Magical Space Deer (and friends)

Sorcery and Stardust (The Weaver's War #1)
by Samantha Marshall

Before I get into my review, I have exciting news! Samantha Marshall has generally accepted my invitation for an author Q&A, which you'll find at the bottom. :D

Review
Ever since she was soulmerged with Caelum, a dearken who speaks (and he speaks his own mind pretty often!), Arcana has been unable to find a place among her own people - or indeed anywhere. But then she meets Fenris, an injured Guardian from the Timeless Kingdom. Arcana's unusual magic may just be the key to saving Fenris' home - and maybe even the entire galaxy.

This reminded me of retro space/fantasy adventures - and that's a good thing! I've always had a soft spot for magic and stars sharing the same setting. Arcana is the snarkiest, kick-arse heroine since Aelin Galathynius (but a lot more mature!) and I adore Caelum. He had a particularly touching journey that I won't spoil, because it was really quite lovely. The storyline also took some delightfully unexpected turns.

I do think, however, that this might have been better as two books instead of one.

Click "read more" for a Q&A with the author!

---

Author Q&A with Samantha Marshall

How long have Caelum and Arcana been floating around your head? And what made you write about them?

Samantha Marshall: Arcana and Caelum (and Fenris) all came into being one day over a coffee with a friend in early 2015. We were discussing our mutual love of the space opera genre, Star Wars in particular, and tossing out cheesy ideas for our own space opera type story. The topic of discussion was titles for our own movie/story (my friend works in film) and amongst the crazy, corny things we came up with was the title ‘Sorcery and Stardust’.

Naturally, as a cheesy idea, it had to have a bunch of cliches - so I picked a sorceress, a vampire knight, and a snarky deer, and we had a good laugh and a biscuit and moved on. Except I couldn’t get the idea out of my head, and by the time I’d driven home that afternoon, Arcana, Fenris and Caelum were born and I was sitting down to type the opening chapter, determined to make my cute cliches into something worth reading about.

Who/what were some of your inspirations in writing Sorcery and Stardust?

SM: Well, Star Wars I guess has to take some of the credit because without my love of the genre - born from a lifetime’s watching Return of the Jedi over and over and reading all the books that are now no longer canon - I’d never have had the courage to try and write a book like Sorcery and Stardust, where everything is happening on such a grand scale. Beyond that, my inspiration comes from wanting to prove that many of the things we call cliche still have something of value to offer; which is why I like to poke dragons and vampires and unicorns (or in this case, a magic deer who flies a spaceship) into my books and try to make them real.

The moment someone says “I don’t read books with *insert reason* in them” I’m gripped with an insatiable urge to write a good vampire book, or a good werewolf book, or a good dragon shifter book, or a good whatever it is that is the worry. Maybe I’m just a sucker for punishment?

What do you love most about Fenris? And don't say his abs. :P
​
SM: His abs. (Joking!!) Actually, the thing I love most about Fenris, and have from the moment he came into being, is how wonderfully gentle he is. I intended for him to be really gruff and manly and grumpy but he’s just a marshmallow the entire time, and I want to snuggle him close and say “aawwwww” whenever he walks in the room. He’s a true protector with a heart large enough to build a small city in, and I. Just. Adore. Him. Also, he really does have nice abs, but it’s the curly hair that does me in every time!

Will other characters (especially Flare!!) get their own spin-offs?

SM: Oh yes. In fact, book two (which was released on the 22nd of June) brings Flare in as a main character to offset Arcana and co. It’s funny, because he was only ever meant to be a side character with a cameo appearance, but from the first time I met Flare he seized hold and wouldn’t let go. I found myself drawing his involvement out further and further until, by the end of book one, I knew he had his own story to tell.

This series will be a little different because the books will all follow Arcana and Fenris’ journey, however, Flare will also have a narrative and so will a couple more characters who have things to say (who we haven’t met yet). But yes, Flare has rapidly become indispensable and is actually one of my favourite characters to write, because he’s so interesting and, though the surface doesn’t at first display it, quite a complex person.

How many books do you envision for this series?

SM: That’s actually a tricky one. My original series plot had six books, but as I wrote I realised that my ideas were a little ambitious and I’d probably need more. For example, the original plot notes for Sorcery and Stardust have now been split into three books, and as you know, Sorcery and Stardust itself is by no means a lightweight tome. I considered splitting it into two books before I published it but that would have required a lot of work, as there wasn’t a clear place to make the cut. As I’d been working on the book for several years at that point, I decided to just publish it as it was - though there are times, lots of times, when I look back and wonder if I should have done the split after all.

​At the end of the day, though, I think the story is good and I personally adore long books, so with any luck other readers will give it a go regardless of the length. Anyway, that’s a very roundabout way of saying I don’t know for certain how long the series will be, particularly since I never originally intended to feature any of the other characters (like Flare) and their stories as part of the major narrative. At this point, I think it’s safe to say that six books won’t be enough, but as to the final total? That’s going to be up to the characters more than me, and I’m totally okay with that.

Sorcery and Stardust is available at various retailers. Click here to grab a copy!
​If you want to know more about the author, head over to Samantha's website.