I wrote a fantasy book inspired by keeping reptiles

[Zen Reptiles]

After keeping reptiles for most of my life, I was inspired by their Latin names for naming conventions in a fantasy setting. In 2013, I heard “the sound in the sky” - the only real paranormal thing I ever experienced and it had a big effect on how I perceived things. People still don’t know what the sound is.

I had a bunch of crazy dreams at the time, which was also at the height of my chameleon and dart frog collection.

I ended up taking 9 years worth of notes and world building and I just finished the final rough draft for book 1 of a duology.

If anyone here might be interested in volunteering to be an alpha reader, I’m wondering how the names and characters (all based on the reptile hobby) resonates with hobbyists!

I’d say I was most inspired by 80s/90s film and television, and when I write I envision it as a mashup of Studio Ghibli and The Dark Crystal. It’s kinda like Never Ending Story meets Last Airbender.

It’s about 180k words, if anyone’s up for it! I could sure use some feedback from strangers for what I should change, remove or expand on before publishing!

 

[MissSkittles]

I’m a reader & fantasy & horror are my preferred genres. I can point out spelling & similar errors quite well. However, not sure I’d be good at reviewing your work quality. I tend to devour what I read - gulping it all in, which often means I lose some detail. If you want, I’ll give it a shot. I am a gen x’er, so 80’s & most 90’s references I will get & I still love the Neverending Story.

 

[Zen Reptiles]

I’m a reader & fantasy & horror are my preferred genres. I can point out spelling & similar errors quite well. However, not sure I’d be good at reviewing your work quality. I tend to devour what I read - gulping it all in, which often means I lose some detail. If you want, I’ll give it a shot. I am a gen x’er, so 80’s & most 90’s references I will get & I still love the Neverending Story.

Hey, awesome! I’ll send you a message. No need to do a scholarly deep dive or anything lol. If you lose some detail that’s fine, I’d be interested to know what sticks with you. There’s not a lot of references it’s just the styles that inspired me, I keep picturing a Jim Henson-esque dark fantasy. I liked how Tolkien’s mission was to create a shared history of Europe, so this world is almost like a shared future for the animal kingdom in fantasy form.