What do you think?
Rate this book
The Etiquette of Sin
- GenresFantasy
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 6, 2026
About the author
Niall Teasdale
75 books294 followersI was born in the vicinity of Hadrian's Wall so perhaps a bit of history rubbed off. Ancient history obviously, and border history, right on the edge of the Empire. I always preferred the Dark Ages anyway; there’s so much more room for imagination when people aren’t writing down every last detail. So my idea of a good fantasy novel involved dirt and leather, not shining plate armour and Hollywood-medieval manners. The same applies to my sci-fi, really; I prefer gritty over shiny.
Oddly, then, one of the first fantasy novels I remember reading was The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper (later made into a terrible juvenile movie). These days we would call Cooper’s series Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy and looking back on it, it influenced me a lot. It has that mix of modern day life, hidden history, and magic which failed to hit popular culture until the early days of Buffy and Anne Rice. Of course, Cooper’s characters spend their time around places I could actually visit in Cornwall, and South East England, and mid-Wales. In fact, when I went to university in Aberystwyth, it was partially because some of Cooper’s books were set a few miles to the north around Tywyn.
I got into writing through roleplaying, however, so my early work was related to the kind of roleplaying game I was interested in. I wrote “high fantasy” when I was playing Dungeons & Dragons. I wrote a lot of superhero fiction when I was playing City of Heroes. I still loved the idea of a modern world with magic in it and I’ve been trying to write a novel based on this for a long time. As with any form of expression, practice is the key and I can look back on all the aborted attempts at books, and the more successful short stories, as steps along the path to the Thaumatology Series.
As of 2015, I have thrown in my lot with writing. After thirty years of being a computer programmer I am making enough money to quit the day job and write full time. Dreams, occasionally, come true. My favourite authors are Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, and (recently) Kim Harrison. Kim’s Hollows books were what finally spurred me to publish something, even if the trail to here came by way of Susan, back in school, several decades ago.
Oddly, then, one of the first fantasy novels I remember reading was The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper (later made into a terrible juvenile movie). These days we would call Cooper’s series Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy and looking back on it, it influenced me a lot. It has that mix of modern day life, hidden history, and magic which failed to hit popular culture until the early days of Buffy and Anne Rice. Of course, Cooper’s characters spend their time around places I could actually visit in Cornwall, and South East England, and mid-Wales. In fact, when I went to university in Aberystwyth, it was partially because some of Cooper’s books were set a few miles to the north around Tywyn.
I got into writing through roleplaying, however, so my early work was related to the kind of roleplaying game I was interested in. I wrote “high fantasy” when I was playing Dungeons & Dragons. I wrote a lot of superhero fiction when I was playing City of Heroes. I still loved the idea of a modern world with magic in it and I’ve been trying to write a novel based on this for a long time. As with any form of expression, practice is the key and I can look back on all the aborted attempts at books, and the more successful short stories, as steps along the path to the Thaumatology Series.
As of 2015, I have thrown in my lot with writing. After thirty years of being a computer programmer I am making enough money to quit the day job and write full time. Dreams, occasionally, come true. My favourite authors are Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, and (recently) Kim Harrison. Kim’s Hollows books were what finally spurred me to publish something, even if the trail to here came by way of Susan, back in school, several decades ago.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 18, 2026
New series I hope.
Nial is back to making his latest novel as spicy as his first books. I enjoyed the world the author has created. What is great is that in his world, magic has rules and limitations.
In this novel the heroine is what most authors make the villain, a demon. Through circumstances, Sin a small village girl half demon,half human into the big city nobility.
Be warned. There is girl on girl action. If that offends you, best you stay away.
Nial is back to making his latest novel as spicy as his first books. I enjoyed the world the author has created. What is great is that in his world, magic has rules and limitations.
In this novel the heroine is what most authors make the villain, a demon. Through circumstances, Sin a small village girl half demon,half human into the big city nobility.
Be warned. There is girl on girl action. If that offends you, best you stay away.
February 20, 2026
loves his magic school
The author really seems to like the Magic School genre. Wish there were more like Angela Jansen or Fox Meridian.
The author really seems to like the Magic School genre. Wish there were more like Angela Jansen or Fox Meridian.
February 15, 2026
An absolutely fascinating different world for Niall's delectable story telling style.
June 28, 2026
Entertaining mind candy. This book follows the pattern of several of Teasdale's books (and closely follows the pattern of the recent "The Man Who Was Never There"): The protagonist is super-competent, to the point where she doesn't so much overcome obstacles as glide by them.
The world-building is tissue-thin: Underneath a fantasy-medieval patina, the society is very much like ours. There are trains (magically impelled, of course), mass-market printed books, clothes that we would not consider out of place, attitudes that we would not consider out of place... That's okay, because the world-building is not meant to be taken seriously. It's just a backdrop for some fun wish-fulfillment fantasy.
The book starts with Sin living in an isolated tower until a princess comes knocking at the door: Someone has cast a curse on the crown prince, and the greatest sorceress in the land is needed to remove it. (Clarifications ensue - 'curse' and 'sorceress' are both frequently-misused technical terms - but we - the author and I - digress.) Unfortunately, the sorceress in question died about a year ago, and Sin is what they get.
The world-building is tissue-thin: Underneath a fantasy-medieval patina, the society is very much like ours. There are trains (magically impelled, of course), mass-market printed books, clothes that we would not consider out of place, attitudes that we would not consider out of place... That's okay, because the world-building is not meant to be taken seriously. It's just a backdrop for some fun wish-fulfillment fantasy.
The book starts with Sin living in an isolated tower until a princess comes knocking at the door: Someone has cast a curse on the crown prince, and the greatest sorceress in the land is needed to remove it. (Clarifications ensue - 'curse' and 'sorceress' are both frequently-misused technical terms - but we - the author and I - digress.) Unfortunately, the sorceress in question died about a year ago, and Sin is what they get.
March 29, 2026
Meh
Story goes all over the place. Not much substance. The author usually does much better. Everything in this book feels shallow and just meanders along to an uneventful ending.
Story goes all over the place. Not much substance. The author usually does much better. Everything in this book feels shallow and just meanders along to an uneventful ending.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews