Introducing The Light Must Hold
“In a world without starlight, divine crystals shield the folk of Esiaga from fiends that stalk the void.”
As part of the Inkfort Press Derby, I collaborated with a few other fantasy authors and we’re helping promote one another before the publishing date on 25 Sept. As such, here’s the first one!
In a world without stars, divine crystals shield the folk of Esiaga from fiends that prowl the darkness. When Lior, a priest who communes with the crystals, prays to the deities and asks for their guidance, he is met only with silence. Guidance is something he yearns for as he watches his convent brothers either fall to creatures that lurk in the shadows or lose their minds trying to harness the power of the crystals’ light.
That is, at least, until travelers arrive on behalf of the Queen. Sworn to come to their kingdom’s aid in times of need, Lior and his convent brothers must make the hazardous pilgrimage to the capital, Bangol. The guidance Lior has always sought comes in the form of Elouan, the paladin sworn to guide the convent’s caravan. Where Elouan leads Lior, however, deviates from the known path.
The Light Must Hold — a classic dark fantasy adventure with the fanciful prose of Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian and the sisyphean struggles of Kentaro Miura’s Berserk.
My thoughts?
Firstly, I have to admit I only recently got a hold of the beta version of this book and this led me to start reading it last night. Now, I am barely a chapter in but it is good so far and I wish I had been able to read more before posting this, but, alas, I have a set schedule to follow.
As is, the blurb already got my attention and a chapter in already, and I am already into this world. Learning about this amazingly interesting place and the creatures beyond it, the darkness and the dangers both outside and within, has definitely gotten me to want to both read more and write a full out review. The prose style is beautiful and engaging and the little I know of the characters has me already picking (tentatively) a favourite one. (One who, I found out after re-reading the interview questions below, is not as minor as I was fearing!)
So far, the blurb delivers on its promise, though I have yet to meet the paladin Elouan. This is something I’m looking forward to and will definitely read on about and then share more thoughts in the future. As such, I will be getting a copy of the final version for sure and sharing that in more detail in the future.
In the meantime, I do urge you to get your own copy of Kriss Galom’s book
and maybe we can even read along together once its released.
Quick interview with Kriss Gallom
Q. What inspired this story?
A. Before I ever signed up for the Inkfort Press Publishing Derby — back when I was still just browsing covers and checking out past years' books — the cover for 'The Light Must Hold' always stood out to me.
Maybe I'm just a sucker for paladins and fantasy religions, but the idea of 'light versus dark' in a grim world got those creative juices flowing.
Early on, I chose comps that mostly acted to guide the vibe even if the stories themselves differ greatly. I wanted to incorporate elements of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian series — particularly the mystical feeling he often invokes in his prose. And, of course, since the cover itself features a battle, I had to sprinkle in the guts, gore, and sisyphean struggles of Kentaro Miura's Berserk.
At the same time, while I was inspired by many of the tropes I love in dark fantasy, 'The Light Must Hold' veers off the beaten path. Despite my comps having brutish and head-strong protagonists, I went a more unconventional route with my timid priest protagonist, Lior.
He's a priest who struggles to hear the voices of his deities despite being blessed with a gift of great destructive power. Locking the story to third-person limited might have been in part for my own sanity given the Derby deadline, but it's also been enjoyable to explore this dark world with a protagonist who holds so dearly onto light.
Q. Who was your favourite character to write and why?
A. As I'm sure my protagonist Lior would agree, the best boy and true star of this story is Hiacin. A prickly bookish man whose sweet beneath it all? Where is he in real life?
'The Light Must Hold' is not a romance story, but it's not without romantic elements. A lot of the 'light' in the story comes from Lior's strong bond with his monastic brothers. His relationship with Hiacin, in particular, and their love for each other helps to break up the gloom and doom and show what's worth fighting for even when times prove dire.
Q. Is there anything you would like people to take away from your book?
A. I paint themes with wide strokes, and while there are certainly messages that the characters take away by the end of the story, I just mainly want readers to have a good time.
'The Light Must Hold' is grim and gore heavy so I accept that it's not for everyone. But sometimes darkness only helps to make the light stand out.
Q. What is your favourite line from your book?
A. "Perhaps such cruelty wasn’t the gestalt of the land, but it hardly seemed wise for one to separate harsh occurrences from the moment to moment. One hardly needed to be a target of shadowy fiends at all, simply standing by the line of fire was enough."
Q. And, lastly, what is one book your would recommend for your readers? Is it something similar or something completely different?
A. On the other spectrum of fantasy, I highly recommend Greg Yates' 'Not Your Mountain'. It's light-hearted fun full of laughs and a lovable cast.
What I especially love in that story is just how earnest the protagonist Matty truly is. He's a great example of a protagonist that doesn't need to be perfect or a master of his craft to perform strong feats. Watching him learn and grow as the story unfolded was just as enjoyable as the fights and comedic antics.
Part of me is still hopeful that there will be a 'Not Your Mountain' sequel or side story in the future. By the end of the book, I just wanted to see more of the cast and whatever adventures they'd cook up.
Don’t miss out on this amazing book by Kriss Gallom coming out 25 Sept and available for pre-order now!
Want to know more about the Derby? Check out my old post here:
And don’t forget to take a look at my own derby book Soultaming the Serpent, coming out 25 Sept and available for pre-order now.