I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the CONQUIST by Dirk Strasser Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: Dirk Strasser
Pub. Date: September 1, 2024
Publisher: Roundfire Books
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 360
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/Conquist
Get 50% off the Conquist e-book here by following the steps below:
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– Click the above link
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HURRY! THE OFFER ENDS ON OCTOBER 31st, 2024!
Capitán Cristóbal de Varga’s drive for glory and gold in 1538 Peru leads him and his army of conquistadors into a New World that refuses to be conquered. He is a man torn by life-long obsessions and knows this is his last campaign. What he doesn’t know is that his Incan allies led by the princess Sarpay have their own furtive plans to make sure he never finds the golden city of Vilcabamba. He also doesn’t know that Héctor Valiente, the freed African slave he appointed as his lieutenant, has found a portal that will lead them all into a world that will challenge his deepest beliefs. And what he can’t possibly know is that this world will trap him in a war between two eternal enemies, leading him to question everything he has devoted his life to – his command, his Incan princess, his honor, his God. In the end, he faces the ultimate dilemma: how is it possible to battle your own obsessions . . . to conquer yourself?
Reviews:
Finalist Aurealis Award Best Fantasy Novel
“An original and riveting read from start to finish, An action/adventure fantasy novel raised to an impressive level of literary excellence by the storytelling talents of Dirk Strasser as a novelist, Conquist is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended pick.” —Midwest Book Review
“Conquist is the perfect fever dream of conquistadors, magic, and portals, alongside conflict, drama, and gold-mad lunatics.” —SFF Insiders
“Strasser tells a riveting odyssey of conquest, magic, and redemption that fans of historical fantasy will devour.” —Aurealis
“The combination of history and fantasy, along with the rich, thought-provoking, character development, made Conquist a memorable experience. Conquist is well worth the read.” —Literaria Luminaria
How do the Familiarity and Novelty Effects influence reading choices?
Dirk Strasser
“I haven’t read anything like this before.”
I’ve had a number of reviewers of my recently published historical fantasy (or histasy) Conquist say this. Is it a good comment or a bad comment from an author point of view? Do they like it or not? I think the answer to that question is
“It depends.”
The reason for that answer is that there are two effects at play when we look at likes and dislikes. The first is the Familiarity Effect, which occurs where people prefer things purely because they are familiar with them. They like the sort of food they were brought up on, or the type of music that they first seriously listened to when they were teenagers or young adults. It’s the same with reading choices. When I try to describe Conquist to people, I’ve found that the best way to make a connection is to compare it to something else they would be familiar with rather than detailing the plot.
The polar opposite of the Familiarity Effect is the Novelty Effect where people prefer things that are new to them. Most people are also motivated to some degree to seek out the new rather than the same old stuff. Even if you like something, you eventually get bored with constant sameness. The two effects contradict each other, but most of us are influenced to various extents by both effects. Generally people want something that feels familiar yet also has a fresh and new element.
I’m aware of the contradiction of the two effects. I know readers generally like a familiar feel, but they simultaneously want something that makes the story unique. When I’m asked what Conquist is like by people whose reading tastes I don’t know, I say something like “Conquist is a little bit Game of Thrones, a little bit Lord of the Rings, and a whole lot original”. I can have a much more nuanced discussion with someone who is into fantasy, but generally this descriptionsatisfies people’s curiosity.
I was aware when I was writing Conquist that the right interplay between the Familiarity and Novel Effects creates the strongest connection with readers. I’m not surprised by the “I haven’t read anything like this before” comment. Conquistis deliberately different to standard fantasy. There are not many historical portal epic fantasies with a touch of romance set at the time of the Spanish conquistador invasion of the Inca Empire in the 16th century. I’m not a fan of cookie-cutter fantasy, but I also try to keep in mind what it is that fantasy readers love about our genre, the sense of wonder and magic, the heightened emotions it can bring forth, the primal fear, the thrill and the joy. If you stray too far from the recipe, it’s not fantasy any more.
Even the title “Conquist” is part of the interplay between the two effects. It’s not an English word. At times I’ve had people tell me I have a typo, and I often get emails referring to the novel as “Conquest”. I’m fairly sure that “Conquist” isn’t even a Spanish word, and the word for “Conquest” in Spanish is actually “Conquista”. The title was a gamble, but one that I was prepared to take because I thought it balanced both novelty and familiarity. There are countless books with“Conquest” in the title, but only one with the title Conquist. “Conquist” sounded like it meant “Conquest” plus it echoed the word conquistadors (so fitted with the plot line), and maybe even suggested conquest with a twist (which fitted with both the unpredictability of the plot and the theme of the novel of self-conquest). It was a unique name. It was memorable, easy to pronounce, and the URL would be available. I’m fairly sure I got it right.
The plot involves Spanish conquistadors battling beings in a fantasy world. That’s not a plotline you see every day. However, the conquistadors are motivated by greed for gold, a common fantasy trope. Fantasy novels often have two races where one is other-worldly and ethereal but powerful, and the other earth-bound, coarse and stubborn. Fantasy readers would have a sense of familiarity with the duende and nakaqsbecause they’ve read other books with elves and dwarves. So, again there’s a novelty/familiarity balance. I hope the cover gives a sense of the balance as well. There’s a lot going on, but it is a recognisable fantasy cover, and the nakaq at the top is reminiscent of a fantasy dwarf character.
If you pretty much only want to read the same sort of fantasy over and over again, or at least only slight variations of it, that’s obviously fine. We all have different tastes. No one has the right to tell another person what they should like. In that case it’s likely the comment “I haven’t read anything like this before” will mean Conquist isn’t your cup of fantasy tea. I guess, all I can ask is you try it. You may be surprised. Some of you may even find that “I haven’t read anything like this before” actually means you’re delighted.
About Dirk Strasser:
Dirk Strasser’s fantasy trilogy The Books of Ascension (Zenith, Equinox and Eclipse) was published in German (Heyne Verlag) and English (Pan Macmillan), and his short stories have been translated into several European languages. ‘The Doppelgänger Effect’ appeared in the World Fantasy Award-winning anthology, Dreaming Down Under (Tor). Dirk was born in Germany but has lived most of his life in Australia. He works in educational publishing, has trekked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, and studied Renaissance history.
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Giveaway Details:
2 winners will receive a finished copy of CONQUIST, US Only.
Ends November 19th, midnight EST.
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Tour Schedule:
Week One:
| 10/21/2024 | Two Chicks on Books | Interview/IG Post |
| 10/22/2024 | Fire and Ice Reads | Guest Post/IG Post |
| 10/23/2024 | Lady Hawkeye | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 10/24/2024 | Book Review Virginia Lee Blog | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 10/25/2024 | Daily Waffle | Guest Post/IG Post |
Week Two:
| 10/28/2024 | Edith’s Little Free Library | IG Post/TikTok Post |
| 10/29/2024 | GryffindorBookishnerd | IG Review |
| 10/30/2024 | Rajiv’s reviews | Review/IG Post |
| 10/31/2024 | Sudeshna Loves Reading | Guest Post |
| 11/1/2024 | Lifestyle of Me | Review |
Week Three:
| 11/4/2024 | Country Mamas With Kids | Review/IG Post |
| 11/5/2024 | Deal sharing aunt | Review/IG Post |
| 11/6/2024 | Books and Zebras | IG Review |
| 11/7/2024 | @callistoscalling | IG Review |
| 11/8/2024 | Brandi Danielle Davis | IG Review/TikTok Post |
Week Four:
| 11/11/2024 | The Momma Spot | Review/IG Post |
| 11/12/2024 | TX Girl Reads | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 11/13/2024 | @evergirl200 | IG Review |
| 11/14/2024 | @enjoyingbooksagain | IG Review |
| 11/15/2024 | Kim’s Book Reviews and Writing Aha’s | Review/IG Post |