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Balancing Unity and Freedom
To End Every War follows six women living at the Vespa Academy of Science who face a world rife with war and political agendas. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
To End Every War tries to capture a unique scenario in an exciting time and place. Growing up, it always bothered me how fantasy stories rarely tried to be original in their milieus. Everything was stuck in ancient/medieval times for thousands of years or was magically hidden away in a modern, non-fantastical setting. Specific subgenres had excellent exceptions, but it was an otherwise stale offering.
What if myth and legend were real and continued into the most revolutionary era our world had ever seen? And then everything blew up?
Likewise, current fantasy seems to avoid female epic group stories. Either it is a group of men doing manly things with a few women sprinkled in for relateable “diversity,” or it’s a sole, heroic woman receiving obligatory support from lesser, cliched friends of both genders. Perhaps a few epic group female stories are out there, but they get little attention. Maybe I am helping to write a new subgenre!
I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?
I wanted to write an epic story that didn’t forget its characters and the bonds between them. Many excellent authors are more talented than me in writing epic fantasy, but they typically bite off more than they can chew. There’s a lot of debate about where many great stories went wrong. My decade of research yielded one common denominator: the failure to construct a focal point that connects a myriad of characters and plots. And perhaps more importantly, how does this focal point not degrade into an exhausted writing crutch?
So, instead of dropping characters on different continents and deploying dragons to compensate, I decided to have them all networked together in a realistic place that encourages camaraderie: academia. Vespa Academy is that unifying force that focused my writing skills. However, I still needed to explain the dramatic yet realistic situation while maintaining focus on the characters and their dilemmas. So, I increased the level of mystery to propel the story forward. What started as mere epic fantasy became an epic, fantastical mystery.
But make no mistake; Vespa Academy isn’t a seven-year magical school–it’s the beginning of a grander story about war and peace.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
My Christian faith significantly impacts my writing, and I thank God for the opportunities he gave me to write this book and its sequels over three years. Likewise, I wanted to present an alternate reality reflecting the religion of the turn-of-the-century era that both clashed and melded with new scientific methods. So, I created a detailed fictional religion and arcane science that integrated liturgy, history, engineering, and myth. Starting the story in an academic venue allowed me to present lore in a natural, dialectic way.
The other central theme I wanted to explore was balancing unity and freedom. What does unity look like in a world full of division? And how does it work successfully without ending in oppression or chaos? Fantasy races and species always serve as good metaphors for real-world human relations. In particular, I find the notion of a legacy oppressor species interesting. If you are currently oppressing the historical oppressor, are you just as evil as the old villains in history books? And are the history books we are reading accurate?
Can you tell us where the book goes and where we’ll see the characters in the next book?
Good news for everyone: Books 1 and 2 (All Silence Must Cease) launch digitally on November 29! Initially, they were a single fantasy book too large for non-epic readers. So, I split it and worked hard to ensure Book 2 was complete for readers who wanted to see how the school year would end. Every character’s coming-of-age story concludes in Book 2, opening up the grander narrative explored in Book 3.
All Silence Must Cease begins at the autumn homecoming gala and ends with a crazy spring May Day. I hope that readers enjoy the setup of Book 1 enough to make it to the metaphorical (and sometimes literal) fireworks of Book 2! There’s a lot more action to be had and surprises aplenty! Zabel and Esmeralda take center stage, but each protagonist gets to shine (also sometimes literally).
And buckle up for the end of Book 2… Even my line editor wasn’t prepared for the finale!
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To End Every War: A Mystery Fantasy (The Peacebringer Saga Book 1)
To End Every War by Raymond W. Wilkinson is the first installment in a mystery fantasy series that introduces a world rife with war, political intrigue, and an intriguing blend of humans and non-humans. Set in 1901, the story follows six women navigating their new lives at the Vespa Academy of Science while one of them, Esmeralda, also grapples with the responsibilities of being a Duchessa. With war looming in the background, these characters are swept into a larger conflict filled with assassinations, alliances, and hidden agendas.
One of the standout elements of this novel is its diverse cast of characters. Each character is given space to breathe, with the narrative switching perspectives by dedicating each chapter to a single character. This clear structure allows the reader to become familiar with each of the women and their unique traits without feeling overwhelmed or lost. The characters themselves are a fascinating mix. There’s Viatrix, the dwarf; Kirsi, a selkie; Zabel, an elf; Alya, an abraxas; Kamilla, a changeling; and Esmeralda, the human Duchessa. What makes these characters intriguing is how Wilkinson reimagines familiar fantasy races in new ways. For example, the elves are not the noble, wise figures often seen in fantasy but a race that has enslaved others and created subservient beings to carry out their will. The depiction of selkies and changelings also strays from traditional lore, offering fresh takes that add complexity to the world-building. Despite the strong cast, I found it difficult to truly connect with the characters on an emotional level. While they are likable and well-developed, I didn’t feel the deep attachment that usually pulls me into a story. However, their uniqueness kept me intrigued enough to want to see where their stories lead. Wilkinson does a good job of laying the groundwork for potential character development, and I’m curious to see how their arcs will unfold in future installments. The mystery at the heart of To End Every War is another element that left me intrigued but slightly unsatisfied. While it’s clear there’s something larger at play, the slow pacing makes it hard to piece together the bigger picture. This made for a slower read, and I found myself unsure why I should be fully invested in the characters’ fates just yet. Even so, the potential for a deeper unraveling of the mystery in future books keeps me interested in continuing the series.
To End Every War offers a unique take on familiar fantasy elements, with a diverse cast and a world brimming with intrigue. Though the pacing felt slow at times and emotional investment was lacking, the fresh interpretations of fantasy races and the underlying mystery make it worth following into the next book. Fans of slow-burn fantasy with political complexity and unconventional world-building will likely enjoy this novel.
ISBN: 978-0-9906501-9-5
LITERARY TITAN 