P.L. Stuart: an unsurpassed master of creating fascinating and controversial characters

P.L. Stuart is a Canadian author, who, in my opinion, has created one of the most extraordinary main characters not only in epic fantasy – the genre he writes in – but in modern literature in general.

Over the years, we’ve talked with P.L. about his books and their hidden depths in blogs, on YouTube and also privately. I’ve put together bits and pieces of our chats so avid readers, fans of epic fantasy, and everyone interested in discovering new books and authors could learn more about P.L. Stuart and his outstanding work.

The Drowned Kingdom Saga is a seven-book series. Four books are published, with book five due to be released in 2025.

Book One “A Drowned Kingdom”

Read my review here https://evekoguce.com/2022/01/06/a-drowned-kingdom-by-p-l-stuart/

Book Two “The Last of the Alatanteans”

Read my review here https://evekoguce.com/2022/02/23/the-last-of-the-atalanteans-by-p-l-stuart/

Book Three “Lord and King”

Read my review here https://evekoguce.com/2023/02/01/lord-and-king-by-p-l-stuart/

Book Four “A Lion’s Pride”

Read my review here https://evekoguce.com/2024/01/11/a-lions-pride-by-p-l-stuart/

Book Five “A Pack of Wolves” to be released in 2025 (I’m currently reading its ARC)

The Drowned Kingdom Saga chronicles flawed and bigoted Prince Othrun’s journey towards change, and his rise to power in a new world after the downfall of his homeland, which is based on Plato’s lost realm of Atlantis.

Book one “A Drowned Kingdom” is mentioned in the esteemed Kirkus Magazine’s 2021 Indie Issue among “Four Great Examples of the Genre” of fantasy and won the 2022 Picky Bookworm Award for Best Indie Book Based on Mythology.

Eve: Epic fantasy readers often seek hidden meanings between the lines. Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

P.L.: Lots and lots of secrets, Eve, are hidden between the lines of my books. Like Othrun’s quest in The Last of the Atalanteans, I am a big believer in “hiding in plain sight.” I find it’s the best way to disguise meaning in literature. Yet, a few readers have indeed found those secrets, or at least some of them, or parts of a secret. As the Drowned Kingdom Saga progresses, I believe people will be shocked, in hindsight, to realize the things that I have hidden in plain sight all along. 

Eve: I noticed it already when I was reading the first book in the series “A Drowned Kingdom” that female characters aren’t portrayed in what can be called a conventional way for modern literature. For example, Aliaz, Othrun’s wife is exactly what a woman in her position is expected to be. She is noble, pretty, and quiet. But it’s not what readers nowadays seem to expect from female book characters. They all are supposed to be warriors, always ready to speak their mind and contradict men. In your experience, what’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?

P.L.: The most difficult thing about writing female characters for me, is writing some of my female characters in a way that is not representative of how I feel about women. I think my wife, and my two beautiful daughters would classify me as a somewhat of a feminist. I strongly believe in the social, economic, political, and optical equality of women. But I am writing a series about a bigoted, sexist, and homophobic prince who was raised to think that women have their place. And that place, according to his views, is subservience.

Eve:  In my opinion, Othrun is one of the most extraordinary main characters a reader will encounter in modern literature. It takes great courage to create a character like him since it’s obvious that not everyone will like him and will be able to relate to him.

P.L. My hope is, by the end of The Drowned Kingdom Saga, readers will understand Othrun better, and feel I have drawn a character that feels real, true to his nature, who is complicated, has undergone some measure of change, and that the journey watching that change has been worth the read. And of course, that the message about what Othrun is all about, and what he says about all of us, comes through. I write about some uncomfortable truths regarding human nature, but I think we all need to keep them in our minds and hearts.

Please read the two full interviews with P.L. Stuart here:

Interview with epic fantasy author P.L. Stuart about book three of the Drowned Kingdom Saga “Lord and King”

Interview with epic fantasy author P.L. Stuart

I hope that after I read book five of the Drowned Kingdom Saga “A Pack of Wolves”, we’ll meet with P.L. and discuss the new developments in the series.