Fantasy Worldbuilding

To bring the settings of The Silk & Steel Saga to life, I often draw on my travels around the world. Visiting Chartres Cathedral in France, we listened as an Oxford professor “read” the peerless stonework and stained glass windows, explaining the biblical meanings as well as subtle comments on rulers and politics of the times. The artwork of the great cathedrals was in many ways the “newspaper” of its era. Impressed by these lectures, I was determined to give the same meaning to the architecture of Erdhe. One of the best examples of this is in chapter 27 of The Steel Queen. When Steffan arrives in Coronth, he first visits the great temple and “reads” the architecture. “Crossing the threshold, Steffan felt the chill of stone-cloistered shadows. The ceiling soared overhead, but instead of being light and airy, it captured smoke and darkness. A vault of gloom pressed down as if trying to drive him to his knees.” My readers walk into the temple with Steffan, feeling the stone-hewed malevolence of the Flame God.