UPDATES

1 May 2025

War Councils, Battle Lines, and Cleanup Crews: Writing Large-Scale War in Fiction

At EasterCon76, I hosted a discussion with military history buffs, writers, and reviewers unpacking one of the biggest challenges in fantasy and science fiction writing: how to make large-scale warfare feel real on the page. The panel, featuring Elliot Craggs, Phil Dyson, Anna Smith Spark, and Liz Bourke, explored what it takes to build compelling armies, coordinate tactics, and bring the chaos and consequences of war to life.

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19 April 2025

The most impactful way to help an author

If you’ve read a book and enjoyed it, one of the most impactful things you can do is leave a short, honest review. Reviews don’t just reflect what readers think, they also shape how widely a book is seen. Reviews help boost visibility, build credibility, and get that book in front of new readers. Even just a sentence can make a difference.Reviews build trust with new readers
If you think about the last time you bought a book online, chances are that you glanced at the star rating or read a few reviews to get a sense of whether it was right for you. That’s what other readers are doing too. Reviews, especially from real readers, create a layer of trust.

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• Leave a review on Amazon

20 March 2025
Updated 22 April 2025

Something new at Eastercon 2025: Author Bingo

EDIT: Congratulations to this year’s Author Bingo winners, and thanks to everyone who joined in the fun!This year at Eastercon Belfast, something new is happening in the dealer room. It’s called Author Bingo, and yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like: bingo, but with authors.

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8 March 2025

Kickstarting my career

After years of dreaming, writing, and refining, my debut grimdark fantasy novel, The Last Man, is finally live on Kickstarter. It’s surreal to say that out loud—this story has lived in my head for so long, and now it’s out in the world, ready for readers who love gritty, progression-based fantasy as much as I do.If you’re into relentless protagonists who claw their way forward through sheer willpower, a magic system built on training and discovery, and a world where political and cultural tensions shape every battle, then The Last Man is for you. This book is my attempt to capture everything I love about the genre—the struggle, the depth, the slow, earned climb toward power.

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20 February 2025

Homage

The Leybound series follows a long fantasy series tradition and is in part an homage to all of the worlds, stories and characters that I love the most and the books I've read and re-read dozens of times.(I also wanted to make my literary heroes shoot magic from their palms, but isn't that what everyone wants?)...

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31 December 2024

2024 in Review

Hi everyone,It’s about six hours from the stroke of midnight where I live and I’m rounding out the year that's gone by—and what an incredible journey it’s been.First of all, I want to thank everyone on Patreon for all of your incredible support throughout the year (and for multiple years for some people). Without you all, I wouldn't have been able to pay the book cover designer for the new cover of Leybound that will be released in April next year. Your support made it possible, and I cannot wait to share...

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22 December 2024

Leybound to be published

I’m thrilled to share that Leybound, the web-serial story you’ve been following and supporting for the past year, is taking its next big step—it’s being transformed into a fully-fledged book!With new edits, expanded scenes, and plenty of polish, the novel will bring even more depth to the world and characters you’ve come to love.Thank you for those who have joined me on this journey—none of this would have been possible without your enthusiasm, feedback and encouragement! For those new to the book, check it out here on Royal Road or here on Patreon where you can also support my work.Join my Discord or follow me on Instagram for more updates as we get closer to the launch day in April 2025.

18 December 2024

I got a table at EasterCon

I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be attending EasterCon this April 2025 in Belfast!I’ll have a table where you can stop by, chat about writing, and grab a copy of my work if you're interested. It’s a great opportunity for me to connect with fellow writers, readers, and fans of speculative fiction. As someone just starting out, I’m excited to join the conversation, learn from others, and dive into all things storytelling. Whether you’re into epic fantasy, sci-fi, or anything in between, I look forward to sharing ideas and meeting new faces.If you’re at EasterCon, be sure to swing by my table—I’m always up for a good chat about the craft and where the genre is headed.

