About the Project
Greetings, and welcome to the Kickstarter for A Star-Reckoner's Lot, historical fantasy novel set in an analog of 6th-century Sasanian Iran.
Only a brave few storytellers still relate cautionary glimpses into the life of Ashtadukht, a woman of enormity. A woman who commanded the might of the constellations—if only just, and often unpredictably. They’ll stir the imagination with tales of her path to retribution. How, fraught with bereavement and a dogged illness, she criss-crossed Sasanian Iran in pursuit of creatures now believed mythical. Then, in hushed tones, what she wrought on that path.
About the Story
In its nascency, A Star-Reckoner's Lot was only the idea of a character and her struggles. It began with an unnamed, grieving, unwell yet intelligent and capable woman who would eventually be called Ashtadukht—but that was a ways off. Thanks to books like theShahnameh, the Hamzanama, and One Thousand and One Nights, a mystical world began to take shape around Ashtadukht. Inspired by the Shahnameh in particular, I chose to consolidate the mystical by consulting the ancient history of Iran, eventually zeroing in on the empire of Sasanian Iran.
Someone once mentioned (I think it might've been a tweet by Guy Gavriel Kay) that a lack of knowledge in a given subject can be especially glaring in writing. I took that to heart, devoting one and a half years to research. The path was staggering at times, but it was illuminating all the same. From poring over Zoroastrian religious texts to page-by-page readings ofEncyclopædia Iranica volumes, I sought to soak up as much about Sasanian Iran as possible. What came of that is an appreciation for a powerful, thriving, culturally rich late-antique empire—an appreciation that enriches the story, and will hopefully inspire readers to learn more of the history behind it.
Now, I turn to you for support in getting Ashtadukht's tale out there. It is by no means the conventional sort of epic fantasy I'd feel comfortable pitching to publishers (if I felt inclined to kowtow to them to begin with). But I strongly believe it is a story that deserves to be told—a sentiment shared in earnest by my beta readers. It's also finished, editing notwithstanding, which means you won't be backing a ghost of a cause to be completed years from now. If all goes well, A Star-Reckoner's Lot will release by January 2016.
Click here for a sneak peek!
About the Author
When not dutifully scrawling novels, Darrell can be found petting his wife or bathing with his frolicsome cat. They're both spry and easily beguiled by green beans, so he often confuses the two when typing his biographies in third-person.
If populating a map for military conquest, it would be accurate to neatly place his tiny walnut idol—artillery, maybe—somewhere in Toronto, Ontario. His ammunition would be writing, reading, gaming, slumbering and catting; not the naughty whipping sort but activities involving cats. Catting.
Support the project here!
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