Tried using theology on a naughty pet rat. I told her if she stops chewing up my artworks and is nice and well-behaved, one day she will go to heaven where she can destroy all the artwork she likes, forever and ever. It didn't work. Rats are naturally atheistic.
— K.J. Taylor via Twitter
Katie Jill Taylor (born 1986) is an Australian fantasy author and occasional Web Comic artist.
First published at 18 (the spoof The Land of Bad Fantasy
), she initially established a small following on The Agony Booth, before she broke through with her first serious novel, The Dark Griffin. Much of her work takes place in the land of Cymria, where humans and griffins live side by side.
She's known for her love of rats, which she documents in a series of comics called Ra Toons!
Some of K.J. Taylor's works include:
- The Land of Bad Fantasy
- The Fallen Moon trilogy (The Dark Griffin, The Griffin's Flight, The Griffin's War)
- The Risen Sun trilogy (The Shadow's Heir, The Shadowed Throne, The Shadow's Heart)
- The Southern Star trilogy (The Last Guard, The Silent Guard, The Cursed Guard)
- Tales of Cymria (short story collection)
- Broken Prophecy
- The Price of Magic
- Power's Curse (first book of a planned series, likely defunct)
- The Shadow of the Skytree
The Cymria stories provide examples of:
- Anti-Hero: Arren starts as a lighter type III then quickly slides into TypeIV
- Arc Words: Several times after the first book Arenadd tells a character "Join me". Depending on the context - and it is often unclear initially which context applies - he then either frees them or kills them...
- Arranged Marriage: Subverted in that it is Laela herself doing most of the arranging and it is purely symbolic. It ends up being an enjoyable one night stand with each returning to their own country after. He later joins her in the North as Prince Consort, and they end up Happily Married.
- In her backstory, Saeddryn’s mother makes her promise never to marry anyone except another Taranisaii. This was supposed to be Arenadd, but when he can’t get over Skade she settles instead for Torc, who had been adopted by her uncle Caedmon.
- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: When Oeka absorbs the magic of the spirit cave, it is too much for her mortal body to contain. First she loses her sight and voice, then her body; becoming a cloud of magic and will.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning: Laela at the end of the first book. Made more Awesome by gatecrashing and usurping Saeddryn's own attempt.
- Back from the Dead: Skandar's magic is the ability to help the Night God create kraeai kran ae by bringing back Arren/Arenadd, repeatedly. It happens five times by the end of the trilogy; he has one persistent God.
- Betty and Veronica: Although mostly not in direct competition thanks to a case of That Man Is Dead, Flell and Skade are in a type of Betty and Veronica relationship with Arren/Arenadd. Flell (Betty) is a nice, gentle, wellborn griffiner who loves Arren despite her society's prejudice against Northerners. Skade (Veronica) is an exiled and shapechanged griffin with her species more aggressive traits, but becomes loyal to and dependent on Arenadd. The differences in his two girlfriends highlight the changes in Arren/Arenadd over the course of the trilogy.
- Came Back Wrong: Arenadd, without a heartbeat. Subsequent resurrections cause him to lose/give up increasingly more of his ‘weaker’ more human qualities
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Appears to be standard interrogation technique.
- In his backstory this happened to Arenadd when he was captured in Malvern before the war; among others, they broke his fingers trying to find out where his allies were hiding.
- Arenadd plans to use this when they capture the man who stabbed him and threw him in the river, but he has had his tongue and fingers removed/damaged (by either himself or someone else) so he can’t reveal who he was working for.
- Continuity Nod: Before Arenadd kills the man who stabbed him and threw him in the river he whispers something to him. This would be “Join me”, his catchphrase from ''The Griffin’s Flight'' and ''The Griffin’s War''.
- Convenient Coma: Occurs whenever Arenadd ‘dies’, frequently allowing him to escape when security is lessened over his dead body. Most notable in Herbstitt where he actually goes as far as being buried.
- Also after being captured by Erian and tortured in Malvern:
Laela: How did you escape?Arenadd: I let them hang me first. The Risen Sun - Cool Sword: In their final confrontation, Arenadd and Erian each have one. Arenadd uses the traditional Northern sickle specially made for him; Erian has his father's sword that he has had blessed by the sun god.
- Dark Messiah: Arenadd in the third book doesn't care how the Southerners leave his country, but they will go; letting him kill them is just a bonus.
- Dead Guy Junior: Saeddryn and Torc named their children after their dead relatives Arddryn (Saeddryn’s mother) and Caedmon (Torc’s adoptive father and Saeddryn’s uncle)
- Partial example; according to one of the short stories Kullervo unknowingly named himself after his uncle (Skade’s brother).
