Mantles of Oak and Iron Release: Interview with Captain Marik

Hello, friends! Today is the release day for Mantles of Oak and Iron, book two in Jenelle Leanne Schmidt's epic gaslamp fantasy, The Turrim Archive! I'm super excited to help celebrate this release — moreso because I got to interview my favorite character in the series, Captain Marik of the airship Valdeun Hawk! I'm also sharing my thoughts on the book over on Light and Shadows, so make sure you check out that post as well. And if you're entirely new to the Turrim Archive, I have good news! Book one, The Orb and the Airship, is currently on sale in Kindle format for $0.99, so you can pick that out and get started on your adventure! Or, again, you can stick around here for the interview.

About Mantles of Oak and Iron

Grayden thought he had four years to decide his future… he was wrong.

War is imminent. The Igyeum has already begun incursions across Telmondir’s borders. The headmaster of the military academy issues a new directive: all students will be fast-tracked through the program. They will be full-fledged defenders by the end of the year. But when a training exercise turns deadly, Grayden must keep his head and become the leader his friends need.

Captain Marik has witnessed evil beyond imagining. Enough to make him sign on to the wizard Dalmir’s cause. But will the council of the west accept a pirate among their ranks? And will Marik’s crew join this mission, or will they consider him a traitor to all they once stood for?

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains lurks a hidden danger that threatens them all.

Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads

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Interview with Captain Marik

Captain Marik, art by Chloe Grace

Hello, Captain Marik! Welcome to the blog! I have to say, I'm a big fan of yours . . . but not all my readers know you, so to start out, please tell us a little bit about yourself: who you are, what you do, anything that you feel is important for us to know so we can understand what makes you, you.

Hello, thanks for having me over to this… blog, you said? I’m not sure what a blog is, but it’s always nice to meet a fan. I am a pirate by trade, though I started out as a treasure hunter. Unfortunately, we soon discovered that there wasn’t much treasure in the treasure hunting business, so we had to make a switch to piracy. Crew needs to eat, airships need cynders, pesky things like that drove us to it. We try not to harm people, but sometimes you can’t avoid it. Personally, I try to make sure that those who pay the most are those who have harmed others, or that I’m the only one in my crew who has to make the hardest decisions. I’m under no delusions that I’m the good guy, you see. But if I can protect those under my care from having to descend into the same darkness I walk alongside, then I will.

I know that you do your best to protect your crew, and that's one of the reasons I'm a fan. I understand you're currently making a career change of sorts — pirate to, well, something else. What's been the biggest struggle with that shift for you? Conversely, what's something that's come out of it that you've really enjoyed or appreciated?

I didn’t realize that was already common knowledge, but… yes. My crew and I recently encountered a man named Dalmir who helped change the trajectory I was on. I was mostly bent on survival and revenge, you see, and he showed me that I could do more to right some wrongs.

The hardest thing about this shift is not really knowing exactly what my responsibility is at any given moment. Working for the Council of Telmondir is not something I saw myself doing… working on any side of the law is not something I ever saw myself going back to. But here I am. For better or worse.

Something that’s come out of it that I appreciate is, well, a sense of working for a much greater good than I could have done on my own. Having a clear conscience, I suppose you might say.

It's not common knowledge (unless you read the blurb at the top of this post). I just know things. Moving on, as an airship pirate, I can imagine you've had some pretty impressive adventures. Can you tell us about one that's particularly memorable for you or that you felt was an especial triumph?

My favorite place in the world is a little hamlet in Vallei. The houses are small and humble, but the walls are covered on all sides with rice paper that has been painstakingly decorated by the people living in each home. Green mountains rise up on all sides and people work out in the fields from dawn till dusk just trying to carve a living out of the meager crops that grow in the area.

(Marik shakes himself here and gives a rueful little smile.)

Of course, the whole village is gone now, just a pile of ash left in wake of a regiment of Igyeum soldiers.