Get in touch

Whether you’re a fellow writer, a reader, or just someone interested in chatting about fantasy, feel free to reach out. If you have questions about my work, upcoming events, or just want to discuss storytelling in general, don’t hesitate to send a message. Looking forward to hearing from you!Use the form or email me directly, hello@peterrobertsbooks.comLooking to sign up to the mailing list?
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19 April 2025

For Reviewers: About The Last Man

Author: Peter Roberts
Publication Date: July 2025
Genre: Gritty Military Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Epic Fantasy
Formats Available: ARC copies in EPUB, MOBI, and PDF (Print available on request)


Blurb
Once, they called him the last man. Now, after twenty years of war, Nathaniel Riot is little more than a relic—discarded, betrayed, and sentenced to die.Offered a grim choice between the noose and the path of the damned, Riot chooses the only option left: become Leybound.Infused with raw, untamed leypower, Riot must carve his own path in a world that refuses to make room for him. He’ll grind his way to mastery, uncovering the hidden depths of his magic, forging uneasy alliances, and taking on those who would see him broken. Because power is the only law that matters—and if he wants to rise, he’ll have to take it.The war isn’t over. And neither is he.


What to Expect
This book is perfect for fans of John Gwynne, Pierce Brown, and Joe Abercrombie—those who enjoy hard choices, brutal magic, and characters who refuse to stay down, and you can expect:
> A unique magic system built on training, exploration, and skill discovery.
> A military fantasy setting marked by political intrigue, cultural conflict, and brutal power struggles.
> A gritty, character-driven story about survival, betrayal, and the fight to rise above your station in an unfair world.
> A slow-burn mastery arc—watch Riot grind his way from the bottom, learning new skills and growing into his power.
> Deep backstories, mysteries, and uneasy alliances across a continent rocked by war.


About the author
Peter Roberts is a proudly self-published author living in Paris, France. He got his start in 2021 publishing his stories on Royal Road where he gained a loyal following. His books are now available on Amazon and The Last Man is the first of five books in the Leybound series

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19 April 2025

Why leaving a review is one of the best ways to support an author

If you’ve read a book and enjoyed it, one of the most impactful things you can do is leave a short, honest review. Reviews don’t just reflect what readers think, they also shape how widely a book is seen. Reviews help boost visibility, build credibility, and get that book in front of new readers. Even just a sentence can make a difference.Reviews build trust with new readers
If you think about the last time you bought a book online, chances are that you glanced at the star rating or read a few reviews to get a sense of whether it was right for you. That’s what other readers are doing too. Reviews, especially from real readers, create a layer of trust. They don’t have to be long or poetic. A simple comment like “Great characters and a satisfying ending” or “Loved the pacing” helps potential readers feel more confident in giving the book a try.Reviews increase visibility
Bookstores like Amazon use reviews to determine what gets recommended. More reviews equals more chances for a book to appear in “Also Bought” sections, emails, or search results. Without reviews, a book, no matter how good, is unlikely to be discovered by new readers.Reviews encourage authors to keep going
For the person behind the story, a review is more than just a number. It’s a sign that their work reached someone, connected, mattered. Writing a book is a long, often solitary process. Reviews remind authors that the late nights, revisions, and risks were worth it. They also give authors a clearer sense of what readers are responding to, which can be both inspiring and motivating for future books.If you’re looking for a place to start, consider leaving a review for The Last Man by Peter Roberts. You can share your thoughts on Amazon or Goodreads even if it’s just a line or two. It’s a small act, but it helps bring the story to new readers and supports the author more than you might imagine.

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20 March 2025
Updated 17 April 2025

Something new at Eastercon 2025: Author Bingo

This year at Eastercon Belfast, something new is happening in the dealer room. It’s called Author Bingo, and yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like: bingo, but with authors.What is Author Bingo?
The idea is simple. You’ll get a bingo card. You’ll wander the dealer room. You’ll chat to authors and collect signatures. I'm hoping this will be a fun way to encourage people to talk to writers they might otherwise walk past, and to help authors connect with readers who aren’t already on their mailing list.What can you win?
Mostly books but also some goodies. Real, physical, delightful ones, all donated by the authors on the card. Some signed but all very much worth reading.How do I enter the draw?
Complete a line on the bingo card and drop it off at the box on Peter Roberts' table - do remember to add your name + email so we can contact you if you win.The draw takes place during the con on Saturday and Sunday at 3pm, (location TBC but it will likely be in the dealer room). For those who don't win on Saturday, you'll stay in the draw for Sunday. You’ll need to collect your book(s) in person, unless you’re happy to cover postage. Also, please note it's one card/entry per person.How can I get my card?
We'll be handing them out, but easiest place is at Peter Roberts' table in the dealer room.If you have questions, feel free to get in touch by emailing me at hello@peterrobertsbooks.com or drop by my table in the Dealers Room at Eastercon.

31 December 2024

2024 in Review

Hi everyone,It’s about six hours from the stroke of midnight where I live and I’m rounding out the year that's gone by—and what an incredible journey it’s been.First of all, I want to thank everyone on Patreon for all of your incredible support throughout the year (and for multiple years for some people). Without you all, I wouldn't have been able to pay the book cover designer for the new cover of Leybound that will be released in April next year. Your support made it possible, and I cannot wait to share the new cover with you.2024 in writing, and editing, then editing again.
In January, I started writing my second book, the first in a series of five (or maybe six—I haven’t decided yet). I learned a lot from my first attempt, Champion of Small Gods. The biggest lesson? The only parts of the plan that truly matter are the beginning, the end, and perhaps a few things in the middle. Characters, I’ve discovered, don’t always know who they are until you dig into the nitty-gritty details of the final stages of editing.Much of the time my characters didn’t seem to remember their own names. They certainly changed how they spelled them often—though I think that’s rather more my fault than theirs.In July, the book was finished, and I called it Leybound. It was released on Royal Road and Patreon—a healthy baby, weighing in at 75,000 words with a logical plot, colorful characters, and a magic system I obsessed over. Then in October, I handed the story to a developmental editor just to see what might happen, and quickly realized that the book wasn’t really finished. If I could take a guess, I would say it was about 85% done.I give my eternal thanks to Chris Bellehewe for showing me how to push it to the 100% mark. After the final, final edit, the book is about 95,000 words—and infinitely better for it. Oh, and the title got changed along the way. Thus in April, I’ll be releasing The Last Man in paperback.I also began writing the second book in the series in July. The book is called Told in Stone and currently exists as a solid fourth draft and tops out at 65,000 words. The plot is locked in, and everyone gets to where they need to be—though not all of them entirely know why they are going there (if that makes sense). Next year, I’ll send it off to my editor, Chris, and start the work of making it print-ready.TV and Movies
It’s been a year of nostalgia as I set out on a journey to watch the whole Star Trek canon in chronological order. Enterprise, Voyager, and Lower Decks were the standout heroes for me. When that was all wrapped up, I started watching Castle, mostly because I love the show The Rookie and Nathan Fillion is a fantastic and engaging actor. It’s a classic good-guys-and-bad-guys procedural TV series, along the lines of some of my other favorite shows like Elementary and White Collar.Other honorable mentions: Slow Horses, The Boys, and Silo.Gaming
This year, I’ve spent countless hours playing games with my 12-year-old nephew, and as a result, my PS stats have hundreds of hours of Minecraft, Fortnite, CoD, and World of Tanks.For myself, the standout game of 2024 was Ghost of Tsushima. I haven’t been so lost in a world since Skyrim or The Witcher 3. Where Skyrim had the rugged majesty of the mountains, and The Witcher was a grimdark immersion, Ghost is just. Damn. Beautiful. I haven’t spent so long just roaming around on my horse since Red Dead 2.The character work really stood out for me, and I found myself enjoying the interactions, instead of just spamming X to get through them.Upcoming in 2025
- January 15th - Book two Told in Stone will be released to Patreon members!
- April 2025, Eastercon Belfast - I'm going to be releasing the paperback version of The Last Man at the con and was fortunate enough to be offered a table in the dealer room!
- October 2025, World Fantasy Convention Brighton - I'll be there to release book two in the Riot's War Series, Told In Stone.There is so much to do before then, not limited to: designing maps for the books and the world, confirming the new covers with the artist, organizing printing of advanced review copies, and about a trillion other things that it takes to self-publish a book.It's going to be a great, stressful, and exciting year, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you all here.Happy New Year!
Peter

20 February 2025

Hommage

The Leybound series follows a long fantasy series tradition and is in part an homage to all of the worlds, stories and characters that I love the most and the books I've read and re-read dozens of times.(I also wanted to make my literary heroes shoot magic from their palms, but isn't that what everyone wants?)The magnificent Cradle series by Will Wight showed me exactly what type of story I wanted to tell and how to tell it right. Cradle also introduced me to progression fantasy, and from there to the Royal Road website where I first posted my writing. This one thanks you Mr Wight.Nathaniel Riot was inspired by C.S Forester's, Horatio Hornblower, Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe, and Terry Pratchett's Commander, Sir Samuel Vimes the Duke of Ankh (and blackboard monitor). I hope Riot has Hornblower's courage and deep sense of duty, Richard Sharpe's ruthlessness and loyalty to his men, and Vimes's cynicism. He certainly inherited the chip that all three have on their shoulders.The setting was easy to recreate because of my own love of French revolutionary history and the Napolionic wars, and the Hornblower and Sharpe series. I exchanged the French for the Faelen, the Spanish inquisition for the Wikkan, and finally smooth bore muskets and baker rifles for a system of magic that could be bound to common soldiers. Thus the Leybound were born.For those readers who love the same series that inspired me, I hope you will see any likeness as an homage.While the Leybound series is not technically progression fantasy like Cradle, it shares many elements.While it's not strictly grimdark, it borrows much from the morally grey setting of Joe Abercrombies First Law world.While it's not as whimsical or wonderous as the Discworld (how could anything be?), I still tried to make characters that delighted me.While Nathaniel Riot isn’t Hornblower, or Vimes, or Sharpe, the war isn’t over, and neither is he.

