Frolic on the Amaranthyn

by Chase A. Folmar

Through lands awash in dark secrets and half-forgotten truths, the duo Uralant and Emrasarie wield swordsmanship and seduction alike in the pursuit of fortune and precious coin.

But when a failed ploy for riches leads them to a city seduced beneath the thrall of ancient and malevolent sorcery, they unwillingly become entwined in the schemes of a nightmarish zealot and his own search for guarded treasures.

...and the deeper they continue to delve, the more the two come to realize they are little more than pawns against powers far greater than anything they could have ever imagined.

Genres: Sword and Sorcery, Fantasy

126 pages, Paperback

Published April 6, 2022

About the author

Chase A. Folmar is a writer of speculative fiction, especially in the vein of weird fantasy and horror. The central philosophy behind much of his work can be expressed most eloquently by weird fiction author Clark Ashton Smith, who wrote, “Only the impossible has any real charm; the possible has been vulgarized by happening too often.”

Reviews

[S.E. Lindberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preview/Review on Black Gate (posted Mar 28, 2022)
https://www.blackgate.com/2022/03/06/...

Frolic on the Amaranthyn will be published by Sable Star Press on April 6th, 2022. It is 130 pages, priced at$7.99 paperback and $2.99 in digital formats (available soon from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others). Cover art by Goran Gligović. This post announces the release and previews excerpts.

Chase A. Folmar has been demonstrating his command of Weird Fiction, Sword & Sorcery (S&S), and the English language in various short fiction entries (primarily via Whetstone: Amateur Magazine of Sword & Sorcery & Witchhouse: Amateur Magazine of Cosmic Horror online magazines). This novella, Frolic on the Amaranthyn, seems to be his print debut. If you are not familiar with his previous work, you may misconstrue the contents from the title as being a fantasy romance (which it is not; and, you can check out his stories in Whetstone #1 #2 #4 or Witchhouse #1).

If you are familiar with his works there, you will need to read Frolic on the Amaranthyn. Chase A. Folmar (CAF) style is very reminiscent of Clark Ashton Smith (CAS). Clark Ashton Smith was a contemporary of the Father of S&S, Robert E. Howard, and Father of Cosmic Horror, Howard Phillips Lovecraft (most of CAS’s fiction is online, as well as his nonfiction like his essay on Atmosphere in Weird Fiction). In short, do not expect fantasy romance; expect an engaging, literary adventure.

Official Book Summary:
Channeling the artistic stylings of weird fantasists such as Clark Ashton Smith and Jack Vance, Chase A. Folmar utilizes lush prose and archaic vernacular to craft a wholly otherworldly setting for readers to explore in this, his debut novella. We follow within the duo Uralant and Emrasarie, brigands who employ their respective talents of swordsmanship and seduction in the pursuit of precious coin. After the spoils of an orchestrated heist are lost to them just as success seemed assured, the pair’s misfortune only increases when, stranded in a strange city neither are familiar with, it is revealed that their target had also been pursued by a sorcerer of the worst and most dreaded kind, and that all his attention has now been directed towards them. In order to escape the severity of his vengeance, they are forced to comply with his fanatic whims and take part in a theft that will hopefully strike clear the debt he has placed upon them. But that same theft will lead them towards a dark secret behind the city’s beautiful façade, a secret tied to a mysterious ark that travels down the waters of the Amaranthyn River on certain nights, and upon which takes place what is known only as the Frolic.

Style & Excerpts
“My own conscious ideal has been to delude the reader into accepting an impossibility, or series of impossibilities, by means of a sort of verbal black magic, in the achievement of which I make use of prose-rhythm, metaphor, simile, tone-color, counter-point, and other stylistic resources, like a sort of incantation. You attain a black magic, perhaps unconsciously, in your pursuit of corroborative detail and verisimilitude.” — 1930 letter to Lovecraft, by Clark Ashton Smith

Within Frolic on the Amaranthyn dialogue is sparse and the narrative is filled with obscure, abundant vocabulary. It is surprisingly easy to read. As per the teaser quote above, CAF follows CAS’s approach by stringing together words & feelings as if casting a strange spell, a cadence, that will enthrall you. So, he’s sort of a thaumaturgist. He’s on the radar now to corner about his thoughts on Beauty in Weird Fiction (that’s a series of interviews we run here on Black Gate (link to interviews).

