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"Always grab the reader by the throat in the first paragraph,
sink your thumbs into his windpipe in the second, and hold him against the wall
until the tag line."
- Paul O'Neil
All Original Site Content
Copyright © 2003-2004
Phil Elmore, all rights reserved.
Click to Order Demon Lord in Paperback
I've been told that the first book an author writes is often very autobiographical. I'm not going to admit to that here, but I'll let those who read it judge for themselves. I will say that those who know me, including a few of my oldest and dearest friends, will see shades of meaning that will escape others. Demon Lord, I like to think, can be enjoyed on many levels.
There are a lot of themes and concepts explored in the book, though none of them nearly as deeply as they could have been. I think I almost tried to do too much with a single story, which begs the question of sequels. I have started a sequel to this novel that I do hope to publish one day – but it waits in line behind the science fiction novel on which I am now working.
A
couple of notes about the first published edition: This first paperback
version of Demon Lord looks pretty good. There is a typo or two – mistakes were made, indirect statements were offered
– but for the most part it is precisely how I envisioned it.
Keen-eyed readers will notice a subtle pattern where "smart" quotes are concerned, but this is not a format error. What does it mean? I'll leave that to the individual's imagination. It might be nothing. It might be numerology. It might be anything.
This is not to say that Demon Lord is some deep, change-your-life kind of novel full of encoded mystery. It isn't. It's a melodramatic, larger-than-life adventure that isn't meant to be taken too seriously. I think it's a pretty good escapist yarn, though. It also helped me exorcise some personal demons from 1994 to 1998, when I actually wrote it.
One
of the things I did do, in writing Demon Lord, was infuse the story with my love of
the martial arts. I took a lot of liberties, too, for the sake of creating
the most sprawling adventure I could, so the novel should not be taken as some
realistic guide to fighting. (If you want that kind of book, buy
Heroes
Die, by Matthew Woodring
Stover, though I hope you'll buy mine too when you place your order.) It does
incorporate a lot of things I've seen and done, however.
Demon Lord isn't a true story, but even those events within it that seem
impossible are more possible than you might think.
Kalin Shadeuz isn't the toughest guy in the world. He
isn't the best martial artist who ever lived. He isn't even the smartest
fighter to walk the fantasy world in which I placed him. He knows these
things, though, and knows how to work with them in order to get things done. The Story
When
the legion of knight-assassins to which he belongs is dissolved, Kalin Shadeuz
becomes a man without purpose. Disgraced, bitter, and wallowing in
self-loathing, Kalin takes work as a mercenary and aimlessly seeks an end to his
once-proud life.
Surrounded by friends who care for him more than he realizes, Kalin is forced to
confront his emotional turmoil and learn to live again. What he can't see is
that no less than the fate of the known world is in his hands, as the coming of
a new cycle of gods and goddesses promises to bring with it cataclysmic change
that could yet mean his death.
As Kalin and his comrades become enmeshed in a struggle both political and
religious, they face betrayal, enemy blades, and the demonic forces of Hell
itself.
With his very soul at stake, Kalin has a choice:
What if death is victory after all?
What Readers Are Saying
"I enjoyed the emphasis on character development. ...What I enjoyed most of all, however, is the way you balanced everything. I read a lot of fantasy and SF and I’ve noticed that most stories tend to lack that balance.
"For example, the action might be great, but the religious and political aspects almost seem like afterthoughts. Or there might be deep and complex religious undertones, but the pacing is horrible and the characters stink. I think you kept the balance of things well, while still managing to tell an entertaining story (which is the point, right?). The fight scenes were very vivid, and one could easily tell that you have some experience in such matters."– Brian D. Burdett
"An interesting story with a plethora of well developed characters, plots, subplots, twists, and turns.
"Set in mythical science fiction fantasy world dominated by wizards and dragons, knights and rogues, 'Demon Lord' was easy to read, easy to follow, and an awesome story in which to lose myself for hours on end...
"If you like Science Fiction Fantasy mixed in with a little martial arts surrounded by Phil Elmore's unique fighting style, you will LOVE Demon Lord.
"I purchased the PDF file and read it through in two days. I couldn't 'put it down'...
"It was easy to read (big fonts and lots of white space), easy to understand ( a nice flow and intriguing characters), and very familiar and fun.
"I've read the book through and can't wait to get it in printed copy."– Danny Rowell
"Demon lord is a wonderful first start for Elmore. ...The fight scenes are well written, very descriptive... The authors obvious love of weapons comes out as he lovingly describes the armament of our heroes.
"...All and all, a pretty good start for a new author. I hope he writes more."– Tony Manifold, at Amazon.com
"I read Phil's book and I found it to be rather interesting and really very good for a first effort. His knowledge of weapons is truly impressive and his use of the very wide variety that he has in his book makes for a very enjoyable read for those who do enjoy reading about them...
"His plotline is quite complex and makes use of a great deal of the world's mythos...
"To sum up, a very enjoyable escape fantasy with numerous threads left for continuation in later books."– Hugh Fuller, at Amazon.com
"Phil was kind enough to send me an advance copy of his effort, Demon Lord. It is a "sword and sorcery" format, set in a sort of Tolkienesque Middle Earth kind of environment where you are able to travel from temperate deciduous forests to arid deserts and on to grassy savannahs with modest difficulty and no oceans to cross. As this is a common enough setting in most such novels that I have read, I see it as becoming a standard of the form, sort of like Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" have become so accepted in stories about robots that they are the standard format for them.
"I enjoyed the book a good bit, especially the ending. That was one bravura, slam-bang closure to the story, but with just a tiny opening left for a sequel, if Phil ever wishes to do one...
"...I liked the story and I would like to see some more about selected aspects of the back story as "prequels". Thank you sincerely, Phil, for the opportunity to read this book, as I really did enjoy it..."– Hugh Fuller
"...Mr. Elmore's expertise and previous writings in the martial arts field is well known to me. He has been a frequent target for critics who remain unconvinced that anything other than their own pet style of martial arts is valid. Instead, Mr. Elmore combines elements from several different forms, those that include weapons and those that focus solely on unarmed combat. By spreading different techniques among his characters, he provides a variety of fighting styles, while at the same time giving them common ground in their previous training and work together.
"Check it out, and hope that he has more stories like this up his sleeve."
– Chuck Burke, at Amazon.com