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W.’s Year In Books

W.’s 2025 Year in Books

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W. Tod Newman

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

https://todnewman.com

Twitter

todn_1992

Genre

Historical Fiction, Fiction, Religion

Influences

cormac mccarthy, gabriel garcia-marquez, fyodor dostoyevsky, c.s. lewi ...more

Member Since

October 2022

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Tod Newman discovered his calling as a storyteller during his engineering studies at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where long watches at sea sparked an imagination that would eventually span from ancient prophets to imperial Rome. What began as tales inspired by maritime lore has evolved into something far more ambitious: novels that excavate the buried truths hidden beneath history's surface.

Drawing from influences as diverse as George MacDonald and the Inklings (Tolkien, Lewis, Williams) to the psychological depths of Russian masters, the stark beauty of Cormac McCarthy, the magical fiction of Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, and the agrarian wisdom of Wendell Berry, Tod crafts stories where powerful ideas emerge naturally from character and confl Tod Newman discovered his calling as a storyteller during his engineering studies at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where long watches at sea sparked an imagination that would eventually span from ancient prophets to imperial Rome. What began as tales inspired by maritime lore has evolved into something far more ambitious: novels that excavate the buried truths hidden beneath history's surface.

Drawing from influences as diverse as George MacDonald and the Inklings (Tolkien, Lewis, Williams) to the psychological depths of Russian masters, the stark beauty of Cormac McCarthy, the magical fiction of Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, and the agrarian wisdom of Wendell Berry, Tod crafts stories where powerful ideas emerge naturally from character and conflict rather than heavy-handed allegory.

His fascination with forgotten figures from biblical history ignited in 2021 when he became captivated by Gehazi—the tragic manservant of the prophet Elisha whose greed cost him everything. "The Eyes of Gehazi" (2022) marked Tod's deep dive into the humanity behind ancient texts, asking what lessons these flawed, suffering souls might teach our modern world.
This exploration led him to another broken prophet: Jeremiah, whose desperate struggle against his own people's worship of foreign goddesses became "The Prophet and the Queen" (2024). But Tod's most ambitious project was already taking shape—a series that would blend meticulous historical research with the kind of spiritual gifts that early Christian writings describe as commonplace.

The Halls of the Shadow King series represents the culmination of years spent in third-century Rome, walking the marble halls where emperors plotted persecution and following the hidden networks that kept faith alive in history's darkest hours. Here, Tod's signature magical realism finds its perfect setting: a world where the divine still intervenes through ordinary people called to extraordinary purpose.

When he's not researching ancient trade routes or imagining conversations between emperors and mystics, Tod can be found exploring questions that have haunted humanity since stories began: What if our most cherished myths contain echoes of forgotten realities? What if the miraculous wasn't miraculous at all, but simply the natural state of a world where heaven and earth touched more freely?

The answers, he believes, are buried in stories waiting to be told.

Discover Tod's latest projects and upcoming releases and get on the mailing list at todnewman dot com ...more

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W. Tod Newman’s books

Average rating: 4.77 · 13 ratings · 7 reviews · 12 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Unknown Prophet 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Prophet and the Queen it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Halls of the Shadow King: The Apprentice it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Halls of the Shadow King: Into Deeper Waters it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Halls of the Shadow King: The Hidden Order it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Halls of the Shadow King: Britannia Calls it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pirate Sam: A World Reborn 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Story of Two Songs by W. Tod Newman (Goodreads Author), Hannah Newman 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Incredible Adventures of Pirate Zach (The Pirate Trilogy Book 1) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pirate Hannah, Queen of the Seas (The Pirate Trilogy Book 2) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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W. Tod Newman's Blog

I Have a New Novelette — and It’s Free!

I’ve been living in the world of the Old Testament prophets for a long time now. The Eyes of Gehazi took me deep into the strange, volatile orbit of Elisha and his servant, Gehazi. The Prophet and the Queen dropped me into the exhausted, visionary mind of Jeremiah, taken hostage to Egypt. Both of those novels ask a lot of their readers — they’re long, layered, and they don’t apologize for it.