Frankly, the title and blurb do not convey the intentional weirdness you will experience. The literary prose-poetry will appeal to weird fiction fans, and the vivid melee will appeal to Sword & Sorcery readers. Check out these excerpts:

Poetic Prose
…and soon did Emrasarie find herself surrounded by a flock of revelers similar to those she had earlier left. They had paraded up the same hill as she, and now fell playfully to the grass about her, as if flower petals cast aside by an infatuate pondering the affection carried their way by the one whom they so ardently desired.

Emrasarie had not the strength, nor indeed the will, to retreat this time. She simply watched as arms fumbled lazily through the air, legs entwined with one another, and faces alight with the unearthly fire overhead coalesced like streams of wax dripping from a weary candle. The other face, so prevalent in her mind’s eye only a moment ago, had completely disappeared. With it went the name it carried, and the affection she had felt towards it. Nothing remained in the void of its absence. Nothing but beauty seeking to smother her in its embrace. Beauty so much more preferable to all that was ugly, coarse, and unforgiving in the world beyond…

Weird Melee
…Uralant spied several that had veered aside and were instead making towards Emrasarie. Leaping with furious bounds, he hurled himself across the distance separating them, and thrust like a battering ram his sword at the nearest threat. Its length plunged clear through the enemy’s torso, releasing a heavy spume of embers from its back as it crumpled from the blow and collapsed.

Quickly pulling his weapon free, Uralant noted a thick, glistening fluid of purest black now coated its tapered edges, bearing a gaseous stench that lingered even as he leapt clear from a subsequent attack. More talons cut through the air in a whirlwind of steel, and as Uralant dodged about and kept the slashing monstrosity at bay, he realized no other sounds came from any of these approaching demons. No roars or shrieks of fury, no grunted breaths from exertion, no muttered curses or vows of vengeance for its fallen companion; just the tearing of its hands through empty space, and red eyes glaring at him, bright as the blood they were so desperate to spill.

Spying an opening, Uralant took the chance and swung high. He felt the shattering of steel beneath steel, and the subsequent tear as a rigid neck was severed through. When the head finally fell and crashed near his feet, the eye set within it dimmed to a vacant black, and did not ignite again…



Expect More Folmar
Without spoiling, it is clear that Uralant and Emrasarie will have more adventures to chronicle. The epilogue works in a mysterious, angelic sorceress that begs for more attention as do the fates of some rare, papyrus magic scrolls.



Chase A. Folmar Bio:
Chase A. Folmar is a writer of speculative fiction, especially in the vein of weird fantasy and horror. He is one of the associate editors of Witch House: Amateur Magazine of Cosmic Horror, and a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Hampton Roads writing group. A graduate of English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Chase has pursued his writing ambitions ever since, having been published in several online magazines and amateur zines. Inspiration for his writing comes from all across the literary spectrum, as well as the music he listens to and art he invariably stumbles upon. He currently lives in Virginia with his wife and their ever-growing horde of rescued pets.

www.chaseafolmar.com; Twitter: @stranger_lands; CAF on Instagram

[Nicholas Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

After ambushing a fleeing aristocrat with feminine wiles and brute strength respectively, lovers Emrasarie and Uralant find themselves in the city of Lucrauna. They find that there is a strange aura about the city and locals tell them that the Frolic is about to begin. However, Zelaeus, a masked sorcerer sent on a task by his Queen Empyreal, catches the both after finding out that Emrasarie has the broch that she took from the aforementioned aristocrat. A monolithic citadel on the back of a massive, unseen river creature appears on the titular river for the Frolic, and Zelaeus says that in order for Emrasarie and Uralant to be free from their debt, they must ingress the citadel with him to seek out its great sorcery for the Queen Empyreal. However, what they find there will be something of untold nightmares.

This is hands down one of the best fantasy books I've ever read. Let alone, one of the best sword and sorceries I've ever read! Special thanks to Oliver Brackenbury of New Edge Sword and Sorcery for informing me about this. Frolic on the Amaranthyn can best be described as a sword and sorcery Bonnie and Clyde with prose reminiscent of Clark Ashton Smith (one could also argue Robert E. Howard, but I feel that Howard's prose was more streamlined than Smith's) with a story that is equally reminiscent of the first sword and sorcery stories from the pulp era with a good dash of weird horror. I would've liked a little bit more romance between Uralant and Emrasarie, but the book is nonetheless still great!