As for where I’d still like to go, I’d love to explore beyond the edges of the continent someday. Maybe fly out over the ocean and see if there is anything out there.

I'm sorry that your favorite place is no more, but I hope you can explore like you hope to someday. Changing topics a bit, a good captain needs a good crew . . . so tell us a little about some of the people in yours. Anyone you're especially close to?

My crew mostly consists of Oleck, Raisa, and Mouse. We hire others on at times, but those are the three that stay with me and live on board the Valdeun Hawk. Oleck is my first mate and right hand man. He’s steady as a rock, despite his fairly pessimistic outlook on life. I always know I can depend on him to have my back. Raisa is like a little sister to Oleck, and I sort of see her like a niece. She’s got a steady hand and a weather eye, and there isn’t anyone else I’d trust more at the wheel. Mouse is our little scamp. Kid sort of followed me home one day and I can’t get him to tell me where his family is. I couldn’t just leave him on the streets, but someday I’ll figure out how to take him home. I’m happy to have him on board, though, kid is quick-witted and good with locks.

Sounds like you have some good friends, then. I have to say, I'm curious about Mouse . . . hopefully someday he'll decide to reveal his background. One last question: how do you hope that people, either those in your world or those who read about you, remember you?

Like I said earlier, I know I’m not the hero of any story. There are things I’ve done that I’m not proud of. But I also know that there are monsters in our world, masquerading as men, and if I could take them with me, then I’d be happy to go out fighting against them to my last breath. I won’t ask anyone else to risk their lives for it, though.

I think you might be wrong about not being the hero of any story, Captain. If you're not there yet, your answers say you're headed in that direction . . . and I look forward to seeing where that path takes you. Until then, thank you for appearing on my blog and answering my questions; it's been a pleasure to have you!

Are you excited to meet Captain Marik? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

 Hello, everyone! It's officially summer (though for a lot of us, it's felt like summer in one way or another for at least a month or two now), and we all know what that means . . . more books! As usual, I'm here to tell you all about the most exciting books releasing this season — or, at least, the ones I'm most excited about.

Summer 2023 Reads

1. The Orb and the Airship by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt (June 16). The Orb and the Airship released just last week, and you may have seen my review of it. If you didn't, you should go check that out — but the short version is that this book is a magnificent and lovely blend of steampunk and epic fantasy, and I love it SO MUCH. I'm especially fond of Captain Marik, an airship captain in the fine tradition of Mal Reynolds and Francis Grimm, but all the characters are excellent, as is the storyline.

2. Secret Project #3 by Brandon Sanderson (July 1). Have I read the last two secret projects? No. Should I have? Probably. I keep holding off for a special occasion, even though I should probably take the advice of that one post that I see every so often about how special things make ordinary occasions extraordinary. I do think I'm justified in this case, as I don't want to start a Sanderson book at 10:30 or 11 at night, and that's mostly when I'm getting my reading time these days . . . but I digress. The point is: Secret Project #3 is coming in just a few weeks! This is another Cosmere story, it's narrated by Hoid, and it sounds like a very cool blend of fantasy and sci-fi.

3. Wags, Woofs, and Wonders anthology (July 6). Y'all have heard about this one a few times already, but that's no reason to leave it off the list. This anthology contains eight enchanting stories of magical dogs, each with a guaranteed happy ending. And, as I've mentioned before, one of those stories is my own "Grim Guardian," a Southern-flavored, slightly haunted tale of mystery. This release has had a few hiccups, but we're still moving forward, and I'm excited for y'all to read it!

4. No One Leaves the Castle (August 15). Y'all know I am always down for a good blend of fantasy and mystery, especially murder mystery, so I was hooked on this book from my first hearing the premise . . . But then I found out that it's set in the world of the Hero's Guide/League of Princes series. And it features one of the best characters from that series. (Not going to say which one, but you can probably guess if you read the synopsis, and if you really want to know, check the reviews.) Spinoffs are sometimes risky, but I am looking forward to this nonetheless.

