of history and yet maintains the facility to remain humble.

    The Shadow King organization that Amal eventually leads represents something I found missing in much historical fiction about early Christianity: the sophisticated, international network that actually existed. Early Christians weren’t isolated communities hiding in caves. They were part of a remarkable communication system that spanned the empire, with resources, intelligence networks, and influence that often surprised Roman authorities. Stories of similar entities existedโ€”probably because they were so hoped forโ€”in the Prester John legends. I expanded these stories and fleshed them out to create my Shadow King network.

    Historical Research as Creative Fuel

    The research phase for this series became an obsession. I spent countless hours diving into the history of the eraโ€”trying to understand not just the big political events but how ordinary people lived. What did a third-century residence large enough to be a safehouse actually look like? How did the Roman empire perform road maintenance? How did secret messages travel from Antioch to Rome? What were the daily rhythms of life in a Roman port city? This historical research was greatly entertaining to me and there was no lack of subjects that I needed better knowledge of.

    Some of my favorite details came from unexpected places. The hidden canal systems connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean that I mention in the series? Those actually existed, though they’re largely forgotten today. The sophisticated cipher systems, the trade networks that doubled as communication channels, the way Christian communities cared intentionally for orphans and sick peopleโ€”all historically grounded.

    I was particularly struck by how little we know about the administrative side of early persecution. The Roman bureaucracy was incredibly sophisticated, but most records of their anti-Christian activities have been lost. This gave me creative space to imagine how such systems might have worked, and how an organization like the Shadow King’s network might have countered them.

    Balancing Faith and Fantasy

    One of the trickiest aspects of writing this series was handling the supernatural elements authentically. I wanted to create something that would resonate with Christian readers without alienating others, that would respect the historical period without turning into mere religious propaganda. Plus, I want these kinds of devices to appear perfectly natural and accepted by the characters. I have always greatly admired Gabriel Garcia-Marquez’ abilities to create beauty through magical realism.

    The solution came through focusing on character-driven questions rather than theological ones. How does someone use extraordinary power humbly? What’s the difference between divine gifting and personal ambition? When is intervention helpful, and when does it interfere with larger purposes? These are human questions that transcend specific religious boundaries.

    I also drew heavily on the mystical traditions within Christianityโ€”particularly the Eastern Orthodox concept of theosis (becoming partakers of divine nature) and the rich tradition of Christian mysticism. I also introduced a healthy amount of early Celtic Christianity and even the Ulster Cycle. These provided a theological framework for Amal’s abilities that felt both authentic to the historical period and dramatically compelling.

    The Villain’s Journey

    Gallien (who becomes Emperor Gallienus in history) presented a fascinating challenge. How do you write a character who starts as a genuine antagonist but is destined to become one of early Christianity’s greatest imperial protectors? The historical Gallienus was a complex figureโ€”a military genius who also issued the first imperial edict granting religious tolerance to Christians. Why did he do this?

    I solved this by giving him a character arc that mirrors Amal’s in reverse. Where Amal learns to use supernatural power responsibly, Gallien learns to use earthly power mercifully. Both are mentored by figures who shape their understanding of authority and responsibility, though in very different ways. The differences in trainingโ€”one with malicious intent; the other with graciousโ€”creates a foil between the two characters.

    The presence of Manasseh as Gallien’s dark counselor allowed me to explore how evil often works through seemingly wise guidance. Some of the most chilling scenes in the series come from watching how subtle corruption can beโ€”how someone can be led toward cruelty while believing they’re being rational and strategic. I don’t think I need to mention that this is something we may be noticing in the more “civilized” era we live in.

    Hidden Layers and Symbolism

    Readers who pay close attention will find layers of meaning woven throughout the series. The Shadow King’s compound, with its architecture drawing from multiple ancient traditions, represents the universal nature of divine wisdom. The stone disk that helps Amal focus his abilities is based on actual archaeological finds from the period.

    Even character names carry significance. “Amal” means “hope” in Arabic and Hebrew, while also being a historical name from the period. “Neffie” is derived from “Nephesh,” the Hebrew word for soul or life force. These weren’t random choicesโ€”they reflect the deeper themes running through the story and give insight into the characters’ own natures given them from above.

    The political intrigue plots mirror actual historical events, though compressed and dramatized. The Persian campaign that ultimately destroys Valerian really happened, and the power struggles within the Roman court are based on documented conflicts.

    Why This Story Matters Now

    Writing about the third century has given me perspective on our own time. The Roman Empire faced crises that feel remarkably contemporary: economic instability, political polarization, external threats, social transformation. The early Christians navigated these challenges not through political power or military might, but through networks of mutual care, intellectual excellence, and moral courage.

    There’s something profoundly relevant about a story where the greatest victories come not from defeating enemies but from transforming themโ€”where power is most effective when wielded with restraint, and where the most important battles are fought not on battlefields but in human hearts.

    The Continuing Journey

    As I work on new entries into the series, I’m continually amazed by how much the historical research continues to surprise me. New archaeological discoveries keep reshaping our understanding of this period, and I find myself revising scenes to incorporate findings that make the story more authentic. The next wave of “Halls of the Shadow King” stories will probably come in the form of novelettes and I’m targeting Kindle Unlimited releases. As I’ve written before, book marketing is a Crazy-Town, so we’ll see if this approach will bring these stories to new readers.

    The Shadow King series has become more than entertainment for meโ€”it’s become a meditation on how ordinary people can serve extraordinary purposes, how power and humility can coexist, and how the most important revolutions often happen quietly, one changed heart at a time.

    I hope readers will find in Amal’s journey not just adventure and mystery, but a reminder that we all have roles to play in purposes larger than ourselvesโ€”and that sometimes the greatest strength lies in knowing when not to use the power we possess.

    The voyage, as I wrote in the first volume, is just beginning.

    W. Tod Newman is the author of The Halls of the Shadow King series. He lives in Tucson, Arizona, where he continues researching ancient history and writing about the intersection of faith, power, and human nature.

    OTHER LINKS

    MORE on The Halls of the Shadow King series.

    The Charlie Kirk murder in the Context of the historical setting of The Halls of the Shadow King

    The Prophet and the Queen review

    Video series discussing The Prophet and the Queen

  • Five Star Review for “The Prophet and the Queen” from Readers’ Favorite!