- Deal with the Devil: While not actually the devil, Arenadd comes to see his deal with the Night God as this. His one true prayer was asking her to save his life; coupled with a desire for wealth, power and revenge. In return for becoming her avatar, he gets immortality, the chance at conquering and ruling a kingdom, access to his griffin’s magic and instructions to kill Rannagon and his family [[note: ... including Arren’s past girlfriend and their daughter]]. Unfortunately, she doesn’t believe in letting a useful tool go to waste, even after its initial purpose has been achieved, and he no longer wants even to be ‘alive’.
- Saeddryn’s own deal was worded rather more carefully with a promise to be allowed to die once her task is complete. Unlike Arenadd, she has also lived her whole life believing in the Night God and is much more willing to follow her wishes.
- Despair Event Horizon: Arren after Eluna dies. Later revealed that he was almost Driven to Suicide.
- Also Skade after becoming a human, this time actually Driven to Suicide.
- Deus ex Machina: In the final battle, Erian thinks he is safe inside the Sun Temple but then a solar eclipse occurs, weakening Gryphus' power enough to let Arenadd enter the temple where they fight and Arenadd kills him.
- The Dog Bites Back: Rannagon tricks Arren into a job that's supposed to kill him. After Eluna dies instead, Arren blames it on Rannagon, and procedes to kill him and burn down his city. Rannagon claims that he was only trying to discredit him.
- Driven to Suicide: Skade when Arenadd first meets her has just tried to drown herself.
- Elkin after Erian and Kraal die decides that it is Better to Die than Be Killed.
- Arenadd after Skade dies, although his God refuses to let him.
- Arren after Eluna dies, although his friends come just in time to change his mind.
- Driven to Villainy: All Arren wanted to be was a proper Southern griffiner, but the Southerners refused to give him a chance. As soon as he looked to be put in a real position of power on the Council, they/Rannagon took away everything he had gained. Given what happened next, they should have just accepted his loyalty.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Both Bran and Arenadd do this as a way of (not) dealing with the death of their wives.
- Dying as Yourself: When the Night God withdraws her support all of Arenadd’s injuries unheal in reverse order, leaving him with his last moments dying as Arren.
- Evil-Detecting Dog / Animals Hate Him: Arenadd; as he loses his humanity the effect increases.
- Extra-Dimensional Shortcut: Skandar's magic is the ability to travel quickly and invisibly between places by passing through a 'shadow world'. The Night God's favour allows Arenadd to share this ability. In addition to faster and unimpeded travel, it is also used for advantages during fights – allowing the user easy retreat and the ability to strike their opponent while remaining untouchable/intangible.
- In the third book, Arrenadd uses it to kidnap Elkin, getting past her guards and taking her quickly to a safe place.
- Fantastic Slur: Calling Northerners 'darkrobe' as reference to their slave uniform. In defiance of this, from the time he accepts his Northern heritage, Arenadd refuses to wear anything except the robe his parents made him.
- The original design for the slave robe is based off the black woollen robes previously worn by Northern kings.
- Fate Worse than Death: Referenced by Laela when she is almost raped on her first day in Malvern.
- Foreshadowing: Arren’s fear of heights and the edge of the city is established very early on. Then, in the climax of the first book he is shot and falls off the edge while being pursued... and just after he had decided to surrender.
- Garnishing the Story: The Amoran message dragons serve almost no actual plot point.
- Gladiator Games: The griffin fights in the Arena. Arren volunteers to fight Darkheart as a Condemned Contestant to try and win his freedom. Unfortunately, it ends as a tie...
- Half-Breed Discrimination: Against Laela as a Northerner-Southerner mix. Her mostly Northerner looks caused her to be shunned as she grew up in the South, and were a reason for her moving North where she would stand out less. Even in the North it is difficult for her to find acceptance, because she grew up in the South and there is still a ‘’lot’’ of bad feeling towards Southerners. Seeing her also reminds people that her parents must have been together at some point, something they don’t want to consider.
- Kulevero also gets it bad due to being a Half-Human Hybrid, particularly from the griffins who see him as deformed and think he should be culled. Interestingly, humans don’t seem to mind as much, often thinking of him as either a strange curiosity or Gryphus’ holy messenger.
- Actively averted in the remote town of Gwernyfed. Since the war, it has become a haven for Northerner-Southerner halfbreeds and their families.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Kullervo is part human and part griffin; born of a (mostly) human father and a shapechanged griffin mother.
- Happily Adopted: Laela by Bran, who marries Flell when he discovers she is pregnant. Flell is killed while she is still a baby, and Bran refuses to tell her anything about her father/Arren.
- Heartbroken Badass: Arenadd since Skade died has pretty much lost interest in ruling. Unfortunately, the Night God isn’t done with him yet. Particularly poignant given that he is TheManWithoutAHeart and she had become his substitute heart.
