Keith Vernon Gell

The central idea of my book is: Magic works, and it affects the economic and political structure of society.

The setting is a vast metropolis, a city inhabited by goblins, in the throes of an industrial revolution forged in magic. Manna, magical energy captured in physical form, fuels its factories to produce artefacts traded across the galaxy. Wizards are the new elite. They use their magical skill to amass great wealth, and in turn, political power. But resentment grows among the mundane goblin proletariat.

Magic purveys every aspect of goblin life, they use it to communicate by telepathy, control weather, and heal the sick. But alongside the benefits come risks: Mutation from manna pollution, and magical diseases such as vampirism and lycanthropy. But the biggest threat of all is demonic invasion.

In my story vampires steal a book to summon a demon. Infernal manna finds its way onto the market place, with awful consequences.

My main character Grand Master Pharaoh Henry, must recruit a team of demon hunters to stop a full-scale invasion from Hell. But Henry is a dangerous fanatic, and those who work for him end up dead, or worse. No right-minded wizard would risk death, or losing his soul, so he recruits who he can: A drug addicted augurist, a dishonoured ork, a cowardly policeman, an escaped vampire, and a vain fashionista who shares her mind with a demon.

Against the backdrop of armed revolution, they investigate a Satanic plot, in order to prevent the opening of a gate to Hell itself.

I first wrote a fantasy story when I was at school in 1976. Like many fantasy writers I started playing the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game around 1975, and enjoyed creating fantasy worlds.

As stated, the starting point of my book is, magic works and it is commonly used: There are a large number of people who can defy the laws of nature by use of their will – So I asked myself the question: How does this effect society?

I reasoned it would start an industrial revolution. That society would replace manual labour with magical devices.

So, then I thought about how would magic effect the areas of: Communication, transport, production, medicine, law, etc.

I came up with, among other things, The Telepathy Office, The Municipal Weather Machine, Magical Cosmetic Surgery, and laws like the Demon Act, and my favourite: The Ungodly Lusts Act (no doing naughty things with vampires).

I imaged a wonderful society, where magic brought happiness to all, but there is no drama in Utopia, so then I thought of what could go wrong. I invited serpents into paradise. My story is how one wizard fought the metaphorical serpents; or more literally, fought the demons and vampires.