Monster hunters, spaceships and comedy of manners by indie author Mel Dunay
Three thousand years ago, the most advanced civilization in the world sank beneath the waves in a single night.
A handful of massive airships escaped, carrying the survivors who would become the Stormcrows. This is the tragedy that shaped Dr. Maxim os Storm’s people, and the reason they hunt monsters with ancient technology and unyielding determination.
Continue reading “The Fall of Thule and The Rise of the Stormcrows: The Atlantis Myth in Hunter Healer King” →https://youtube.com/shorts/1ZY9JAab5uc
Dr. Maxim os Storm can talk to animals telepathically, a gift of his Stormcrow bloodline. Here he rides Scrimshaw, Chloe’s fierce white stallion, in a vignette inspired by Wolf’s Trail, Book 1 of the Hunter Healer King trilogy. The Stormcrows are descended from survivors of a fallen Atlantis, and their abilities make them formidable monster hunters.
In the Hunter Healer King trilogy, “monster hunting” doesn’t just mean tracking werewolves and zombies. It means hunting the sorcerers who create them.
Algomancers are humans who bargained with evil forces to receive magical power. In exchange, they became psychic vampires who must feed on the pain and fear of others to survive. They command undead servants, transform people into monsters, and manipulate emotions like weapons. And when you see the words “monster hunting” in the context of this setting, “monster” means the algomancer as much as the creatures they control.
These are not sympathetic people. They target innocent children and animals, anyone beautiful or vulnerable, because innocence amplifies their power. They create suffering for sustenance. They are the reason Dr. Maxim os Storm carries a banishing dagger inscribed with ancient runes, and a revolver full of silver bullets.
Continue reading “Algomancers, The Psychic Vampires of Hunter Healer King” →https://youtube.com/shorts/ReUQaFI6FZ8
Chloe awakens in the snow and tells Maxim about her vision, where she saw him shining like lightning. A moment from Wolf’s Trail, Book 1 of the Hunter Healer King trilogy. Sometimes the most powerful scenes are the quietest ones.
https://youtube.com/shorts/bKB2ZusV5wM
Chloe Fortebat faces a werewolf attack, and only Dr. Maxim os Storm can help her. Wolf’s Trail, Book 1 of the Hunter Healer King trilogy. In the Old World, monsters are real…and the people who hunt them are the only thing standing between civilization and darkness.
https://youtube.com/shorts/6KsxPAlEONk
Meet Chloe Fortebat and Dr. Maxim os Storm in this trailer for the Hunter Healer King trilogy. She’s a rancher’s daughter facing werewolves in a world of airships and steam power. He’s a monster hunter avoiding his destiny as king. Three books of monster hunting, political intrigue, and slow-burn romance where saving the world takes priority over bedroom scenes. For fans of Patricia Briggs and Lindsay Buroker.
Continue reading “Video Tuesday: Book Trilogy Trailer Edition” →What if a rancher’s daughter discovered that monsters were real?
Chloe Fortebat left her father’s ranch in Silberne with nothing but her horses, her knive, and a mysterious inheritance. She expected to find a new life in the Old World. What she found instead were werewolves, necromancers, and a sharp-dressed monster hunter who would change everything. This is the story of how a pragmatic frontier woman became the co-protagonist of the Hunter Healer King trilogy.
Continue reading “From Gaucho Lifestyle to Monster Hunting: Chloe Fortebat’s Journey in the Hunter Healer King Trilogy” →https://youtube.com/shorts/XhTQ__CjtVY
A 40-foot mecha dances to Slavic-inspired folk music in this music video from the Hunter Healer King trilogy. The Armor of Arent has been waiting for a worthy pilot. Now it has one. 🎬 Created with AI tools (Midjourney + Suno) 📚 From the gaslamp fantasy series by Mel Dunay! The Hunter Healer King trilogy combines steampunk monster hunting with slow-burn romance. For fans of Patricia Briggs and Lindsay Buroker.
Continue reading “Video Tuesday: Dancing Mecha Edition” →(Adapted from a comment made elsewhere.)
Religion is not at the foreground of the stories I tend to tell, but it is in the background, part of the “vibe,” so to speak. I tend to stick to versions of a specific cosmogony (Creator+quasi angels+quasi devils), partly because it reflects my own Catholic beliefs, but also frankly because my world-building energy is limited, and most of the time, I’d rather spend it elsewhere.
Continue reading “Weird Wednesday: The Role of Religion in My Science Fiction and Fantasy” →
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