- Heavenly Blue: Flell and Erian (and Rannagon) both have bright blue eyes due to being descended from Baraher the Blessed. He wasthe leader of the first group of people to settle Cymria, and was chosen by the sun god Gryphus.
- Hero Antagonist: Erian. Technically, he is hunting down an escaped mass murderer who also killed his father; and by the end of the series he is at least as sympathetic as Arenadd.
- Heroic Bastard: Erian is the bastard son of Rannagon. Although presented as antagonist to Arenadd, he contains many of the typical qualities of a hero, particularly once we start seeing some of his POV.
- Huge Griffin Tiny Girl: Kraal is the largest and most powerful griffin ever seen (equal only to his son, Skandar) yet he chose to be partnered to Elkin,the sick young daughter of the previous Eyre Master. People are initially surprised, but it turns out that with his magic to keep her healthy she makes a highly intelligent and politically savvy Eyre Mistress.
- Human Sacrifice: Northerners practice this for the Blood Moon
- Identity Amnesia: Fully committing himself to the Night God causes Arenadd to lose all personal memories of Arren. Particularly convenient given that two of the three people he has been tasked with killing are his (ex-)girlfriend and their daughter...
- Immune to Fate: Or at least the Gods. Being a halfbreed, Laela is able to choose which God she serves. Personally, she thinks that they are both Jerkass Gods.
- Interspecies Romance: Arenadd and Skade, sort of. She was a griffin, but got physically turned into a human and started developing human emotions
- Karmic Transformation: Skade is turned into a human as punishment for killing humans.
- La Résistance: The Northerner rebels hiding out in the mountains. When Arenadd and Skandar arrive to act as figureheads, they are finally able to start the full-blown rebellion to reclaim the North.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Arren captures the black griffin then sells him to the Arena where he is kept in a cage and forced to fight for the audience’s entertainment. The same thing then happens to him when he is convicted of stealing a griffin chick.
- Also, at the very start of the series, he raids a smuggling den in his role as Master of Trade, Eluna killing a man who tries to escape. The man’s friends and family are the ones who beat him up and put the slave collar on him
- Long-Lost Relative: Arenadd discovers that Caedmon, the slave elder from Herbstitt, is actually his great-uncle, and the griffiner leader of the Northern rebels, Arddryn, is his great-aunt. When they were younger his grandfather was arrested and sold inteo slavery in the south. Arddryn then started a rebellion to free the North, but it was crushed and she fled while Caedmon was sold along with the other captured fighters.
- Arenadd also meets Arddryn’s daughter and his (second) cousin (once removed), Saeddryn.
- Arddryn herself dies before seeing Caedmon again, but hears about him from Arenadd.
- Made a Slave: The Northerners as a race have this as their Backstory after being conquered by the Southerners.
- Arenadd is captured as an escaped slave in Herbstitt. This is important in showing him what the life of a Northern slave is actually like, starting to turn his mind from personal revenge towards freeing the North. He later escapes, taking all the other Herbstitt slaves with him.
- His parents were slaves as children, but were freed when Eagleholm had to sell or free all its slaves to raise funds. They are then captured and enslaved again by Erian when they try to escape to follow Arren, both as bait and revenge against him. Erian keeps his mother but sells his father at Herbstitt, where he is reunited with his son.
- Mama Didn't Raise No Criminal: While Cardock can excuse Arren killing Rannagon as revenge for Eluna and being pushed too far, he has a harder time dealing with the realisation that he killed the guards in the slave barracks, and the amount of extortion and similar he practiced while Master of Trade (even if he needed the money because the Eyrie wouldn’t pay him fairly.* Meaningful Rename: Arenadd accepting his Northern name and heritage.
- His original name change also counts, choosing Arren Cardockson as a way of rejecting his Northern family and trying to fit in with the Southerners.
- Also Darkheart being freed and becoming Skandar.
- Mistaken for Servant: Arren, at least twice after Eluna dies; once when returning with the dark griffin, and again by Erian in the Hatchery. Partially justified in that he is one of the few Northerners in the South who is not a slave, and in the second instance he is actually wearing a slave collar.
- New Child Left Behind: Flell got pregnant just before Arren’s life fell apart. She tried to tell him on the final night when he came to ask her forgiveness, but he left before she had a chance. After that, she didn’t what to tell him and it wasn’t safe to even if she found him. He finds out 20 years later.
- Not in This for Your Revolution: Arenadd’s attitude towards burning the Eyrie (revenge against Rannagon which snowballed slightly) and stealing/freeing the Herbstitt slaves (to cover his escape and spite the Southerners). Also his initial success as a griffiner seemed to prove that Northerers could be ‘civilized’, but he spent the entire time denying his heritage. He ends up leading the revolution anyway.
