the website of author and local favorite blake michael nelson | about | x | substack | patreon | contact: theblakeshow@gmail.com
What are these books all about?
The Chemical Empires is an epic fantasy series by me, Blake Michael Nelson. It's a sort of flintlock fantasy, specifically; the novels take place in a low-fantasy world reminiscent of late 18th century Europe, but with an alchemical twist. In this world, chemists have discovered that a rare metal, called aurichalcum, can be "energized" and made to react with other metals upon direct physical contact. Every metal reacts differently to the touch of this "engergized" aurichalcum; for example, lead is violently repelled (leading to the invention of rifles and cannons), while iron becomes hot and copper emits light. The discovery kicks off a new industrial age, which becomes known as the Chemical Revolution.
What inspired you to write these books?
Although I spend most of my time writing superhero stories and action-adventure throwbacks, my first love has always been fantasy; I've been reading this stuff since I was a kid. I'd always planned to write a big, fat fantasy of my own someday, but I put it off for years -- I'd gotten used to writing shorter novels, and I was a little leery of making a big commitment to a big fantasy novel. I'm a slow writer.
In 2019, however, I suddenly -- and unexpectedly -- found myself with a lot of time on my hands. I started thinking about what kind of fantasy I might like to write, and found myself inspired by two novels in particular: Brian McClellan's Promise of Blood and its sequels, and Curtis Craddock's An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors, both of which had very unique and non-traditional fantasy settings. I'd also been reading quite a bit of history, about the English Civil War and the Russian Revolution; these were inspirations as well. Later on I was inspired by some history books I read about the Golden Age of Piracy; this is where The Brassfire Fleet came from. It's a very nautical book.
Who does the cover art for these books?
That would be the brilliant Jorge Jacinto. Check out his website here.
I wasn't able to include these in the books, for complicated reasons, but here's some maps of the world where the story takes place (click 'em to get larger images):
