A few months ago I first heard about a provocative new genre hybrid: Epic Urban Fantasy. I love urban fantasy, and I’m a huge epic fantasy lover too, but I had never really considered how the two would mesh together. Enter Stephen Zimmer and his ground breaking epic urban fantasy series, The Rising Dawn. The first book in the series, The Exodus Gate released last year, and Stephen is here today to tell us about the brand new follow up, THE STORM GAURDIANS. Once again I have reason to mourn by Kindle-less existence as Amazon is selling both books for less than I normally spend on a paperback. *Sigh* But you don’t need to mourn with me as Stephen’s amazing publisher at Seventh Star Press has provided a suitably epic giveaway. Details below.
Originally born in Denver, Colorado, Stephen Zimmer is a fantasy author and filmmaker based out of Lexington, Kentucky. Stephen has two series being published through Seventh Star Press. One is the epic fantasy Fires in Eden Series, which was launched with Crown of Vengeance in the fall of 2009. The other is the epic urban fantasy series The Rising Dawn Saga. The Rising Dawn Saga was begun in spring of 2009 with The Exodus Gate (nominated for a 2009 Pluto Award) and takes the next step in June of 2010 with The Storm Guardians. Highly prolific, Stephen is adhering to a release schedule that sees a new book approximately every seven months! Stephen appears regularly at conventions, bookstores, and other events, maintaining a thorough, year-round personal appearance schedule that is one of the most active in the industry. He also engages in blogging and podcasting, spotlighting independent artists in the mediums of writing and film.
Interview
ATUF: The Rising Dawn Saga is categorized as epic urban fantasy. How did you decide to combine epic fantasy with urban fantasy and can you explain how these two genres blend together?
SZ: I've always loved epic-scale stories, no matter whether in a space age setting like the Star Wars sagas, or medieval, which is the usual thing that comes to mind when you talk about epic fantasy. I believe that there is a good place for epic fantasy within a modern day setting, such as with Urban Fantasy.
With my style, involving multiple threads that are each focused on a particular character, I am able to maintain a close, intimate connection with characters while placing all of them in the context of a greater story. This, in my view, reflects life, as all of us are going about our own adventures and experiences, which are part of a much larger whole.
The use of a world-encompassing plot, and alternate states of existence, are very beneficial to the development of an epic-scale story, and I think that readers of Urban fantasy will find this to be exciting, fresh, and something that the can really immerse into.
ATUF: Can you explain the world building in The Rising Dawn Saga? What do new readers need to understand about this alternate world?
SZ: The Rising Dawn Saga begins on Terra, which is a world very similar in geography and history to our own. The Rising Dawn Saga entails the idea of parallel worlds, which comes into things more heavily in later installments.
If you were to liken all the realms of existence as a giant onion, Terra would be a few peels away from Earth, with some noticeable variations, and many close similarities. Realms further removed would have greater divergence on history, geography, and other things.
The full world-building mainly focuses upon the non-physical realms, whether the Higher Realms, the Abyss, or the Middle Lands (also called Purgatarion). The areas outside of the Higher Realms retain some qualities of time and space, even if they are not bound by the laws that govern the material world. As such, they have a geography, of sorts, as well as "rules" governing what spirit beings (or living beings) can do within it.
The scope of the non-physical realms is unlimited, as the Abyss is bottomless, and contains many kinds of realms and entities (such as the macabre, horrific realms of Diabolos), and Purgatarion is a vast world in itself. Similary, the Higher Realms are infinite. More and more will be revealed about these places as the Saga develops, and the readers can look forward to a range of fantastical environments, new creatures, and new characters.
The Exodus Gate sets the foundation of the Middle Lands, the Abyss, the Higher Realms, and the Void (which exists between the material and spiritual planes). These states of existence are then revealed more fully and explored as the Saga unfolds in The Storm Guardians and beyond.
ATUF: The Rising Dawn Saga borrows heavily from various religious concepts, specifically Biblical imagery of The Nephilim and a Great Flood. How closely did you adhere to those original concepts?
SZ: I really enjoy taking pre-existing lore and mythology and putting my own twist or take upon it. Regarding the Nephilim, I drew upon several ideas, ranging from the apocryphal Book of Enoch (which was once considered to be authoritative by the early Christian communities), to conceptions of the Annunaki, from Sumerian/Babylonian mythology.
The Great Flood does have biblical roots, but it also has roots in ancient Sumerian accounts, and there are accounts of great floods in a wide array of cultures across the globe.
In my story, most of the mythical monsters recognized today had their roots as Nephilim, the offspring of Fallen Avatars and human beings. The fusion of the very powerful, dark spirits with a material form results in a wide variety of outcomes. The Nephilim (known in my series amongst themselves as the Erkorenen) can therefore appear as giants, manticores, and even dragons. In the Rising Dawn Saga, this presence of an ultra-powerful race of beings, who are, for the most part, dutifully following the wishes of their progenitors (Fallen Avatars who have taken incarnate forms), necessitates the flood in order to correct a severe imbalance that has placed all humans in a state of effective slavery.