5. Rook by Wiliam Ritter (August 22). And, speaking of spinoffs and returns to favorite series from my teen years, William Ritter is releasing a new book in the world of Jackaby! This sounds like it picks up after the events of Dire King, though it's billed as a standalone. I loved the initial Jackaby books, but I had mixed feelings about Dire King that mean I haven't raved about the series quite as much as I did in the early days. Still, I'm looking forward to revisiting this world with a new story, and I'm hopeful that it'll bear more resemblance to the early stories that I loved.

What book releases are you excited for this summer? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Hey'a! So, as you may remember, earlier in the year, Jenelle Leanne Schmidt ran a Kickstarter campaign for her new series, The Turrim Archive, which starts with The Orb and the Airship. Because I am still a sucker for all things steampunk and because I was insanely curious after hearing about this series on Jenelle's blog for the last five years, I backed the Kickstarter, which meant I got a super-early copy of the first book (before the ARC readers, even) . . . and y'all, it is so good. And since the book releases for general purchase today, I thought now would be a great time to tell y'all why you absolutely need to pick up a copy.

You Need to Read The Orb and the Airship

1. It's a super cool blend of steampunk and traditional epic fantasy. The scope of the world and half the plot feels very traditional epic fantasy — Wheel of Time-ish, but without the constant distrust and suspicion. You've got the old man in a mysterious tower with equally mysterious powers, the small-town boys heading out into the world, the threat of great and ancient evil, all that good stuff. But many other elements of the world, as well as the other half of the plot, are very much steampunk, with trains and airships and inventors and sky pirates — not to mention that the boys are setting out for military school, not a quest. Or, at least, that's what they intended when they started their journey . . .
   
2. Marik and his crew are just plain awesome. If you love Firefly or The Aeronaut's Windlass, Marik's half of the plot will probably be your favorite part of the book. (It certainly was mine.) Marik is a captain in the fine tradition of Mal Reynolds and Francis Grimm, a hero by nature and an outcast by circumstance, loyal to his crew and his principle. I loved his interactions with his crew and how he really does view them as his family. 
3. The friendship between the boys is lovely. Grayden and Wynn, our main characters for the more epic fantasy half of the plot, may not have drawn me in as quickly as Marik did, but I still enjoyed reading their friendship. Though they're very different people, they've known each other forever, and they support each other and have each other's backs in the best way. Things just get better once Berengar joins their group — I can't say a lot about him because of spoilers, but he's my favorite character after Marik for very good reason, and I deeply wish he existed in real life so I could be friends with him. He's a big guy, but his heart is bigger than his muscles, and he's absolutely loyal, and I just love him a lot, ok?
4. The story is satisfying on its own . . . but it also definitely sets you up to wish for more. On its own, The Orb and the Airship is an exciting adventure that brings together exploration and airship heists and daring rescues, along with a healthy dose of character tension, and then brings it all to a highly satisfying conclusion. That said, once you discover the world and the characters — and once you read the last chapters — you'll definitely find yourself eager for the next book in the series. (I know I am !)
5. There's no stress about stumbling into something inappropriate. A major frustration I have with both steampunk stories and certain epic fantasy series (that may have already been named in this post) is that, even while they're exciting and fun to read, every so often I'll run into scenes or elements that make me decidedly uncomfortable — they may not be explicit, but they're clearly meant to excite in a certain way. That's not a problem here. This is a book that I, as an adult, enjoyed quite a lot, but I'd also have no problem handing it to my preteen, just-getting-into-fantasy self (or to any currently-extant preteens in my life, if there were any). Such books are often hard to find, so I'm glad this one exists.

Sound like your cup of tea? You can order The Orb and the Airship in ebook, hardcover, or audiobook on Amazon now! And in the meantime, what about this book sounds most appealing to you? Please tell me in the comments! (Also, if you've already read the book, feel free to tell me what YOU loved best about it in the comments section! I am all for mutual fangirling.)
Thanks for reading!