- Our Zombies Are Different: The Kraeai kran ae is the Night God's avatar. While he is unable to die (or at least, she keeps bringing him Back from the Dead) is also has no heartbeat and is not truly alive.
- Place of Power: Arenadd is first able to talk with the Night God from within Taranis’ Throne: a stone circle.
- Erian and Sennek journey to the Isle of the Sun in hopes of finding guidance and a weapon against him.
- Preemptive Apology: Arren to Flell before he kills her father and (accidentally) burns the Eyrie to the ground
- Reforged into a Minion: This is basically what the Night God has done to Arenadd, particularly once she starts taking his memories
- Reformed, but Rejected: Arren, on a racial level. Despite from a very young age having done everything he can to cut himself off from his Northern heritage, people in Eagleholm refuse to see him as anything other than ‘the blackrobe griffiner’. With a few exceptions, only Eluna’s presence gains him even grudging respect to his face.
- Sapient Steed: the griffins. They are intelligent and have their own language, but are usually willing to let their partner fly on them.
- Shadow Walker: Skandar's magic is the ability to travel quickly and invisibly between places by passing through a 'shadow world'. The Night God's favour allows Arenadd to share this ability.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Arren finding the cave in book two. Turns out, he wasn't cursed, he is a curse, and he's told in no uncertain terms that he isn't welcome there.
- Slave Brand: Northerner slaves have a brand on the back of their hand. Arenadd gets one when he is captured in Herbstitt
- Slave Collar: Worn by Northerner slaves from childhood, and now with spikes on the inside! They can be broken and removed only if hit in the correct spot
- Slave Liberation: the Resistance’s motivation. Uses primarily types A and B (steal and buy slaves to free them)
- Slave Race: enough of the Northerners are slaves to qualify
- Sssssnake Talk: Griffish has elements of this due to trying to get the words around a beak.
- Solar and Lunar: The Southerners worship the sun god, Gryphus, while the Northerners worship Scathach, the Night God. Erian and Arenadd are the chosen avatars for their respective gods.
- Stars Are Souls: When a Northerner dies the Night God gathers their soul and places them in the sky as a star. When Skade dies, the Night God rewards Arenadd for his work by agreeing to turn her into a star as well, rather than allowing her to go back to the land magic like other griffins. Gryphus gives his followers a more stereotypical Heaven.
- Talking in Your Sleep: Arren sleeptalks calling for help because he is falling
- Technicolour Eyes: Skandar has silver eyes; justified because he is a griffin.
- Skade also has Supernatural Gold Eyes, although they darken to hazel as she becomes more human
- That Man Is Dead: Arenadd about Arren when he gives up on trying to fit in with the Southerners. Rather more literal than most examples of this trope...
- The Berserker: Arren/Arenadd. Developing this trait is a sign of his downward spiral after Eluna dies. The Southerners believe it to be a trait of all Northerners and use his behaviour as proof that their mistrust of him was justified.
- The Chosen One: Arren was chosen by the Night God to free the Northerner slaves and reclaim the North, while Gryphus chose Erian to stop him.
- The Magocracy: Griffiners occupy all important government positions
- The Man They Couldn't Hang: Arenadd after being captured in Malvern. Granted, he was killed, but since he was already technically dead he simply came back. While his mortal enemy was standing triumphantly over his body. Oh, Crap! indeed.
- Then Let Me Be Evil: Arenadd accepting his Northern heritage after being told in no uncertain terms that he will never be accepted as a Southerner.
- This Is My Human: Most of the griffins have this sort of attitude, and frequently refer to their partner in this way
- Total Eclipse of the Plot: The Blood Moon is a lunar eclipse. It involves a very important Northern ritual requiring Human Sacrifice, and is the first time Arenadd meets the Night God.
- The final battle also includes a solar eclipse, supposedly caused by the Night God to give Arenadd additional strength and weaken Erian
- Trauma Conga Line: Arren; particularly in the first book. In order, he loses his money, his griffin, his trust, his job, his self-respect, his faith, his sanity, his freedom and his life.
- Trojan Prisoner: Need to get a bunch of runaway slaves through a guard checkpoint? Have the hero’s girlfriend (the only one not a member of the Slave Race) borrow his griffin and pretend to be a griffiner with an entourage. If the bluff fails, move to plan B
- Unscrupulous Hero: Erain. While he is trying to catch a mass murderer, he threatens to torture said murderer's parents, and he still enslaves them when they prove they don't know anything.
- Arenadd also frequently fits this category.
- Void Between the Worlds: Skandar and Arenadd are able to travel through the ‘shadow world’ without being detected and much faster than the real world
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Eluna. She dies about a third of the way through book one.
- Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: Lampshaded later in the series when events are shown from the POV of both the Northerners and Southerners