So I

W. is Currently Reading

W. Newman is currently reading

Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre

by Brett L. Markham

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Feb 08, 2026 07:38PM

W. Newman is currently reading

The Anatomy of Sports Injuries: Your Illustrated Guide to Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment

by Brad Walker

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Apr 20, 2025 10:22PM

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W.’s Recent Updates

W. Newman made a comment in the group ⋆.ೃ࿔࿐ྂfaith & fantasy⋆.ೃ࿔࿐ྂ — ⭒Introduce Yourself!⭒ topic " M wrote: "Hello, fellow lovers of Fantasy and Faith :) I am a Christian, husband, father to two little guys, and part-time author. Some of my hobbies i ...more "
Apr 21, 2026 03:55PM
W. Newman and 3 other people liked S.S. Fitzgerald's review of The Curses We Keep: "“…the Lord’s house is open to all souls” Well, probably not by the end of the story. The Curses We Keep has all the hallmarks of a sleeper hit in the horror genre. Dakota does tailor his language, or at least the dialogue to be period proper. I did no" Read more of this review »
Apr 21, 2026 07:52AM · see review
W. Newman and 2 other people liked Carey Henderson's review of The Curses We Keep: "Miller's book is an extremely strong entry into what I think is a promising career. Indie books can be, and often are, disappointing. As a reader, and also a writer, I forayed into reading indie books some years ago after writing my own, hoping to fi" Read more of this review »
Apr 21, 2026 07:52AM · see review
W. Newman and 2 other people liked S.S. Fitzgerald's status update S.S. Fitzgerald is 25% done with The Curses We Keep
Apr 16, 2026 08:25PM
W. Newman made a comment in the group ⋆.ೃ࿔࿐ྂfaith & fantasy⋆.ೃ࿔࿐ྂ — ⭒Giveaways, Freebies, and Book Deals⭒ topic " Hi this is W. Tod Newman: I've just started using Wattpad as a way to have fun creating stories around my "Halls of the Shadow King" series. Not sure i ...more "
Apr 16, 2026 12:15PM
W. Newman made a comment in the group Wattpad — Share Your Story topic " Hi, this is W. Tod Newman I've recently started having fun putting out stories associated with my "Halls of the Shadow King" series. Wattpad is a reall ...more "
Apr 16, 2026 12:11PM
W. Newman joined the groups Wattpad and Wattpad Group
Apr 16, 2026 12:09PM
W. Newman made a comment in the group Wattpad Group — Advertise Your Books Here!! -ONLY HERE topic " This is W. Tod Newman... I just started using Wattpad as a way to have fun building stories around my larger "Halls of the Shadow King" series. Am enj ...more "
Apr 16, 2026 12:07PM
W. Newman rated a book it was amazing The Halls of the Shadow King: Britannia Calls by W. Tod Newman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This book begins twenty or so years after the stories in the first three books of this series and moves the setting west to Britain, where an awakening is threatened by a power hungry dragon. Lovely writing infused with magical realism.
Apr 05, 2026 11:24AM · like · see review

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Into the Forest: Introductions	606	631	Nov 28, 2025 07:56AM
Goodreads Authors...: * Welcome Christian Fiction & Nonfiction Authors & Readers!	684	2859	Mar 23, 2026 02:24PM
Wattpad Group: Advertise Your Books Here!! -ONLY HERE	105	221	Apr 16, 2026 12:07PM
Wattpad: Share Your Story	31	142	Apr 16, 2026 12:11PM
⋆.ೃ࿔࿐ྂfaith & fan...: * ⭒Giveaways, Freebies, and Book Deals⭒	689	466	Apr 16, 2026 12:15PM
Goodreads Authors...: * Author Bloggers, Reviewers, & Supporters	6499	14083	Apr 22, 2026 09:02AM

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W.’s Quotes

“Governments, if they endure, always tend increasingly toward aristocratic forms. No government in history has been known to evade this pattern. And as the aristocracy develops, government tends more and more to act exclusively in the interests of the ruling class - whether that class be hereditary royalty, oligarchs of financial empires, or entrenched bureaucracy.
- Politics as Repeat Phenomenon: Bene Gesserit Training Manual”
― Frank Herbert, Children of Dune

tags: government, philosophy

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