The Setting of Cloud Bear

A photograph taken during the same photo shoot as Cloud Bear’s cover.

Perhaps the single thing readers of epic fantasy comment on most in relation to Cloud Bear is the setting. Understand “comment on” is both positive and negative in this context. Some epic fantasy readers are delighted with a setting where the characters can both call each other on the phone and activate a magic power to speak to each other telepathically. Likewise, some epic fantasy readers are deeply confused by the comic books and cornflakes and want to know where all the swords and elves went.

And you know, that’s fair. I’ll never blame someone for always seeking out the next sword and sorcery epic to dive into. If you’ve read any of my other essays on general writing topics, you will have seen how many sword and sorcery epics I’ve read and loved myself. However, that’s just not the right setting for Cloud Bear’s world.

I knew that as soon as I had the idea for Cloud Bear as a series. I knew it didn’t belong in what felt like the medieval era or the ancient past, but I couldn’t figure out where it did belong. I briefly considered something Victorian or Edwardian, or even Georgian, but as I pondered the pros and cons of each era, something felt off. It was never quite right.

If you’ve read the Acknowledgements page of Cloud Bear, you may remember this little tidbit. I was listening to my grandpa tell stories once about the post-war ‘40s. Specifically, he said he liked to read comics, but he was slightly embarrassed admitting this to me because “they weren’t real books”—and there it was. Cloud Bear’s era. Late 1940s, early 1950s. No television, but radio, telephones, comic books, movie theatres, magazines—a world that’s almost our modern world, but also somewhat removed.

The setting of Cloud Bear allows me to have my cake, and eat my cake, and have my cake, and eat my cake... It’s pure fun as the author.

First things first, I get the experience of writing a historical fiction novel, where I introduce the readers to a time now passed. However, I don’t have the research stress of an actual historical novel. That’s not to say I don’t research. I certainly do. Were cornflakes sold in bags inside cereal boxes back in the late ‘40s? Did novelty rubber ducks exist in the late ‘40s? How did phone numbers work? If you’re reading all this and thinking, “It’s your own world. Why are you bothering? Just do what you want.” You’re right. It is my world, and I can do what I want. That’s why this setting is like having my cake and eating it, too. I do research to make it feel as authentically ‘40s as I can, but I never have to worry about being one hundred percent accurate. For instance, I reserve the right to mass produce whatever appliances I want.

Due to the time period setting, I get the joy of writing a low fantasy in my high fantasy. I get to have that moment where Annette’s ordinary world is shattered by people with magical powers, and she’s suddenly pulled into a world she was aware existed but wanted no part of. However, because it is an epic fantasy, I get my high fantasy fun where the other characters are running around doing magical things in magical places right from the beginning.

In Cloud Bear, even though I start with what basically boils down to a town full of wizards, because of the semi-familiar technology, when my characters go to Lucidus, Lucidus still feels like an extra magical other-world. It’s where the magical creatures live, and the trees can be gold or crystal. It’s where shining currents of mystical power twist through the sky. It also helps the overall magical-ness that Lucidus is a place Benites can only visit temporarily. They can only stay so long as they have the meter to expend.

Remember, though, I get to eat my cake and have my cake. The world above also feels magical because of the fortified towns. The ordinary society and old-fashioned technology is infused with the intricacies and realities of Benites and Benison. The kids go to school and learn regular things like math and science, while also having special magic classes. Citizens of fortified towns can have ordinary jobs like running a café or choose to join the town’s magical military. Both Lucidus and the world above get to feel magical, but the technology of the world above helps Lucidus feel that extra bit more magical by comparison.

While Cloud Bear may not be a traditional epic fantasy as far as the setting is concerned, my greatest hope as the author is the setting still whisk you off to a far-off world full of magic and wonder. I hope you enjoy reading about this setting as much as I enjoy writing it.