Welcome to my second stop for the blog tour organized by Tomorrow Comes Media for Stephen Zimmer‘s book When Shadows Fall. I had Stephen over yesterday talking about how it feels to finish up a series. The Dark Sun Dawn Trilogy is about one of my favorite female protagonists of all times: Rayden! I met her first in Prowling the Darkness and that was the first blog tour I ever did. Let’s see which 10 things Stephen can tell us about Rayden’s world.
** Giveaway alert! **
Just a reminder that, as part of the tour, Stephen is also having a giveaway with multiple prizes. Take a look at the after his guest post. 🙂
10 Things About Rayden’s World
Here are ten things that readers can expect when adventuring with Rayden Valkyrie in her world!
Diverse World with Many Historical Influences:
Rayden’s world is filled with all kinds of lands and cultures. So far, in what’s been published involving both Rayden Valkyrie and Ragnar Stormbringer, there are lands inspired by ancient Japan, the Aztec/Mayan cultures, the lands of what is today Russia, ancient Greece, Rome, Carthage, the Persian Empire, Egypt, ancient Israel and the Middle East, and much more. I think readers will find it to be a very fascinating and exciting world to explore alongside Rayden Valkyrie and other characters that inhabit that world like Ragnar Stormbringer.
Dangerous Wilderness:
The wilderness of Rayden’s world is a dangerous one, with all kinds of fantastical creatures that make appearances over the course of her tales. From trolls, to giant scorpions, to flying spiders, to dark fae, to bizarre sea monsters, and many other strange and fearsome creatures, there are all kinds of things lurking in the deserts, forests, seas, and other wilderness environments that Rayden travels through and explores.
Non-human Populations and Cultures:
In addition to the human populations of Rayden’s world, there are also many non-human populations of sentient beings that have their own cultures. The wolf-man like Varganir, the shape-shifting panther-like Cerdevans , the vampiric Sharir-Mord, the fae of Queen Muirithesos’ realm, and others still to be introduced are interspersed with the human populations across the surface of Rayden’s world. Readers are going to find these non-human cultures every bit as interesting as the human ones.
Presence of Sorcery and Magic:
There is plenty of sorcery and magic within Rayden’s world, with many individuals drawn toward dark arts and others that explore the things of light and healing. The path of sorcery is not an easy one to take and involves both cost and sacrifice, with the most powerful demonstrations of sorcery being rarer due to the need for a lot of preparation and energy. With sorcery being a very difficult and painstaking art to master in Rayden’s world, it does not become too powerful of a presence.
Supernatural Presences and Entities:
Supernatural beings and entities are regularly encountered within Rayden’s world, coming from many various non-physical realms that span from the higher, heavenly atmospheres to the hellish ones in the depths of the abyss. Some have become venerated as gods within Rayden’s world, while others are minor entities, or servants of the more powerful ones. Spirits of the departed are also part of this broad tapestry. Readers can definitely expect to have a number of paranormal encounters in the Rayden Valkyrie stories!
Ancient World Setting:
Rayden’s world is set at a time that is much like our world during the times of the Germanic tribes, Ancient Greece and Rome, and other such periods, in terms of the general state of technology, governments (leaning toward kings, queens, and empires), and other aspects. It is an often-times harsh and unforgiving world and is far from tamed, and the things that might become myths and legends in later ages live and breathe in this one.
Travel Entails Many Environments:
Rayden’s world involves a wide range of environments, including frigid wastelands, scorching desert plains, dense jungles, mist-shrouded forests, towering mountains, oceans, and many other settings that are in themselves dangers and obstacles to be navigated. The wider range of environments bring another exciting dimension to the storytelling in these tales.
A World That Already Has a Long History:
Many references, hints, and discoveries within the tales of Rayden Valkyrie and Ragnar Stormbringer testify to a long history having already taken place. Beings and creatures that find themselves rare in the time of Rayden and Ragnar were once much more prominent and widespread, and many have gone extinct by the time of the events in the Dark Sun Dawn Trilogy. From ancient ruins to ages-old beings and magical arts encountered, readers will definitely get a strong sense that the world Rayden inhabits is not a young world by any means. In many ways, this enriches the kinds of stories that can be told and gives the world a very organic feel.
With Life Always Hanging in the Balance, Life is Lived Passionately:
With so many dangers and harsh realities to the world that Rayden inhabits, life tends to be lived with great zest and passion by those who navigate its perils. From indulging in feasts and drinking to more sensual pleasures, warriors like Rayden and Ragnar embrace the enjoyable moments as they know they live in the kind of uncertain, dangerous world where life can be taken away in an instant.
Honor Matters:
For many warriors in Rayden’s world, including Rayden herself, a personal honor code develops that a warrior seeks always to remain true to. It is not a written code, or one handed down by anyone else, but something personal that has taken shape over the course of their lives. The unwritten code that Rayden lives by reflects high standards when it comes to the taking of life, defending those who are defenseless or vulnerable, and many other things. No amount of wealth can cause Rayden to betray this code, because it is a reflection of everything that she is.
Giveaway
Interested in Rayden’s world? You can enter to win books that feature her!
The entire Dark Sun Dawn Trilogy print editions signed by Stephen. Includes Heart of a Lion, Thunder Horizon, and When Shadows Fall.
– (3 winners selected) Signed print copy of When Shadows Fall by Stephen Zimmer.
– (2 winners selected) Full Dark Sun Dawn Trilogy in eBook format.
– (3 winners) eBook copy of When Shadows Fall (can substitute either Heart of a Lion or Thunder Horizon) plus one eBook copy of a Rayden Valkyrie Tales novella of your choice.
– (5 winners selected) A Rayden Valkyrie Tales novella of your choice in eBook format.
Here is more about When Shadows Fall, the last of the Dark Sun Trilogy:
When shadows fall, the dominion of light reigns.
Rayden Valkyrie and her companions enter the Imperial City, the heart of the rising Teveren Empire. Never before has her gaze taken in a city so vast, wealthy, and populous.
Sensual delights, grandiose spectacles, and the spilling of blood enthrall wealthy and poor alike. Beneath the surface, Rayden senses an undercurrent of a darker nature.
Learning everything she can of the venomous secrets lurking within the shadows, little time remains before a host of northern tribes arrives outside its walls.
Power lies within blood, and dark rituals have unlocked mysteries from the depths of the abyss.
Legions are on the march, a storm is about to unleash, and a dark sun will soon rise.
When Shadows Fall, the conclusion of the Dark Sun Dawn Trilogy.
Want to read When Shadows Fall? Find it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Come back tomorrow to learn 10 things about Rayden’s world. She is a badass.
Cover image: Writing desk Photo by Clark Young on Unsplash
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