May 2, 2026
Hello,
If someone asks, I always say Aidan and I write fantasy. The Hawks Trilogy is a classic example of the tradition. We created a world with elves and dwarves and humans—and a splash of magic. There’s a quest and a magic relic, a dark lord and a kingdom in trouble.
But then we wrote Dirt Town. It doesn’t follow the expected tropes. Aidan had been studying fascist states in his history classes and it caught his imagination. We developed a world where robots are used to enforce an oppressive regime. The wealthy live an easy life and the poor are left to fend for themselves.
There are no dwarves or elves, and the magic is handled in an entirely different manner. The mages—the source of the magic—are declared illegal, which gives the dictatorship justification to round them all up and keep them imprisoned. They are then milked of their power, which is used to fuel the robots.
If I look hard, I can see similarities to Hunger Games.
Check out this video to see what Aidan has to say about Hunger Games.
And finally (or not likely finally, but you know what I mean) there’s the Legend of Order and Chaos. When we started writing it, I was pretty certain we were back onto classic fantasy—right up until the geneticist and the satellite weapons appeared. Suddenly, I was in a sci-fi world with magic.
That sounds like Star Wars.
Oh well. Does it really matter how we label it—as long as the story hooks us in and makes us think about our own world and the people in it?
Happy reading.
Warm regards,
Paula Baker (and Aidan Davies)
P.S. One of Aidan’s friends is reading Loftiest Intelligence right now. It’s wonderful to be able to chat with someone who’s experiencing our world for the first time. He just got to the part where he figures out who’s on the cover. If you’ve finished it, we’d love to hear from you.
P.P.S. Searching for your next great read?
Look no further! ,
Remember: Listening is Reading. Check out these Fantasy Audiobooks.
A grumpy man and his sleepy, cheerful fox are lost at sea.