8 March 2025

Kickstarting my career

After years of dreaming, writing, and refining, my debut grimdark fantasy novel, The Last Man, is finally live on Kickstarter. It’s surreal to say that out loud—this story has lived in my head for so long, and now it’s out in the world, ready for readers who love gritty, progression-based fantasy as much as I do.If you’re into relentless protagonists who claw their way forward through sheer willpower, a magic system built on training and discovery, and a world where political and cultural tensions shape every battle, then The Last Man is for you. This book is my attempt to capture everything I love about the genre—the struggle, the depth, the slow, earned climb toward power.Kickstarter felt like the right way to launch it. This isn’t just about publishing a book; it’s about building something bigger. Through the campaign, I can offer backers special edition hardcovers, stunning artwork, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content—things that wouldn’t be possible through traditional publishing. It’s also a way to connect directly with readers who want to be part of the journey from the very beginning.If you want to help bring The Last Man to life, check out the campaign, grab a copy, and share it with anyone who might be interested. Every bit of support makes a difference, and I’m beyond grateful to everyone who’s been part of this so far.The story is already written, and your support can help turn it into a real book. Support the journey by visiting the Kickstarter campaign here

1 May 2025

War Councils, Battle Lines, and Cleanup Crews: Writing Large-Scale War in Fiction

