Plunge head first into this newly revised epic journey of courage and fortune with Genoivieve, a captivating high fantasy novel that places you inside a complex world filled with magic and intrigue. In this charming tale, you live the extraordinary life of Genoivieve, a human Cleric of Aphrodite, as she navigates the immersive landscape of a once peaceful and prosperous realm suddenly subjugated by extreme evil.
Genoivieve is not only a powerful Cleric of Aphrodite. She represents resilience and honor, demonstrating a unique goodness that inspires. As she deals with her own inner demons and engages various overlapping forces of darkness, Genoivieve discovers that her destiny is intricately linked to the world. While embracing traditional themes of love, trust and integrity, she defies societal expectations, eliminating barriers designed to confine women.
Encountering intense danger and great personal risk, Genoivieve’s unwavering faith and determination empower dozens of interesting characters around her, qualifying the notion that leadership and strength are not a function of gender. It happens in a setting where females are generally suppressed but blatant misogyny, racism and homophobia are not widespread prejudices. Genoivieve therefore makes a strong case for an increased female readership in a genre that has historically been male-oriented.
With expertly-crafted world building and a compelling, first-person narrative, Genoivieve is a mesmerizing tale delightfully accented with hints of allegory and literary nuance. No AI was employed in the written word or any hand-drawn maps. The story provides a genuine mosaic of classical legend and lore, ideal for all fans of high fantasy, contemporary fantasy and sword & sorcery role-playing alike, and represents a fine read within the genre.
The inspiration for this writing journey began in sunny, southern British Columbia almost 45 years ago. As a classical, pencil-and-paper Dungeon Master forever in demand, my D&D game continues in Japan with new player characters eager to improvise and develop their own stories. New players are millennials who add a real freshness to D&D with their inclination towards modern society themes and the use of contemporary language. Together with our 1980s-era, old-school, Canadian players championing this effort, all kinds of amazing adventures playing out over the years have found their way into these books.
I hope you'll have as much fun with Genoivieve, Ulmaetor and Numencrön as I have had, developing characters and writing about the world through their experiences. It happens in a setting where women are generally suppressed but blatant misogyny, racism and homophobia are not widespread prejudices. In particular, as I applaud women for generally reading more, Genoivieve makes a case for an increased female readership in a genre that has historically been male-oriented.
The content of these contemporary high fantasies is influenced by JRR Tolkien, Gary Gygax, RA Salvatore, Robert E Howard and a tiny dollop of Charles Dickens, so if you're familiar with the celebrated masterpieces from any of these ground-breaking authors, we already have something in common. Eternal gratitude goes to all my veteran players for their suggestions and support, and to my darling soulmate Yoko, without whom the endless nights spent proofreading might have been overwhelming!
Apart from writing and conducting my ongoing RPG, my day job is operating an English school in Japan. I'm an avid vintage record collecter of various genres and play music every day, often quite loud! Yoko and I love traveling to the Mediterranean region to inspect classical historical monuments. A deeper insight into the ancient Hellenistic and Roman world has proven useful. Other major hobby passions include visual astronomy, freediving and photography. I can really get mired into anything involving optics. Although age and the Pandemic have naturally caused some skills to decline, the silver lining is that I did find more time to write! Therefore stay tuned for more in the future!
With My Very Best Wishes and Sincere Thanks,
MARTIN WERNER ZANDER
