Self-publishing has made big strides since E.L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey, which came out in 2011.
Since then, BookTok and Bookstagram have changed the game – particularly for authors in the romance and fantasy genres. Self-published authors, many of whom are Canadian, enjoy an unprecedented fandom. Self-publishing no longer carries negative connotations, and traditional publishers have started paying attention to an industry that launched Olivie Blake, M. L. Wang, Evan Winter, Sarah A. Parker and James Islington, to name a few.
Here are 10 self-published fantasy books that shouldn’t be ignored.
The Hound of Scrying Hollow, Brooke Marley Jones (330 pages)
Do not tarry too long in the Hollow, for the Hound lies in wait. Liliwen’s plan to save her brother was simple: set the trap, kill the beast and bring back its heart. The monster wasn’t supposed to be the victim of an ancient curse, she wasn’t supposed to hesitate and she definitely wasn’t supposed to fall in love. Inspired by the story of France’s historic Beast of Gévaudan, Canadian author Jones reimagines The Beauty and the Beast with a keen focus on the specific burdens that eldest daughters shoulder.
Under the Earth, Over the Sky, Emily McCosh (352 pages)
An ancient and war-weary faerie king is begged by a desperate group of villagers to right an evil and finds himself facing a dying infant. His decision to save the mortal child means that he has to reconcile his new role as parent with his duties as a ruler. Thus unfolds a tale filled with magnetic prose and a remarkably beautiful exploration of male relationships, whether platonic or familial.
The House Witch, Delemhach (461 pages)
Canadian author Emilie Nikota has spun a sensational tale of a prickly house witch and newly appointed royal cook, Finlay Ashowan. The royal kitchen was supposed to be a place for him to keep his head down and just cook. Instead, Ashowan finds himself head-to-head with unchivalrous knights, mages with little to no sense, truly exasperating staff, a cat familiar and a rather impossible spy. But the joke’s on them – he’s about to upset the establishment.
On Wings of Blood, Briar Boleyn (522 pages)
Medra killed a god, only to find herself thrown into another universe ruled by vampires. Believed to be a part of the extinct race of dragon riders, she is forced into a marriage arrangement with a vampire prince and enrolled into their prestigious war college, Bloodwing Academy. Many would see her dead but she’s not about to roll over. This dark fantasy romance by a rising Canadian author has a dash of Harry Potter – with a darkly satisfying romance between characters inspired by Draco Malfoy and Hermoine Granger – and a pinch of Fourth Wing, with its war college and dragons.
A Memory of Song, Scott Palmer (458 pages)
An ancient order of warlocks hunts for the one being – James Culdaine – who could disrupt their plans to end the world and its gods. This Canadian debut is set in a bleak, macabre world where fires won’t burn, rain has ceased to fall and the remnants of humanity now wage war on one another. Yet it also contains redemption and hope as Culdaine struggles with his powers and legacy.
Bones, K. L. Speer (389 pages)
This singularly addictive debut is a postapocalyptic dystopian romantasy that brilliantly plays havoc with readers’ emotions. Bones’s ability to heal others has brought her nothing but abuse and captivity until a harrowing escape lands her at “the Vault,” where a crew of fiercely kind strangers becomes the family she needs to begin living again. K. L. Speer balances relentless action, trauma and tenderness with remarkable sensitivity, and has honed a merciless twist to gut the soul. And, good news: the sequel – Fangs – is excellent.
Once There Were Heroes, Philip C. Quaintrell (727 pages)
Quaintrell’s series A Time of Dragons is an inspiring story of what heroism actually requires. Kingdoms Erador and Ankara have been at war for centuries, nurtured by a deep-seated hatred that’s both nuanced and complex. But a prophecy of a boy born of both kingdoms will alter the foundation of their reality. Book 1 in the series follows multiple characters and a dual timeline beautifully composed to create a compelling experience for epic fantasy diehards.
The Bride of Death, F. M. Aden (378 pages)
The Canadian author weaves a seductively dark tale of devotion inspired by Turkic mythology and the story of Hades and Persephone. The Lord of Death, Erlik Khan, marked Zerryn as his own many years ago, leaving her shunned by villagers for her imagined evils – save for Celik, a charming farm boy. Years later, Erlik summons Zerryn to the underworld to compete for his hand – or watch her village, and Celik, perish. Zerryn vows she will destroy him, but she’ll have to marry him first.
A Ballad of Broken Banners, K. Godin (558 pages)
This new Canadian series will leave readers reeling. Rígan Baxteel has led countless victories against the rebels, but as the bastard firstborn daughter to an Anointed lord, she must disguise herself as her cruel and useless, but legitimate, brother. When the Anointed houses are summoned northward to rally against the rebellion, the ruthless Caedell Reide, who seems to recognize Rígan’s true nature, leads the party on a perilous journey poised to reorient her loyalties and redefine her understanding of duty.
The Flaws of Gravity, Stephanie Caye (315 pages)
Set in Toronto and Montreal, Caye’s debut is perfectly plotted to keep readers guessing how things play out. After being thrown off a balcony by her partner in crime, Aubrie, Jude wakes from a coma to discover the Faerie Court and the Consilium (a rival mortal gang) have decimated each other, creating a power vacuum she’d rather avoid. Now Aubrie is ideally placed to take over the world, but if Jude wants to reach sunny paradise with a stiff drink in hand, she’ll have to stop him.
