Violette Malan Books In Order

Publication Order of Dhulyn and Parno Books

Publication Order of The Godstone Books

Publication Order of The Mirror Prince Books

Violette Malan is a Canadian fantasy fiction author with Spanish and Polish roots. She is the co-founder of the two-day event “Scene of the Crime Festival on Wolfe Island” that focuses and celebrates Canadian crime fiction. She organizes and gives the writing workshop at the festival and also acts as one of the judges of the “Wolfe Island Prize” for new fiction. Malan is the editor of a mystery and crime fiction anthology named “Dead in the Water” alongside Therese Greenwood. Most of the anthology features stories set around the largest of Canada’s water bodies. Violette started out writing short stories and touched down running when she won the “Crime Writers of Canada Bloody Woods Conference’s Bony Pete” award with her story “Brush Off.” She has had her fiction published in several anthologies that include “Crime Spree” the noir anthology, the “Ladies Killing Circle” and “Over My Dead Body” a magazine. She has also dabbled in erotica and had some of her work published in “Penthouse Magazine.” Malan’s first venture into fantasy fiction was with “Mirror Prince,” the first novel of her “Mirror Prince” series that she first published in 2006.

While “Mirror Prince” was her first-ever published novel, Malan had been writing for a long time before then. The first novel she ever wrote was a romance title that she wrote while she was in college. Violette intended to write something when she had one month off in the summer and thought she could make some cash writing something. All she learned was that not respecting the craft often means that what you churn out is trash. She took her writing more seriously from then on though it took her more than two years before she was published in a collection and had her first novel “Mirror Prince” published in 2006. Similar to many of her contemporaries, she has been influenced by other fantasy authors. Some of her biggest influences include Laura Anne Gilman, Fritz Lieber, Kari Sperring, Barbara Hambly, Tanya Huff, Robin Hobb and R.E. McAvoy among many others. Malan also loves eighteenth-century classics the likes of Virgil, Homer and their attendant mythology. She currently lives with her husband Paul Musselman in an old 19th-century farmhouse in Ontario.

Malan’s Dhulyn and Parno series is a set of novels that may be read as separate adventures even if they feature the same characters. They can thus be easily read in no particular order. The leads in her series are Parno Lionsmane and Dhulyn Wolfshead who are part of a Samurai like organization named the Mercenary Brotherhood. As members of the Brotherhood, they have to adhere to peculiar and strict codes of behavior and honor. Malan has said that she has always loved the Grey Mouser by Fritz Fafhrd and the Dhuklyn and Parno series is an attempt at a recreation of the beloved characters. In an attempt to ensure that sexual tension was not the primary focus of her series, she created a male-female pairing that was not romantically involved. While the Mercenaries are involved and are paired up as life partners, they are not romantic partners. As V. M. Escalada, Violette Malan also writes the “Faraman Prophecy” series of novels which debuted with the “Halls of Law,” a paranormal fantasy title.

Violet Malan’s “The Sleeping God” combines the conventional heroic fantasy with a metaphysical twist. The Mercenary Brotherhood is introduced with its two most influential members that are a rugged exiled nobleman named Parno Lionsmane, and a gifted former slave and psychic named Dhulyn Wolfshead. They have what seems to be a simple assignment as they are charged with delivering a young orphan named Mar-eMar to Gotterang the capital of the Imrion. She is to be received at the royal Tenebro House but things are not always that easy. What was to be an easy trip soon becomes a dangerous and complicated affair as they are confronted by a supernaturally talented people known as “the Marked.” They are a fanatical group trying to destroy the world and awaken the sleeping God. Dhulyn has to deal with the limitations of her visions while Parno had to face up to his noble past in their fight against the terrifying and elusive “Green Shadow.” The shadow is responsible for manipulating the “New Believers,” who are now working to further his selfish ends.

“The Soldier King.” the second novel of the series opens to Parno Lionsmane and Dhulyn Wolfshead of the Mercenary Brotherhood on the way to Delmara. They intend to get help for Dhulyn whose Sight is untrustworthy and erratic even though she is a Seer. Her Sight is a birthright she got from her lost tribe which was killed wholesale when she was but a child. While Mercenaries are not supposed to have any past, Dhulyn and Parno find it difficult to leave behind their past lives. On the way, they join up with the Nisvean army which beats the Tegriani to the surprise of every one given that the Tegriani have been victorious in every battle going back at least two years. Parno and Dhulyn stumble upon the Lord Prince of Tegrian on the battlefield and given their code of not holding people ransom, they intend to send him back home. But the Nisveans want to hold him for ransom thus causing a falling out with the Mercenaries. Dhulyn and Parno rescue the Lord Prince and there is soon bad blood between them and the Nisveans who are now after them accusing them of murder and kidnapping. Things get even more complicated when the Tegriani deny that the prince is who he says he is.

Malan’s “The Storm Witch” never lets up the pressure as Parno and Dhulyn still have the outlaw charge hanging over their heads. They are now in Lesonika but before they can take care of the charge, they need to rescue one of the best friends that the crew of the Long Ocean Nomad ship had taken hostage. But rescuing their friend is going to be difficult since the Nomads see the Mercenary Brothers as possible allies. They believe the Brothers could come in handy on their impending war with the Mortaxa and hope to use their friend as a bargaining chip. But the Nomads also hope that they will be sympathetic over their plight, given that they are facing huge odds against a Storm Witch and losing the battle means foregoing their livelihoods and lives. Dhulyn wants nothing to do with the Nomads as Her Sight has said that Parno will meet his death sailing the high seas. She had never told his partner but now that he insists on going so as to help their friend, she is debating within herself whether to tell him or not. They have managed to avert bad visions in the past but could she risk it knowing that it may not work this time?

One Response to “Violette Malan”

1. Betty: 2 years ago

   I love the Dhulyn and Parno series. When are the next installments due out? I can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Reply