Shadowslayers:
The Chronicles of the Charon
by Colin Sephton
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GENRE: Steampunk Fantasy
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BOOK BLURB:
When doppelgangers start appearing in Oxford, Union Jack agents Ignatius and Indigo find themselves on another cosmic quest, one they didn’t set out to investigate.
Drawn into the search for the elusive and dangerous Book of Shadows, they find themselves traveling across the cosmos once again, racing against other versions of themselves, and visiting the Oracle to be given prophecies of terrible destruction that will engulf the cosmos in darkness. Only these two heroes—or their doubles—can open the book, which would lead to dreadful consequences for themselves, the world and the whole of creation.
The agents must outwit their own mirror souls and invade the impregnable Administorium, which holds the answers they need but also fearsome enemies of both the Union Jacks and the entire cosmos. In this quest, Ignatius and Indigo must protect not only England and the Empire, but the world and the cosmos.
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EXCERPT ONE:
As the shadowy figure moved from shelf to shelf, ornate gilt decoration caught what dim light there was on his grey-turquoise armour. Carvings of ancient scribes and tomes written to record the passing of aeons on many worlds across many planes. The books he tended were part of the vast repository of information that he had collected through his long lifetime. Books here took the form of sacred texts carved in clay, or written on scrolls of vellum, or even human skin. Enormous tooled leather-bound volumes with gilt pages or with golden clasps, some were chained and bound, their knowledge too dangerous to be shared or accessed by mere mortals. The shelves had been arranged by subject and ordered in a timeline for each category. There wasn’t any index system. The Librarian worked using only his memory, knowing each and every volume, regardless of when it was written or when it was obtained. Nothing was forgotten, his memory was a storehouse of wisdom and knowledge from across the cosmos.
With his brother and sister, they had probably gathered the entire history of the cosmos. From time to time, they would travel the astral planes in search of new knowledge and rendezvous every millennium to discuss and compare notes to set quests for each of them to fulfil in the search of even more ancient texts. Legend had it the three siblings were born of the Goddess of Wisdom and their father was a High Priest of the Ti-Botta.
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GUEST POST:
Where Do You Find Inspiration?
I get my inspiration from a myriad of sources. I am never short of inspiration and ideas. I put this down to my wide range of interests. Since I was a teenager, I have always been interested in the unknown. Mysteries, strange phenomena, astronomy and mythology is what drives me to continue. I can write anywhere because I do a lot of my writing either on an iPad or by hand in a notebook. The notebook is also where I keep a lot of my ideas and research. I am able to do this anywhere, in coffee shops, hotels, even the beach or around a pool. I then edit all of this on a laptop in my study. This is where most of my inspiration lies. I am surrounded by bookshelves of fantasy books; my favourite authors being Michael Moorcock and Robert E Howard. These shelves also contain lots of Marvel graphic novels, science / astronomy books, art books, philosophy books, lots of notebooks and sketchbooks, and lots of curios gathered over a long time. I have prayer wheels, singing bowls, comic figurines, meteorites, Buddhist and Hindu statues. I draw all my ideas from these. I find it really relaxing to thumb through my books, especially the art books. These are for traditional artists like Monet, Turner, Constable or Da Vinci, but I also have fantasy art books by Frank Frazetta, Boris Vallejo, Roger Dean, and others. I use these for my own art and sometimes find it easier to paint a character before I use him / her in my writing. My artwork helps me to visualise a character so I can describe them in detail in my novels. I am a very visual person and I think that probably comes across in my writing.
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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:
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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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