The Backwards Knight
Eldritch Remnants, Book One (BEWARE: SPOILERS)
“When the magic that can shape the world is tainted, can hope survive?
Centuries have passed since The Paladin outlawed magic in the sequestered lands stolen from the elves, but eldritch forces rarely remain sealed forever. This ancient magic seeks hosts, marking mortal flesh to herald devastation.
An old knight clings to the hope that he can discover why magic has returned corrupted.
A frightened farm boy marked by magic must escape the knights hunting him.
An elf bound in served to The Paladin stalks mages to bring them to justice.
Destruction binds them, but can it also save them?”
-The Backwards Knight blurb, Matthew Siadak
A couple of years ago, I was invited to walk through the realm of Embrosi.
Somewhere in the wilds southwest of Redford I met Orn, the titular would-be knight, having just captured his latest quarry for interrogation: a local youth named Gaulf, on the run from The Paladin’s knights. The Backwards Knight seemed, at first glance, everything his moniker signified during the ensuing conversation in the thick forest: totally out of his depth.
After a tragic incident involving magic claimed the life of his close friend, Orn resolved himself to discovering not only why this power has returned to the world, but also why it has returned corrupted. It’s established early that the legendary Paladin, ruler of Embrosi, successfully drove magic from the realm some time ago (centuries, but the timeline is hazy is the perception of the general population) to protect the people from its influence, so the fact that it has found a pathway to resurgence is alarming, particularly when those it afflicts now devolve into madness. Given the urgency of the matter, a reader might expect Orn to either defer to those trained to deal with mages, or even join the ranks of the knights of The Paladin for basic coaching and access to better information.
However, as the story unfolds, you’ll realize that is simply not Orn’s way.
Orn’s social graces left much to be desired during his conversation with Gaulf, and his investigative skills were far worse. Unable to adequately catalog and develop insightful theories based on Gaulf’s answers to his questions, it wasn’t difficult to acertain that the efforts of The Backwards Knight were leading nowhere at top speed. This was one of the initial editorial hurdles I encountered when working on this novel, and I knew if I guided Matthew down the wrong path here, the story would suffer for it.
In order to effectively edit Orn’s character, I needed to understand him. The details of The Backwards Knight’s life before readers meet him is vague, the bulk of it delivered via retelling wherein we learn he was not unlike Gaulf once: a simple youth from Oldcliffe getting up to mischief to allieviate the boredom that comes with a slower pace of life. In both cases, curiosity leads to disaster.
In Gaulf, as with his previous quarries, Orn sees both his past and future. His error is in hoping they know more about what’s happening to them than he knows about it himself. And it was in this where his character really began to take shape for me, informing my editorial suggestions and how these might also steer Gaulf’s storyline since the two are meant to mirror one another.
Orn’s incompetence had to be embraced to a certain degree, because that’s where his glory lies. He’s unremarkable, like Gaulf. Like the others afflicted. He isn’t trained and he isn’t truly a knight, he’s merely someone who experienced tragedy and decided to do something about it. It was in this space where Matthew could strike a balance between a person who’d managed to remain absurdly inept after years of investigation and some rudimentary combat self-training or who’d managed to glean some crude hands-on knowledge and wielded it somewhat well.
But Gaulf and Orn aren’t the only POV characters I met while traveling through the realm. Laela, the single surviving elf of The Rising—the famous geological event attributed to The Paladin and his magic-eradicating endeavor—lives a depressingly complacent existence serving the one man who destroyed her people and royal lineage. And while her love for the elves and the monarchy is questionable at best, Laela is a glaringly uncomfortable example of all that extreme trauma and oppressive control can deprive us of, where submission becomes comfortable due to its familiarity and resistance is distant, impossible. Terrifying.
This is where I had to be thoughtful with my suggestions. I am no stranger to this type of trauma, but I knew navigating Laela’s arc could prove treacherous. Matthew, however, managed to craft someone in revisions who boasted a fiery spirit in spite of what she had suffered. Who, when confronted with a hard truth, could break the pattern of apathy and cynicism the horrors had relegated her to and, just like Orn, do something about it. This is where the two characters converge, and shine.
Not long after Orn and Gaulf are separated when the latter vanishes, Laela and Orn are tossed together at a chaotic scene unfolding in Swanford. Laela has come, along with a fellow knight of The Paladin and three unfortunate prisoner-recruits, to hunt a mage reportedly wreaking havoc in the area, while Orn simply does his best Indiana Jones impression by stumbling headlong into trouble where the odds are decidely not in his favor.
Laela is immediately suspicious of this blundering interloper, who is equally disenchanted with the elf’s impatience and obstinance. In the aftermath of battle, among the ruins of Swanford, the two form a reluctant partnership of convenience. Both seek Gaulf, believing (with some narrative evidence) that the farm boy is responsible for the carnage surrounding them, and it is through this partnership that the story really begins to shift into gear. For while the pair are searching for Gaulf, he is looking for the enigmatic She (I’ll avoid spoilers here since it’s too important to the plot).
From here, we are shuffled through Gaulf’s perspective as he slips into the hallmark madness of those afflicted by magic. He is driven by it toward some unknown place to the eastern end of Embrosi, and a reader can get the sense that this will be where the three characters finally converge into the final conflict of the first book. That isn’t to say this fairly clearly laid path is a disappointment, because that’s not what Gaulf’s story is about. Not for Orn, nor for Laela.
At the most fundamental level, their entangled stories reveal a deep truth about humans when challenged by tragic circumstances: the will to fight until the end. Whatever end. To hold the line against the dark in whatever way possible, even if we realize we may not survive the conflict. In this, it is arguably a perfect choice to add to the TBR of any fantasy reader, given the *gestures around* everything going on in the world at the moment. It appeals to all that is good in us, and is also a call to action to honor that goodness, even when it’s difficult. Even when it’s inconvenient. Even when it hurts.
This was the largest manuscript I’ve worked on to date. The editing process took years, but I believe the end result was well worth the effort. Matthew’s debut novel is not one to miss, especially for those searching for a story that appeals to the best parts of humanity. You can find it here: https://a.co/d/hIHC6SB via Amazon, or here: https://backwardsknight.com/the-books-2/ where you can also find Matthew’s other anthologies and collections featuring his work.
Content Warning for The Backwards Knight:
Alcohol use, swearing, death, blood and gore, body horror, violence, maiming.
In the next installment, I will discuss Thunderstruck by Daniel Quigley, the first comedic urban fantasy I’ve ever edited, and how the main character Zev had a profound impact on my opinion of what a hero “should” be.
I've read this, like, ten times today. I know I've said it a lot, but thank you, Ashley. From beginning to end, you helped me get this story where it needed to be and with patience, taught me along the way. I can never say thank you enough.