The characters of Jupiter and Leech (particularly the latter) resonated with me for years, not only because of their complexity (that’s right, cats are complicated) but because of the fragility of their relationships with everyone around them and themselves. For the first time, I found a book that was not only gloriously macabre and dark but simultaneously also incredibly moving and (in some parts) heartbreaking. That book is ‘The Alchymist’s Cat’ by Robin Jarvis (published in 1991).īefore reading this particular book, a lot of my exploration into fantasy had been traditional, swords, and sorcery (albeit for a younger audience) style stories.

The impact that it (and in particular one specific character) had on me still influences the way I look at fantasy writing, if not all writing decades later. It’s been over twenty-five years since I first read it, and yet it still echoes in my mind today.

This post is not a review of said book, but more an homage. One book in particular, however, can be held responsible for setting both me and my writing in this specific direction. I’ve always leaned more towards fantasy and particularly dark fantasy. There are, of course, many books that set the standard for the genre, but looking back over the various books that I’ve read since childhood, I’ve come to realise that my path to grimdark started many years before I even became aware of it’s existence. As a relatively new sub-genre, there is still no absolute defining characteristic for what makes a book ‘grimdark’ – although a quick Google search will offer up several suggestions. Since my debut novel launched a few days ago, I’ve been reflecting on my journey as a writer and especially how it is that I came to be so fascinated by the world of Grimdark.

The Alchymist's Cat by Robin Jarvis