Fantasy Map of Orïsha + the Clans of Orïsha

There aren't a lot of maps of Orïsha available out there. Above is the official map you will find in the books by Tomi Adeyemi: Children of Blood and Bone, and Children of Vengeance and Virtue.

Fan made maps of Orïsha don't really exist, not yet. However there is a map of the largest city: Lagos.


Lagos is the largest city in the fictional kingdom of Orïsha, but it is based on the real life Nigerian city of Lagos, which with a population of 15 million people is the largest city in Africa. Nigeria is also the richest country in Africa, so Lagos is basically the equivalent of New York City.

Except NYC only has a population of 8.4 million... Which means Lagos is almost twice the size of NYC. The entire state of New York only has 19.4 million people, versus Nigeria which has a population 201 million.

So Tomi Adeyemi based her fictional version of Lagos on the real life Lagos, but she isn't the only author doing this. Charles Moffat's "The Quorum of Kaŝe" duology is also set in and near Lagos, with much of the action taking place on the fictional hidden island of Kaŝe which is just off the coast from Lagos.

With more authors writing AfroFantasy these days you can expect many more books being set in Lagos (both real and fictional versions of Lagos) in the future.

Back on topic...

Within the continent of Orïsha there are also ten clans. They are the following:

Reaper- The Maji of Life and Death

This Maji, which hails from the Ikú clan, can access and manipulate the spirits of the living and the dead. Their associated deity is Oya.


Connector - The Maji of Mind, Spirit and Dreams

A Connector - from the Èèmí clan - can read minds and tap into the dreams and consciousness of others. Their associated deity is Orí.


Tider - The Maji of Water

Tiders of the Omi Clan can manipulate water and ice, moving and shaping its natural form. Their associated deity is Yemoja.


Burner - The Maji of Fire

A Burner, the Maji of the Iná, can summon and control the element of fire. Their associated deity is Sàngó.


Winder - The Maji of Air

Hailing from the Aféfé clan, Winders can control the air and change the course of the wind. Their associated deity is Ayao.


Grounder and Welder - The Majis of Iron and Earth

These connected Aiye clan Maji can manipulate the earth's natural resources. A Grounder can shape and change the land, and a Welder can bend and contort metals. Their associated deity is Ògún.


Lighter - The Maji of Darkness and Light

Lighters, the Maji of the Ìmólè clan, can summon darkness and invoke the light. Their associated deity is Ochumare.


Cancer and Healer - The Maji of Health and Disease

These Ìwòsàn clan's Maji can manipulate the health of the human body, the Cancer can inflict sickness or disease, and the Healer can provide healing. Their associated deity is Babalúayé.


Seer - The Maji of Time

The Seer of the Aríran clan can summon memories from the past and see into the future. Their associated deity is Orúnmila.


Tamer - The Maji of Animals

Tamers, the Maji of the Eranko clan, can control and transform animals. Their associated deity is Oxosi.



Four Maps of the World of Belgariad and Mallorean

 The world of David Eddings' books series the Belgariad and Mallorean was set in the following world.

I read the books back during the 1990s and to be honest I am tempted to read them over again. However if I did so I seem to recall that David Eddings wrote his books in the PRESENT tense. I find reading in the present tense to be really annoying most of the time. It isn't so bad for action scenes, but when it comes to regular scenes and descriptions it is very annoying to read.

Plus we are talking about 10 books, 2 series of 5 books each, all written in the present tense. That is a big commitment if you hate reading books written in the present tense.

Don't get me wrong, I remember enjoying the book series, but I am not sure I could commit to reading it over again knowing it is written in such a manner.

 




Advertising Rates for Nerdovore Vs Free Book Reviews

Awhile back I made up the following list of Advertising Rates for Nerdovore.com, but I am not sure how committed I am to these prices:

  • Sponsored Guest Post with Images/Links: $30 USD.
  • Excerpt from one of your books with Images/Links: $30 USD.
  • Promo Page for Your Books with Images/Links: $30 USD.
  • Side Bar Link Text Ad: $30 USD per year.
  • Side Bar Banner Advertising: $50 USD per year. (Limit of 3 customers.)
  • Premium Banner Advertising: $70 USD per year. (Limit of 1 customer for this slot.)

Honestly... If someone approached me wanting to advertise on Nerdovore they should just make me an offer and see if I accept it.

Just tell me what you want to do in terms of advertising, make me an offer in USD, and either I accept your offer or I refuse it. (If your offer isn't worth my time then it is a guarantee that I will refuse it. I won't even answer your email if your offer is too low.)

Also don't even think to waste my time by asking for free links. I will just delete your email.