First off, that prose. Chef's kiss, as the kids say these days. As I said, it is mostly reminiscent of the florid prose of Smith. You most likely encounter words you've never heard of before and the amount of words in each sentence or paragraph can slow down the pacing a little, but I was fine with it. Your mileage may vary. But the prose was just so beautiful. Chase A. Folmar has a brilliant grasp on syntax and with each sentence, description, and simile you can feel the emotions and atmosphere he is portraying. It's almost like if Charlotte Brontë (the best Brontë) wrote a sword and sorcery novel with a Gothic edge. Or, perhaps, given that Emily Brontë actually wrote a form of pre-Tolkien fantasy with Gondal's Queen: A Novel in Verse, the true credence should go to her.
But this isn't about the Brontë sisters, it's about Frolic on the Amaranthyn.
I can tell that Folmar is a fan of Gene Wolfe, not just by the quote from The Claw of the Conciliator at the beginning of the book, but also because of his usage of ancient Greek words to describe certain animals or social titles. Yes, Wolfe fans, the word "autochthon" is back! Folmar does not utilize unreliable narration as Wolfe does, and it isn't needed for this story, nor is his worldbuilding obscure, but you can tell that a lot of love and inspirations went into this story and it all coalesced well.

Having good prose means you have a good apparatus for the rest of the moving parts of your story. Folmar's prose thus sketches the navigation of the plot and Uralant and Emrasarie's already in place character development. Keep in mind that this is a novella, and as I said above, this story obviously, at least to me, meant to be inspired by those earliest pulp stories like Howard's Conan the Cimmerian series or Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars-based Barsoom. Those stories were originally serialized in magazines and has such their lengths had to be short and their character developments weren't something grandiose like you would see in Lord of the Rings. Now, as an independently published, Folmar had all the freedom to do what he wanted with Frolic on the Amaranthyn; however, he clearly stuck to his guns and made this novella a tribute of sorts to those pulp stories and he managed to not lose anything while doing so.
As I said previously, the pacing can somewhat slow down at parts due to the florid language and word choices, but it's not a story that overstays its welcome and it is not at all a slow story. The plot is never lost. We know what Uralant and Emrasarie are doing and what they need to do--and Zelaeus too. The progress and goals of Uralant and Emrasarie are not overly complex, never overly complicated, and is never wavered from with some useless side twaddle. This speaks more to the ingenuity of Frolic on the Amaranthyn: a simple schema that has been polished to shine more.

I say already in place character development instead of character arcs because that is what's here. It's not that Uralant and Emrasarie are uninteresting characters or never change, is just that, remember, this is a story meant to be like the old sword and sorcery pulp stories. Uralant is the strong warrior guy, but he isn't a chauvinist pig or anything. He also isn't a dumb meathead as his briefly mentioned past tells us he was a scholar for a time. Emrasarie is the classic femme fatale, but despite her past revealing that she was forced into prostitution, she is never grossly sexualized nor does any sexual violence inflicted upon her. She is drop dead gorgeous though, and I ain't complainin' about that. Neither of these two are walking stereotypes and both have their own strengths and witnesses. However, both go through a great change after they enter the citadel and encounter the horrors within. What they see and experience unnerves them both; there is no "the male hero is so strong nothing affects him and he saves his dainty lady friend" or "the woman is the true strong one and the man is weak and useless" here. Perhaps, true to its Lovecraftian roots, the weird horror aspect about Frolic on the Amaranthyn instills fear in both Uralant and Emrasarie. This is why I say in place development instead of arc: we can already see that Uralant is a tough and angry guy, but still capable of vulnerability, and we can see that Emrasarie is the flirty, calculating beauty, but she is vulnerable too. Neither of them are static, unemotional, or one note characters, but given the story's length they don't go through any specific journey. They are vibrant characters on another mission and they see it through to the end.

Speaking of the end, Folmar clearly left it open for other installments. However, it appears that nothing else has come out, which is upsetting. Folmar hasn't even updated any of his social medias in about two years. He has short stories out there, so I will hunt those down, but I hope he is okay and will have more stories with Uralant and Emrasarie.

