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Book Tour Guest Post: Worldbuilding in Exile by A.J. Calvin

  • Writer: Fiction Fans
    Fiction Fans
  • Sep 17, 2023
  • 4 min read

Updated: Nov 1, 2023


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Today we're taking part in the book tour organized by Escapist Book Company for Exile by A.J. Calvin! Continue reading for the book blurb and a guest post by Calvin about worldbuilding in the novel.

About the book

Andrew grew up in the royal palace of Novania, the eldest son of the queen. He went on to achieve fame and glory as a renowned soldier, and was eventually named commander of the king’s army. The kingdom believed he would be named heir to the throne, but he has long known he is ineligible.


The king is not his father.


The truth of Andrew’s lineage is only partially known to the king; the identity of his father is a mystery that even Andrew is unaware of. He knows only that his father was a dragon-mage, and the dragons have fled to another world. Andrew is a skin-changer, but the laws of Novania forbid his very existence. If the king were to learn the truth of what he is, he would face execution.


The laws are equally hostile to humans born with the Mark of the Magi and the ability to wield magic. Andrew’s younger half-brother, Alexander, bears the Mark. The pair keep one another’s secrets into adulthood…Until the king dies unexpectedly and Colin ascends the throne.


When Alexander’s Mark is revealed for all to see, Andrew is faced with a choice: To watch his brother be killed, or reveal his true nature in an effort to save him from the headsman’s axe.

On to the guest post...!

My personal favorite piece has to do with the dragons in the series. I've always loved dragons, but this is the first series I've written where they're a real presence in the world. In the first chapter of Exile, you learn that Andrew's father was a dragon-mage, meaning Andrew is half-dragon (a skin-changer who can take on the form of a human or a dragon. He's human for most of the story for reasons that become apparent as the story goes on.) But Andrew is the last of the dragon-kind left on his world.


I took a little inspiration from Ancient Aliens, in that the dragons aren't originally from his world, but came through a "gateway" many centuries ago. They stayed on his world up until a few months before his birth, then opened another gateway and left. His father didn't know about him, which is why he was left behind.


Then there's the matter of the Mage's Mark. It's something a person is born with, but may happen spontaneously (it's not always inherited.) Andrew's brother Alexander has the Mark, which you'll also learn in chapter one. A person with the Mark can choose to train as a mage, but if they opt not to, they'll never realize their power. Mages are accepted in the Southlands, but not in Novania, where most of Exile is set. Novania's laws condemn those born with the Mark and allow for immediate execution of the bearer upon discovery. It's a dangerous place for someone with the Mark to live, but since Alexander is a prince, he can't exactly disappear without people searching for him.


Novania also has laws against the dragon-kind, so you can probably see where this is going...


Beyond the politics and laws around mages and dragons, there is also an ongoing conflict with the Corodan to the north of Novania. I had a lot of fun with the Corodan (and for those who have read Exile, you will see more of them in books 3 and 4.) They're an intelligent insectoid race with a hive-mind. There are elements of army ants and praying mantis to them, but they're huge and formidable opponents. And according to some readers, they have a certain creepiness to them. Personally, I just think they're cool.


I have a thing for bugs... When I was considering options in college, I was bouncing between entomology, music performance, and microbiology. I was very close to going into entomology, but let people talk me out of it and went into microbiology instead. Basically, I traded bigger bugs for tiny ones. But anyway, quite a few of my books feature some kind of insect or arachnid-type characters. The Caein Legacy has both. You'll encounter the Venom-weavers in book 2.


The magic in this series is a bit different than what I did for The Relics of War. Each human mage has a singular ability and can't learn anything else (I think of it kind of like a superpower in that respect.) Some abilities are the flashier ones you'd expect, like Rynn's ice magic, but others are more subtle or even mundane. For example, the Oracle's ability allows her to view another person's memories, while Bryson can send messages long distance, and Belora is a healer. The dragon-magi were more powerful and often manifested two or three abilities, but humans are always limited to one.


I loved writing this series and building this world so much that I'm currently working on a related series set 1000 years prior to the time of The Caein Legacy. The Mage War is mentioned a couple times during The Caein Legacy, and I decided to expand on that idea. I currently have the first 5 books in The Mage War Chronicles drafted, and will be starting on book 6 later this year. I don't have a release plan for them yet, but they'll be published eventually.

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