Also whatever you are advertising needs to be family friendly and on topic for the types of things I talk about on Nerdovore.

Email charlesmoffat@charlesmoffat.com to inquire about advertising on Nerdovore.com.


★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★

 

Free Book Reviews for Fantasy Books

I also want to note that I don't charge for book reviews, but it is a case wherein I only read fantasy books, only those fantasy books I am interested in, and I never post a review if I end up hating your book. Call it the trade off for never giving out negative reviews, it means that if I didn't like your book then there is no review at all.

Also I don't do rush orders for book reviews. I take my time reading a book and I have a giant stack of books waiting to be reviewed. You will have to wait your turn like everyone else.

But on the plus side I also do Fantasy Unboxing Videos via my YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/CharlesMoffatToronto so anyone who wants a book review actually gets at least 1 or 2 videos about their book: An Unboxing Video + Book Review (if I like their book). I have also started doing combination videos wherein I mention other people's books for comparison purposes, so it also possible a person's book will be plugged multiple times in other videos.

Likewise any books I unbox will often end up on my Twitter and Instagram accounts in various photographs.

Anyone wishing to get a Free Book Review of their fantasy book should contact me via twitter.com/charlesmoffat or instagram.com/charles.moffat.

I prefer fantasy books which fall into the dark fantasy, epic fantasy, heroic fantasy or Sword & Sorcery subgenres.

I also accept fantasy themed children's books. Toddler or older is best.

In the case of the children's books I will also do a "Let's Read" video on YouTube where I read the children's book to my son.

Like so:

Character Types for Fantasy Writers


1. The Protagonist Hero

This is your standard (often stereotypical) hero who fulfills a Main Character role, and they embody attributes many people aspire to like courage, a sense of honour, benevolence, kindness, etc. The character doesn't have to be perfect however, they could be a "Fallen Hero" like Thorin Oakenshield who aspires to heroic ideals, succumbs to greed, and then later redeems himself.

2. The Protagonist Anti-Hero

This is a Main Character who is not your standard hero and does not fit neatly into the standard hero role. Eg. If all of the Harry Potter books were written from the perspective of Severus Snape, then Snape would be an Anti-Hero.

3. The Antagonist (Villain)

Villains don't have to be stereotypical or humanoid. Sauron, Voldemort, Darth Vader, etc are certainly good examples, but they could also be monstrous like the dragon Smaug or any of the massive sharks from the Jaws franchise.

4. The Deuteragonist

The Deuteragonist is often called a Secondary Character. They often fulfill the role of sidekicks, squires. They're not a Main Character, but they're more of a Side Character. Eg. Ron and Hermione, Samwise, Podrick Payne, etc.

5. The Tertiary or Tritagonist

The Tritagonist is a minor character who only makes brief appearances in the plot and fulfills relatively minor roles. They're not villains, but they could be servants, friends, allies to the main character. They could even be neutral. Eg. The goblin bankers in Harry Potter, the elf Elrond in Lord of the Rings, or Barristan Selmy in Game of Thrones.

6. The Paramour or Damsel in Distress

The lover (or presumed lover) of the Main Character could be a damsel in distress character, but he/she could also be a variation of the Femme Fatale. Whatever their role in the plot they are the paramour of the MC. Eg. Ygritte in Game of Thrones, Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter, Arwen in Game of Thrones, etc.

7. The Confidant

Confidants are often best friends or mentors for the MC. They might be someone the MC feels comfortable talking to and asking questions. They could also simultaneously be Secondary Characters or Tertiary.

8. The Foil / Rival

Not the villain, but certainly a rival that the MC doesn't get along with. Their methods often differ dramatically from the MC and reveals more about the MC's sense of fair play, honour, good sportsmanship, etc. Eg. Draco Malfoy.

9. The Dynamic or Rounded Character

This character is well-rounded and ever changing. They learn things, they evolve over time. They could be the MC or a secondary character, or even a tertiary.

10. The Stereotypical Stock Character

The fool, the mentor, the sage, the wise leader, the priest, etc.

11. The Symbolic Character

This is a character who represents a specific ideal such as hope or courage, but could also be something loftier like representing a godly power. Eg. Aslan in Chronicles of Narnia.

12. The Extras / Static Characters

These are simply background characters who don't even have a name. They don't really change and don't feel any larger roles. They often don't even talk. Eg. "Red Shirts" in Star Trek, Stormtroopers in Star Wars, random orcs in Lord of the Rings, random students in Hogwarts, etc. Often they're just there to be scared and run away, or to stand there and die.




Fantasy Book Collaborations Vs Amazon Publishing

I have often doing a collaboration with another author or several fantasy authors.

The trick I think is to find other fantasy authors with similar styles and figuring out how to split the profits from said venture...