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sword and sorcery novella is so unique. In addition to intriguing characters, a rich setting, and a tight, high momentum plot, the narrative voice renders an artistic effect difficult to describe. Beautiful strangeness, maybe? A parallel in visual art might be the fever dream warpscapes of Polish painter Zdzisław Beksiński. Perhaps a practical way to proceed is to speculate on Folmar's influences: Lord Dunsany, Clark Ashton Smith, Jack Vance, Gene Wolf? The complex sentences and the uncompromisingly luxuriant diction creates an incantatory, hypnotic effect (some of the passages exert an palpable pull of attention [not unlike a disturbing antagonist in the novel]). Another touchstone might be the slipstream writing of Bruce Sterling or William Gibson, except where Sterling and Gibson create sci-fi cognitive dissonance by assaulting their readers with a disorienting spectacle of unreal technology, engineering, and futurity, Folmar relies on eccentric and ornamental language to create the fantastical and surreal. Despite the centrifugal surrealism, however, the story is firmly grounded in two character's all-too-human love for one another. I need to re-read this to process it more. It's an intense one.

[Oliver Brackenbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I interviewed Chase about the book on my podcast: http://soimwritinganovel.com/2022/04/...

But, in short, I loved it! Chase really put his back into this, a compelling, fast-moving tale of sword & sorcery centered on a romantic couple - not something you see too often - who get more than they bargained for when pulling a job in the first two chapters.

Chase clearly loves not only the genre of sword & sorcery, he also loves the language. As the back cover promises, fans of Jack Vance or Clark Ashton Smith will not be disappointed.

Frolic could easily be the first of many adventures staring Uralant and Emrasarie. I sincerely hope for more!

Full disclosure: Chase sent me an ARC to review. It was, however, entirely my decision - based on the high quality of the book - to invite him on my podcast to discuss Frolic.

[James T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note - I got an ARC copy of this book from the author. I’m a fan of his work that’s appeared in Whetstone and Starward Shadows. I went into it expecting it to be good, but it exceeded any expectations I had! I read it in one sitting, and not intentionally.

The prose is phenomenal. It’s sublime, it’s elegant. It’s everything I want. There’s something to be said for writing very cleanly and simply, but my heart is in the purple. Chase goes out of his way to write in a purple and archaic fashion in this book. That’s a risky gambit, as anyone knows, if you don’t nail it just right, it can often feel stilted. The writing here never feels stilted. I don’t want to say every sentence will leave you breathless, as some passages are more sublime than others, but nothing ever falls flat. Most of it its truly elegant.

There are so many moments where Chase uses elevated language to express something relative mundane in such a profound way. There are so many sentences where you read it, you are just taken aback by how elegantly he expressed an idea, or how deftly he manipulated the english language to convey a concept. It’s really brilliant.

I don’t want to spoil much but I’ll touch on a couple moments. The moment Uralant and Emrasarie are first reunited, the way this is written is utterly beautiful. For anyone who’s been madly in love(for better or worse) can’t help but see the beauty of their own experiences taken to another height in this moment.

There is a moment where Uralant explains why he is called ”the untamed one.” His dialogue with his adversaries here is just brilliant. It elevates the barbarian archetype into something very poetic.

There’s a line about the sun exposes something that it would be ashamed of. For metal heads think Dio’s ”shame on the night.” Itt’s fantastic.

There are a hundred little moments like this that are stunning.

Another great aspect in the writing is the sense of atmosphere. The opening chapter just oozes with this gothic, almost vampiric vibe. The description of the Ark is another that just creates stunning atmosphere. The villains, though classic archetypes, are also described in a way that’s poetic and creates a tremendous sense of mood.

The characters themselves are worthy of note. Sword and Sorcery is a youthful genre, and there is nothing wrong with that. Protagonists are usually getting the girl. This uses the classic buddy duo of many S&S stories but in a more mature way. The protagonists are lovers. I think it adds something fresh to the familiar. It also may appeal a bit more to older readers, who are past the glamor, and travails, of youthful discovery, and touch into the deeper subject of settled loves.

Uralant is deeply primal. He feels both archetypal but also very human. I could not help but see my younger self in his anger, his jealousy, his doubts. He’s relatable, but not in modern YA ”emo” kind of way. There’s no angst to his emotions. He feels more like an atavistic masculine spirit. Yes, I know that atavistic has a negative connotation, but those feelings are in us whether we like it or not. I found him very compelling on a darkly personal level.

We get tremendous depths to Emrasarie’s character as well. Going back on descriptions, the way Chase describes her masking her emotions, takes something mundane and elevates it to the sublime. We get a great amount of character building to her in the opening, without feeling bloated or slowing the pacing.

Thematically this is brilliant. It touches on the horror in beauty itself, but also the overpowering nature of beauty. When we think beauty we usually have positive thoughts, but this takes that familiar warmth and turns it into a comsic horror like energy.

