The Pale Queen

by Tyler Sehn

A story can be freedom. A story can be prison.

In service to the mysterious Pale Queen, a poet-warrior navigates a world of magic, carrying a weapon created to kill gods.

Seren searches for his lost lover, striving to find her before the coming of the Never-Was. He writes in a secret notebook about encounters with friend and foe, hoping to make sense of these entangling threads. With his lion companion at his side, Seren seeks truth at all costs.

In a world where the lives of humans and gods are bonded, a single quest can encompass all.

135 pages, ebook

Published March 13, 2021

About the author

Growing up in rural Alberta, my first dream was to be a professional athlete; that dream peaking with playing basketball at a small campus in Alberta (so close). I’ve worked at a pulp mill, as ground crew at an events venue, in an alternative education classroom for teenagers, and as a support worker of adults with disabilities. I received a degree in psychology from the University of Alberta Augustana Campus and currently support youth who self-identify with a disability to find employment.

I’ve always wanted to be a writer and eventually the right idea bumped into the proper motivation and a few years later I had a fantasy novel. I tried the traditional route of finding an agent and signing on with a publisher but found it to be incredibly difficult to break into the business. Instead of despairing, the state of transition in the publishing industry has inspired me to work harder at my writing. After attending a writing/editing/publishing conference, as well as a great deal of internet research, it only made sense to self-publish.

Reviews

[Happy Booker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pale Queen is a metaphysical fantasy story about Seren, and a quest, holding a weapon created to kills gods all in the service of the Pale Queen. In a world where humans and god co-exist, Seren journeys from one place to another, encountering numerous chains of events.

Seren is haunted by the loss of his love, causing him to recall the teachings of a sorcerer, Haziq.
In the quest of finding his former teacher, he confronts a city’s god, summoning a dragon that gives him a totem. He encounters a mountain demon, learns a few things from Haziq, and so much more.

There isn’t an instance where you feel that story will just give you a break or somehow slow down. It is faced paced filled with one thing happening after another. You get to know Seren more as the scenes pass through. His character grows, and as the story develops, you feel like there is much more to this story.

I found the book to be interesting to read. It isn’t very long and is undoubtedly jam-packed. There are so many elements that can be used for future plots that I wouldn’t be surprised if the author began a series.

I recommend this book to fantasy readers.

[Clairisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a interesting read for me. We follow Seren while he goes on a journey to find his lover. He's in service to The Pale Queen who gives him a weapon that can kill Gods. In this Seren world Gods co exist among humans and while some worshippers kill their Gods and drink their blood because of fear of The Never Was. Accompanying Seren is his faithful changeling Ranger that takes the shape of a lion. He helps to keep Seren safe and sane during his journey. The magic that Seren uses along with his notebook he writes something down and cast certain spells with it. That was my favourite part and getting to meet the different gods. One thing that bother me was the different scene switches it was a bit jarring and sometimes pulled me out of the story. But overall a very interesting story.