ATUF: What are some of the paranormal creatures that populate The Rising Dawn Saga?
SZ: In terms of darker entities, there are the Nephilim themselves, who take on a range of forms. In The Exodus Gate you meet some that are like giants, others that have the forms of manticores (including Jeqonadin, who is one of the characters introduced), and even a dragon. The Avatars who serve Diabolos in the Abyss are comprised of many different ranks, from High Avatars, who possess a demi-god like level of power, to Aishim, formerly human spirits who have been transformed into a lower form of Avatar that are primarily warriors. There are wraith-like spirits from the Abyss who subtly influence people and can be harnessed in darker magics, such as those wielded by the human Dagian Underwood. In The Storm Guardians, in a great battle that takes place, a torrent of creatures based upon the offspring of Typhon and Echidna from Greek mythology are introduced. This is just a fraction of what lies ahead!
As far as entities of the light go, there are Avatar counterparts to those in the Abyss, as well as celestial spirits that are the opposites of the wraith-like spirits. A new race of Watchers is also introduced, which have a centaur-like structure (on a larger scale), with four-legged mammalian bodies out of which human-like upper torsos sprout. These creatures have a multitude of eyes set in the middle of their heads, and have six wings. Many special guardian creatures populate the Middle Lands, to ward the spirits dwelling there. These included gargoyle-like Gulagar, Gryphons, Wyverns, The Hunt (from Celtic mythology), and a group of giant spider-like beings, the Aracha (also called The Sentinels). The Qilin, guardians of the pure in spirit from Asian Mytholoy, make a grand appearance in The Exodus Gate and may well be in future installments! ;)
One character that I particularly enjoy is Asa'an, a diminutive, fairy-like being that is derived from the Peris of Persian lore. She is a friend of the human spirit Friedrich, who is among the Exiles existing in the Middle Lands. Other Peris appear in the Saga, and their arch enemies, the Deevs, are drawn into the storyline too.
The An-Ki are favorites of mine in this series. They are a shape-shifting, wolf-like race that is introduced in The Exodus Gate. They are being mercilessly hunted by the Nephilim, who are doing so at the insistence of the Fallen Avatars. There is a reason for this, some of which is revealed in The Storm Guardians. They live in clans that have a kind of tribal structure, with some practices that reflect a more primal element, as a clan leader can be challenged to physical combat for the leadership of the clan.
There is a great deal of content when it comes to the paranormal in this series, and a wide diversity in terms of where things are drawn from.
ATUF: Matthew Perry's artwork for this series is immediately striking. How closely did you two work together?
SZ: I give Matthew text passages pertaining to a particular character or scene, as well as background lore, if the character or creature has a mythical basis. We also discuss each subject and possible scene to be illustrated, but from there Matthew comes up with his own artistic interpretation.
I will only ask him for an adjustment if something in the artwork has a very noticeable contradiction to what I have in the text that I provided to him. We work together very well, and there are now around 40 full page illustrations that have been produced in conjunction with my 3 novels. I think that it is a fantastic addition to the book releases, as it brings them some added value and gives something extra to the readers of my series.
We've been able to offer some additional things involving the artwork, such as collectible art posters, cotton t-shirts, and more.
ATUF: Some of the main characters introduced in The Exodus Gate, (book one in The Rising Dawn Saga) include a high school student Seth Engel and his friends, Benedict Darwin, host of a paranormal late night radio show, and his niece Arianna. Can we expect to see these same characters in The Storm Guardians? Who is your favorite to write?
SZ: Absolutely. My threads continue tightly from book to book, and Seth, Benedict, and Arianna are main characters. Seth is a blast, as he is a high school student who is still finding his place in the world and bumbles into some incredible encounters that set him on a very unexpected path.
Benedict is a more mature character that has his entire world turned upside down, and it is fun to explore what it would be like for a radio show host of various fringe topics to actually begin to experience such things first hand. Arianna, to an extent, is in a similar situation to her uncle, but is especially fun for me as she discovers a real strength of character inside of herself as things progress. She is definitely one of my strongest characters in the series.
Dagian Underwood, a sorceress who is also the CEO of the huge, cutting-edge technology outfit Babylon Technologies, is wickedly delightful to work with, as she is not bound by moral constraints in the way that she responds to situations.
Friedrich, an exiled soul in the Middle Lands, is also extremely fun to write, as he and his companions are permeated with historicity, and a sense of wonder and awe as they interact with the beings and situations in the Middle Lands.
Erishkegal and Enki have been amazing to explore, both filled with nobility and grandeur as they undertake very emotional odysseys. Their story threads will emerge more into the forefront as the series proceeds forward.