Part of that, is that S&S is by nature a fairly racy genre. It’s not outright pornographic but usually has a certain tension and allure to it. I find, sexuality, like horror, is something best left to the readers own imagination, for the agency of our own thoughts can be more frightening than any description. I would say the same is true with allure. The frolic is pretty vague, and lends itself well to the cosmic horror-ificiation of sexuality, but if I had to nitpick one thing, I might have been even more vague.

The story itself is a very concise, quick, classic S&S yarn, but with this thematic and linguistic elevation that takes a familiar adventure to far higher emotional heights than is the norm, and really pulls you in. Myself, I started reading it Monday night, and finished it, unintentionally, in one sitting. I then thought about it on my drive to and from work the next day. It’s just arresting.

The cover is also great. I find pretty much all cover art on fantasy novels for the last 3 decades boring. The oil paints of the 60s-80s are so much more appealing. This cover gives me a mixture of that classic vibe with a bit of an obscure PC game cover art vibe. (The good kind of game art, not the bad.)

I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s going be the price of a latte. If you like S&S buy this instead. Heck, this transcends S&S, if you like romance or gothic horror also skip starbucks for a day.

[Jim Kuenzli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a unique book for this day and age. The story starts off with a very much in love duo seeking coin by unscrupulous means. I’m thinking okay, we have a nice little fantasy/ sword and sorcery piece. Then comes the sorcery and, shall we say, scenes from a Clark Ashton Smith nightmare. Anyone who likes dark fantasy should enjoy this read. The complex writing style for a 115 page book adds to the intrigue. The burning love between the two main characters is also somewhat unique in this type of story. Well done.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A briskly-paced 101-page novella, Frolic on the Amaranthyn blends swashbuckling action with nightmarish horror elements in the tradition of Weird Tales magazine. While the ornate diction and cynical approach to sorcery and its practitioners immediately bring to mind Clark Ashton Smith and Jack Vance, the diametrically opposed protagonists and their heist mission recall Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. The lush, phantasmagorical prose reminds the reader of Tanith Lee, late queen of dark fantasy.

Read my full review at Grimdark Magazine!

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frolic on the Amaranthyn has the tight pace of a classic sword and sorcery duo story with the prose styling and atmosphere of weird fiction's rich uncle Clark Ashton Smith. The story follows the encounter of a romantic couple, bandits who con and kill their way to plunder, and a masked sorcerer devoted to his foreign queen, with the weird and horrific festival of beauty on a massive ark on the river Amaranthyn. I was hooked from the opening chapter. This is a great read for anyone into highly evocative and atmospheric dark fantasy.

[V.L. GURIOLI · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent dark fantasy novella with atmospheric prose that really draws you into the oppressive environment. The well-crafted style at the same time does not detract from the pace of the story, which moves briskly. Compelling characters and setting, unique plot, and satisfying conclusion.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

New authors are often compared to their predecessors (HPL, CAS, REH, etc.). This is one case that lives up to expectations. Chase Folmar’s prose is reminiscent of CAS, but not quite as arcane. Don’t let the title fool you. This is definitely not a frolic for the main characters. This is a dark sword & sorcery tale with elements of horror. The closest comparison I can think of is CAS writes a Fafhrd and Gray Mouser tale. Highly recommended.

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emrasarie and Uralant are a great duo, daring and loving. This is a dark fantasy novella, a Sword & Sorcery in the vein of Clark Ashton Smith, it’s a great modern weird tale.

[Jayh · Rating 5 out of 5]

You need to read this book!

Oceans Eleven style sword and sorcery caper. Our leads are fantasy based Bonnie and Clyde. I loved it, you will too!

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sword and sorcery, as depicted in the great works, rides on a chariot of lucid prose, driven by swift narrative and some wit. Unfortunately, while creating this particular work, the author has buried the plot, the characters, and eventually the entire narrative under an avalanche of adjectives. In short, the prose is so lush that it's overripe and invites Morpheus rather than Ares, or even Apollo.
Sad, because the work otherwise was decent enough to become a very good novella.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't like dropping books (had less than 1 hour to go), and this one's premise seemed really cool. But I just can't. The writing, whilst sometimes beautiful, is a constant and unending stream of synonyms. Unfortunately the author relied too heavily on the thesaurus for this one and the pages drag in exotic and archaic descriptions of the most mundane and simple of tasks. 

[Brian K · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Please!