With traditional publishing the matter of splitting profits is handled by the publisher and all authors are treated equally.

With Amazon Publishing and similar methods of self-publishing there is a problem however. There currently is no way to split sales between multiple authors, and likewise they have to split up the responsibilities of marketing/etc.

However I think I have come up several possible solutions:

SOLUTION #1: The Simultaneous Trilogy

Imagine that you have three authors who want to write a trilogy together, within the same shared setting. For simplicity's sake let's say all of the action in the stories takes place in a single city (eg. New York).

Each author could, in theory, write their books simultaneously and release all three books on the same date: February 2nd 2022 or something like that.

The books in question could take place in a specific order, or they could all have their events happening simultaneously. The characters of each book could be separate but their stories interconnected in some manner etc.

Likewise each author would responsible for marketing their own books, but would also be able to mention the other books from the series.

It also doesn't have to be a trilogy. It could be a duology of two books or a plethora of writers all writing in the same world. (Similar to the Thieves World anthology series, but without it being an anthology.) In theory 20 or more authors could all publish their books within the shared world at the same time, setting their own prices, using the same logo, book cover layout template, etc.

As a result each author is responsible for their own work, their own marketing, and reaps their own profits within the Amazon system.

SOLUTION #2: An Open Collaboration

An Open Collaboration would involve one author (or several authors) getting the ball rolling by writing one book and putting it on Amazon, and opening it up for other authors to add their own works in the world. Any author could, without even needing permission, publish their own work set within the world, reusing the logos, branding, etc created by the first author(s) who has created the world and allowed other writers to publish within the world they created.

Again, each author joining the Open Collaboration would be responsible for writing and marketing their own work, but would benefit from being part of a newly established world.

For example H. P. Lovecraft implored other writers to create new literary works based on his Cthulhu creation (which is also currently in the public domain), because he wanted other writers to add more to the story. However the phrase "Call of Cthulhu" is copyrighted by a roleplaying game company, so that specific phrase cannot be used in either books or marketing, asides from Lovecraft's book "The Call of Cthulhu". Otherwise any books that people publish within the Cthulhu world is effectively part of his Open Collaboration.

Thus if someone wanted to they could join Lovecraft's Open Collaboration, or they could start their own open collaboration based on their own world and hope other writers join them.

SOLUTION #3: Shared Amazon Account

This really only works if the authors are very close (like a married couple, close friends, etc) and they agree to collaborate on one or more books and share the same Amazon account, receive royalties via the same joint bank account, etc.

If the two or more authors don't really trust each other I don't see this working. Not without getting a lawyer or a middle man involved.

SOLUTION #4: Collaborate, but Buy The Publication Rights

So this option means the author is taking a financial risk that the book will sell. They hire a fellow fantasy writer to collaborate with, similar to hiring a ghostwriter, and then pay the author for the publication rights to the work produced during the collaboration. The hired author gets paid for their work, still gets their name on the book cover (unlike a ghostwriter who doesn't even get mentioned), and goes on their merry way knowing they've already been paid for their work.

The author who bought the collaboration is then responsible for the remaining writing, all the marketing, and collects all the profits.

SOLUTION #5: Collaborate with a Dead Author

This is a bit more of an unusual idea, but let's run with this...

Find a book that you as an author like which is now in the Public Domain (eg. "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald recently became Public Domain as of January 1st 2021) and then co-write a book with the dead author.

Because the book is in the Public Domain you don't have to pay anyone for the rights or worry about splitting the profits.

What is more there are many other books already in this field of Public Domain Collaborations, so it isn't like you're the first person to do this. Every year on January 1st more novels are getting added to the list of Public Domain books. Any number of authors seeking to co-write a book can simply choose an author who has been dead for a very long time and co-write a book with them*.

* It is generally accepted that you are changing a significant part of the book compared to the original book. The characters, the overall plot, the themes, etc will likely be changed significantly, although certain aspects of the book will stay the same.



So which is best?

Hmm. There is no best. There are pros and cons to each of these options.

Can you co-write a book with Jane Austen? Absolutely. Would you really want to? Speaking for myself, no. Not my type of thing.

Some options require more planning, or possibly the expectation that other authors will follow suit, but there is no guarantee than any of these options will be successful in getting readers.

Execution is another factor. What if your writing style and other writer(s) don't have matching literary styles? It might end up being a wasted effort.

You really would need to find a living author who has a similar style and writes similar things, or you are better off just doing your own thing.

Going the traditional publishing route is also always an option, although that has its own set of pros and cons for two authors who want to collaborate.

Publishing a fantasy book? Make sure you get a professional fantasy book editor.

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