ATUF: As a film maker yourself, do you hope to see The Rising Dawn Saga as a movie one day? Who would your dream cast be for The Storm Guardians?
SZ: It would be wonderful, but it would require a giant budget to produce! I think it would be visually spectacular in a film presentation. Some cast ideas for The Storm Guardians would be Kate Beckingsale as Dagian Underwood, and Jessica Biehl as Arianna. Casting Sargor, Godral, and the other An-Ki would be difficult as they would require very tall, strongly-built individuals that could act. Ian McKellen would be a great voice for Sargor, though! I can see someone like a Sean Bean for Xavier. Benedict, I feel, would be difficult to cast well.
ATUF: You're currently writing an another series right know, the epic fantasy Fires in Eden Series. Has it been difficult juggling two different series simultaneously?
SZ: I have discovered that it is actually a benefit and advantage to be working with two series. For instance, after concluding Crown of Vengeance (book one of the epic medieval Fires in Eden Series), I was able to go into The Storm Guardians with a fresher perspective that I might not have had if I had just continued from The Exodus Gate into The Storm Guardians.
This helped me to catch more things that needed addressing, and even revealed some places that needed some further bolstering or addition. The period of detachment really helps when I revisit each series. I have found myself more rejuvenated, invigorated, and clearer in sight. I didn't foresee all of this when I was getting into it, but it has been a nice surprise that has worked out very well (and made my editors happier, as I'm handing in even cleaner copy!).
ATUF: What other projects can we look forwarding to reading from you soon?
SZ: November-December will see the release of Book 2 of the Fires in Eden series. Next June-July will see Book 3 of the Rising Dawn Saga.
My first steampunk short story, In Mountain Skies, will be appearing in the Dreams of Steam anthology from Kerlak Publishing, which should be out by the end of the summer.
I am working on some short stories set in the worlds of The Rising Dawn Saga and Fires in Eden Series, which may see released in e-Book formats (as well as some more horror short stories that I have developed). I've got a couple of smaller novels in the works, one a paranormal horror novel and another a more historical fantasy novel.
ATUF: What are some of your favorite titles/authors in the paranormal genres?
ATUF: Can you tell us about your favorite scene in The Storm Guardians?
SZ: There is a scene following a great battle in the Storm Guardians that really hit me in the gut as I wrote it. It involves an act of mercy, and really goes into the heart of jumping to conclusions about appearances or situations, where a deeper underlying wisdom might be found if we choose to search for it. It involves Friedrich, some very powerful Avatars, and a large, two-headed dog-like creature called an Orthun.
ATUF: If The Storm Guardians was a Frankenstein book compiled from elements of other books, what would some of those other books be?
SZ: It would probably be a few parts C.S. Lewis, a few parts earlier Clive Barker, a dash of Tolkien, some George R.R. Martin, a little John Milton (Paradise Lost specifically), and a few parts H.P. Lovecraft. Sounds weird, but I think that would be an accurate blend!
ATUF: Thanks so much for stopping by Stephen. Come back anytime!
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Want to read more from Stephen Zimmer?
The Rising Dawn Saga
1. The Exodus Gate
2. The Storm Guardians
Fires in Eden
1. Crown of Vengeance
Giveaway
Three Winners:
- One (1) Grand Prize: (Open Internationally) - Signed copy of The Storm Guardians, with set of 9 art cards, 8X10 of cover art, 14X20 poster of cover art, 14X20 poster of Celestial Spirit from The Storm Guardians, and bookmarks.
- Two (2) Runners Up (US only) -T-shirts from The Storm Guardians, choice of 3-headed Dragon Design or Celestial Spirit.
Book Description:
"Storms break out across the world and the realms beyond, as the Convergence seeks to advance its worldwide agenda, and Diabolos unleashes great powers from the depths of the Abyss.
The Fallen Avatar Beleth’s legions pour across the boundaries of Purgatarion, even as the Night Hunt is loosed once again, in the modern world. Dagian readies for a monumental unveiling of Babylon Technology’s greatest invention, a technology that holds grave implications for every living person on the face of the world.
It is a time when the Exiles in the Middle Lands, the An-Ki, and many others are falling under the shadow of the Abyss. Guardians of all forms, great and small, must rise to resist as the storm of darkness spreads. From high school students Seth, Jonathan, and Annika, to Ian, Arianna, and the others of humankind that have been drawn into the spiraling course of events, choices with dangerous consequences have to be made.
An epic tale of resolve and heroism, The Storm Guardians takes the reader farther and deeper into the Rising Dawn Saga."
GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES
- Open Internationally for the Grand Prize & US for the runners up
- Fill out the form
- Entries must be received by Midnight MST on July 21st. Winners will be announced on July 22nd.
**Please leave a comment/question for Stephen in the comments**
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