At EasterCon76, I hosted a discussion with military history buffs, writers, and reviewers unpacking one of the biggest challenges in fantasy and science fiction writing: how to make large-scale warfare feel real on the page. The panel, featuring Elliot Craggs, Phil Dyson, Anna Smith Spark, and Liz Bourke, explored what it takes to build compelling armies, coordinate tactics, and bring the chaos and consequences of war to life.What makes military fiction ‘military’?
The discussion kicked off with the deceptively simple question: what actually defines military fiction? Phil Dyson argued that the military is not just about fighting; it’s about the legitimacy of state violence, the organization that makes such violence lawful. Liz Bourke highlighted that the concept of a “military” is relatively modern—in most of history, you had armies, not militaries, and these were often raised ad hoc rather than standing forces. This distinction, she argued, is crucial when creating believable military systems in speculative fiction.The panel agreed that military fiction differs from stories where battles are incidental or symbolic. Instead, military fiction cares about the machinery around the battles: logistics, supply lines, the people who drive the wagons and forge the arrows, not just the generals and heroes on the field.Why logistics matter more than magic
Dyson, whose academic background includes studying British defense policy, emphasized that many fantasy authors overlook the most important part of any military campaign: logistics. He raised the classic example of Legolas in The Lord of the Rings: “Who makes the arrows? Who delivers them?” Without considering how armies are fed, clothed, armed, and transported, battle scenes risk feeling hollow or implausible.This led to the panel’s shared belief that realism isn’t always about absolute historical accuracy but about internal consistency. As Elliot Craggs argued, readers care less about realism and more about consistency. If a world is built on logistics and realism, you can’t just abandon that when it becomes inconvenient.The role of mercenaries and the politics of violence
The conversation also touched on mercenary armies and their historical and modern roles. While professional soldiers may view mercenaries with suspicion - as hired killers without the legitimacy of state backing - the panel noted that many modern armies are, functionally, mercenary forces because soldiers fight for pay. This tension between legitimacy, loyalty, and economics can add a rich complexity for writers.
Liz Bourke highlighted how aristocracies historically legitimized their power by claiming superior skill in warfare, or simply by crafting a myth around that claim. Whether warlords or kings, military success (or the perception of it) often underpins political control.The heart of a battle scene: Whose story is it?
The panelists stressed that one of the key decisions when writing large-scale battles is choosing whose eyes the reader sees through. Anna Smith Spark shared her own approach, drawing from the Iliad, War and Peace, and Anglo-Saxon battle poetry to visualize battles at both the strategic (bird’s-eye) and personal (on-the-ground) level. Her own work shifts between these layers, between commanders directing armies and foot soldiers terrified and confused in the melee.For Spark, writing battles is not just a narrative exercise but “a way of pushing language to its limits,” likening it to writing about sex or divine experience, trying to express something almost inexpressible.Balancing plausibility and storytelling
One of the liveliest parts of the discussion centred on how much realism readers actually want. The panel acknowledged that while total logistical accuracy might collapse a book under its own weight, ignoring these realities completely can break immersion. Phil Dyson summed it up neatly with the saying: “Amateurs talk tactics. Professionals talk logistics.”The consensus: writers should know the realities well enough to decide when and how to cheat—and to cheat confidently.Recommended resources for writers
The panel shared a wealth of recommendations for writers looking to research military history without getting lost in technical manuals:
— Supplying War by Martin Van Creveld Highly recommended for understanding logistics.
— A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry (blog) Great primers on military history and logistics.
— Divided Armies: Inequality and Battlefield Performance in Modern War by Jason Lyall (Princeton University Press, 2020) A study of inequality and its effect on military effectiveness.
— On Operations: Operational Art and Military Disciplines by Brett A. Friedman (Naval Institute Press) Accessible introductions to military thinking.
— On Tactics, also by BA Friedman, also from Naval Institute Press
— Mick Ryan's The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire
-— Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell - Orwell's first-hand account of his participation in the Spanish Civil War
— John Keegan, The Face of Battle - has some problems, is a bit dated, but good to think with
— For logistics and war at sea in the age of sail, Brian Lavery, Shipboard Life and Organisation, 1731-1815 (Navy Records Society); DA Baugh, Naval Administration 1715-1750 (Navy Records Society) - this one is GREAT if you're a complete nerd for clashes over funding and personality politics in a naval context. Yes, an admiral DID have to lift a blockade in order to resupply. These are both quite dry books, but Baugh's in particular is very good for highlighting the complexity of the naval establishment and the points of friction and tension with people who are all, theoretically at least, on the same side.
— For classical Mediterranean antiquity, Phil de Souza's Piracy in the Graeco-Roman World is a good treatment of what is essentially irregular naval warfare
— Austin & Rankov's Exploratio: Military and Political Intelligence in the Roman World from the Second Punic War to the Battle of Adrianople discusses scouting and spying in antiquity
— Duncan B. Campell has a translation of Arrian's treatise on deploying an army under the title "Deploying a Roman Army: The Ektaxis kat'Alanon of Arrian" - there are free, decent translations of Aeneas Tacticus's How to Survive Under Siege available online in a couple of places as well as in the Loeb Classical Library.
— There are innumerable titles on the Roman army - weapons, kit, organisation: the best is probably Bishop and Coulston's Roman Military Equipment, and Nosch's textile-focused collection Wearing the Cloak: Dressing the Soldier in Roman Times, which is available on JSTOR.
— For Greek hoplite warfare, Kagan and Viggiano's edited collection Men of Bronze: Hoplite Warfare in Ancient Greece is probably the best
— For the Hellenistic period, Angelos Chaniotis's War in the Hellenistic World is a good introduction, from a social point of view.
— For the consequences of losing a battle in classical Mediterranean antiquity, read Kathy L. Gaca's articles and Fachard & Monroe's edited collection The Destruction of Cities in the Ancient Greek World
— If you have access to an academic library and a lot of time on your hands, W. Kendrick Pritchett's The Greek State at War (in five volumes) collects the sources on Greeks doing stuff under arms
— Classics like the Iliad, Euripides’ Trojan Women, and Sevastopol Sketches by Tolstoy were also suggested for understanding the emotional and societal context of war.Final reflections: Writing war with integrity
Throughout the discussion, the panel circled back to a central theme: writing war is not just about writing battles. It’s about capturing the systemic, emotional, and logistical complexity that surrounds violence. Whether portraying the fear of a single soldier or the arrogance of a power-hungry general, good military fiction acknowledges that war is messy, horrifying, and deeply human.Drawing from my own experience writing The Last Man, even when magic is involved, the heart of military fiction lies in understanding what makes an army work, what breaks it, and how that shapes the world around it.A massive thank you to Liz Bourke, Elliot Craggs, Phil Dyson, Anna Smith Spark for sharing their expertise, humor, and insights during the panel. Their contributions helped make this one of the most thought-provoking conversations I’ve had on writing war in fiction.