SOULSLAYERS

By Colin Sephton

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GENRE:  Steampunk Fantasy

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BLURB:

Ignatius and Indigo find themselves struggling mentally to come to terms with the complex nature of the cosmos and their newfound supernatural powers obtained through their prior encounters with gods and demons. In their quest for another relic from the Creation, they are aided by the secretive thirteenth Chapter of the Union Jacks. In search of the secret of the Flaming Celestial Pearl, they must travel to Tibet in the great airship, HM Spirit of the Empire.

Pursued by fanatical knights sworn to protect the relic, they must reluctantly call upon the Charon, the seven merciless demons from the underworld to assist them. Piecing together the map that will lead them to a fabled city hidden deep within the Himalayas, they must defend themselves from air pirates, a previous foe from Oxford, mountain beasts and elementals.

Discovering the correct path through the mountains, Indigo realises her soul may never be the same again. Regardless, they enter the Great Void where using the Sword of Wisdom, they discover the truth about the cosmos.

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EXCERPT

The desk was large, and made from burr walnut, inlaid with green leather, decorated around the edge in gold. Its golden glow illuminated the office. The room was floored with black and white tiles and all four walls were lined with rich oak panelling, with the same crest carved into one of the panels. Behind the desk hung a large oil painting, a dark portrait of a brooding figure. The desk was otherwise uncluttered, just a brass inkstand and a green banker’s lamp. The only ornamentation was a bronze of a lion like those seen in Trafalgar Square.

“Good morning, Mr Lawrence,” said an aide as he entered the office with a silver tray of tea. Earl Grey, his preferred choice. Hot, no milk.

“The latest reports, sir,” the aide gestured with his head at the stack of Manilla folders. “Some unusual goings on in Oxford,” he said as he raised an eyebrow. The thin weaselly man had been with the Union some twenty years and throughout all that time had spent most of it behind a desk.

Lawrence didn’t rise to his prompting and replied simply, “Very well, Jenkins, I will let you know!”

Sifting through the reports, Lawrence took on a serious brow, mulling over the potential impact on the Empire of each report. The first report told of dangerous shamanic practices in China, disrupting the activities of the East India Company. He picked up the next report and after reading it, then reading it again, his face turned red, his brow furrowing. Significant disturbances in Oxford. His large fist slammed down in a rage onto the green leather, knocking his ink pot over. A book fell off the shelf behind him as he filled his lungs and bellowed, “Jenkins, get me Isambard Ignatius. NOW!”

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Tell the readers something about

the world you’ve created for the book

The worldbuilding in my book, Soulslayers, is epic. This is a cosmic adventure, so throughout the entire trilogy the two protagonists, Ignatius and Indigo have travelled through space and time, across planes and visited the Well at the Centre of Time.

I wanted to establish this in the first book, Timeslayers, as much as possible, to convey how big this story was. From the reviews, I think I managed this. In this, the third book, I have kept the narrative a bit more ‘local’ and the protagonists visit Tibet. There is still as cosmic element, but events take place on planet earth. Tibet has always fascinated me, so I used this novel as an opportunity to explore some of its myths. For all my books I do a lot of research into the topics I am writing about. The only omission is the date in which these events take place. It is during the British Empire, so it is set in a steampunk Victorian age, but I wanted to keep this fluid. I write about Babbage and Tesla and others, so keeping to dates can be tricky. So, I’m leaving it up to the reader to decide. Although this is fantasy, I have always thought this story could be on an entirely different earth, it could be in the future, it could be in the past. As I like to write about time and time travel, why not?

In the novel Ignatius and Indigo are looking for a mysterious city, based on Shambhala. They find this is linked to a mysterious city which features in both Timeslayers and Shadowslayers. I don’t want to say much more, as it’s really a spoiler.

Overall, the world is based on my knowledge of time, physics, metaphysics and the latest scientific theories such as the multiverse, the holographic universe, etc. These are all the subjects that occupy most of my days.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Colin was born in Coventry and worked in the automotive industry for over twenty years before becoming an Engineering teacher. Obtaining his first library card at the age of thirteen, he became an avid reader of Fantasy and the mysteries of the Universe. He has an inbuilt curiosity for lost knowledge and ancient texts that may help to unlock the secrets of consciousness and the universe. Living in Oxford for many years, he has now moved back to his home county of Warwickshire where he enjoys creating and working with his wife on their garden in which he writes and entertains their two grandsons. He has always been an artist and writer and is inspired by the worlds created by Robert E Howard and Michael Moorcock, with the artwork of Frank Frazetta.

Connect with Colin on Instagram at @timeslayers or @sephtonart

Find Colin’s website here: colinsephton.com

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GIVEAWAY

Colin Sephton will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.