updated 30 April 2014
The Books of the Elements are a series of four fantasy novels set in a city and empire named Carce, which very similar to that of Rome in 30 ad. I wanted to create a setting in which the myths and magic of the classical world were real, and in which classical myths interacted with those of other portions of the ancient world
The elements of the series are Earth, Air, Fire and Water; or more accurately Fire, Water, Earth and Air.
I’m pairing each element with a cardinal direction. Thus the first novel, The Legions of Fire, mixes Norse myths with classical myths about the far north. The second novel, Out of the Waters (July 2011), involves both Native American myths and classical myths about the Western Ocean. The third novel in the series is titled Monsters of the Earth (September 2013) and relates to African myths. Air and Darkness, which involves the element Air (sort of) and myths, particularly Greek myths, of the Indian Subcontinent was released from Tor November 2015.