Marshall Ryan Maresca
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mrmaresca.com
Marshall Ryan Maresca
@mrmaresca.com
2.4K followers 380 following 6.9K posts
Fantasy Author & Podcaster | Co-host of 5x Hugo Finalist
Worldbuilding for Masochists | Maradaine Saga | Velocity of Revolution |
http://mrmaresca.com
https://linktr.ee/marshallryanmaresca
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mrmaresca.com
It’s a happy book!!
December 10, 2025 at 8:11 PM
mrmaresca.com
I say this as someone who greatly enjoys all three of these things: We need to start making new things, people. This is too much nostalgic auto-fellatio.
Screenshot of three consecutive stories from io9, saying that next year, the Extended Lord of the Rings, the original cut of Star Wars, and Avengers Doomsday are all coming to theaters in 2026. Mind you, this is not one article talking about all three or some trend, but three individual articles.
December 6, 2025 at 11:15 PM
mrmaresca.com
Not really? But there’s this?
Screenshot from Google maps of “Pinche Gringo BBQ” (roughly “fucking American BBQ”).
December 5, 2025 at 9:30 PM
mrmaresca.com
I mean, fuck, folks, I talk a lot about movies and shows and books and stories, I guess.
A word cloud of my mot used words on Bluesky, notably: mean, folks, movie, show, book, story, season.
December 4, 2025 at 2:38 AM
mrmaresca.com
I've been craving some good smart-people-working-the-problem in space.
High time for a rewatch.
Still from the Netflix version of LOST IN SPACE.
December 4, 2025 at 1:25 AM
mrmaresca.com
It's annoying to get these bullshit emails, but it's even more annoying to get them to the email address that isn't associated with my professional writer identity. Like, Fake AI Dudes, c'mon, work smarter not harder, you had to TRY to find this email address, when the correct one is right there.
A fake email trying to get what little money I have, reading: Hi Marshall, I recently came across The Alchemy of Chaos, and I felt genuinely compelled to reach out. Your continuation of Veranix Calbert’s journey is a brilliant blend of magic, grit, and relentless momentum. The way you balance his dual life magic student by day, the legendary Thorn of Maradaine by night creates a wonderfully tense, immersive narrative that keeps the reader hooked from the outset. What stood out to me most is how seamlessly you raise the stakes on every front. Exam Week pressures, dangerous magical pranks, gang tensions in Aventil, and the deadly new threats sent by Fenmere all converge into a story that feels both expansive and deeply personal. Veranix’s determination, vulnerability, and unwavering drive make him one of the most compelling protagonists in modern fantasy. It’s no surprise Publisher’s Weekly praised the lively cast and nonstop energy you deliver all that and more. (I mean, it goes on, but you get the point.)
December 3, 2025 at 3:51 PM
mrmaresca.com
FREE SHIPPING FOR CYBER MONDAY!

Get yourself Maradaine Saga Books: the perfect gift for a fantasy reader hungry for an epic fantasy with many books!

bookshop.org/lists/marada...
(affiliate link)
CYBER MONDAY Free shipping plus make a purchase today and receive 20% off a future order! Bookshop.org
December 1, 2025 at 9:13 PM
mrmaresca.com
Looking forward to the Luigi biopic starring Dave Franco
It's Dave Franco! What it says on the tin!
December 1, 2025 at 8:35 PM
mrmaresca.com
THE WAY OF THE SHIELD
The Maradaine Elite Book One

Dayne Heldrin lost his chance to advance in the Tarian Order. Jerinne Fendall fears she’ll never have one. But only they can stop a radical plot against the parliament.

maradaine.com/index.php/wa...
Promotional Banner for Marshall Ryan Maresca's THE WAY OF THE SHIELD Dayne Heldrin lost his chance to advance in the Tarian Order. Jerinne Fendall fears she’ll never have one. But only they can stop a radical plot against the parliament. “Maresca writes solid action scenes and has an eye for the believably absurd.” —Locus
December 1, 2025 at 7:53 PM
mrmaresca.com
THE HOLVER ALLEY CREW
The Streets of Maradaine Book One

Asti and Verci tried to go straight. But the fire destroyed everything they had, and their old skills are the only chance they have.
maradaine.com/index.php/ho...
Promotional banner for Marshall Ryan Maresca's HOLVER ALLEY CREW Asti and Verci tried to go straight. But the fire destroyed everything they had, and their old skills are the only chance they have. “While Maresca has been building the Maradaine universe across multiple books and connected series, The Holver Alley Crew marks a new chapter in the city’s story, and a great entry point for new readers.” – Barnes & Noble Fantasy Blog
December 1, 2025 at 7:52 PM
mrmaresca.com
A MURDER OF MAGES
The Maradaine Constabulary Book One

Inspectors Satrine Rainey—a former spy—and Minox Welling—an untrained mage—are two detectives protecting Maradaine from crime, both magical and mundane.

maradaine.com/index.php/mu...
Promotional banner for Marshall Ryan Maresca's A MURDER OF MAGES Satrine Rainey: former spy, street rat, mother Minox Welling: Unorthodox inspector, untrained mage Two detectives protecting Maradaine from crime, both magical and mundane. “A Murder of Mages was another hit for me, a fantastic read from a new talent whose star continues to be on the rise.”– Bibliosanctum
December 1, 2025 at 7:47 PM
mrmaresca.com
THE THORN OF DENTONHILL
The Thorn of Maradaine Book One

Blending vigilante justice with epic fantasy, student mage Veranix Calbert fights crime in the city of Maradaine in this fast-paced debut novel.

maradaine.com/index.php/th...
Promotional Banner for Marshall Ryan Maresca's THE THORN OF DENTONHILL: Veranix Calbert—struggling magic student by day, street vigilante by night—fights his personal war against the drug cartel that destroyed his family. “Veranix is Batman, if Batman were a teenager and magically talented.” —Library Journal
December 1, 2025 at 7:47 PM
mrmaresca.com
The Maradaine Saga:
Deft do-gooder defeats drug-dealers with dextrous derring-do!
Constable colleagues crack cases with competent craft!
Stealthy siblings stop sadistic scheme and seek satisfaction with swindles and stabbing!
Pacifist paladins protects populace from perilous plots!

maradaine.com
Maradaine Saga Logo over main cast, Left to Right: Myriem, Verci, Satrine, Minox, Dayne, Jerinne, Veranix, Asti, Corrie
December 1, 2025 at 7:42 PM
mrmaresca.com
I refrained from really engaging directly, but so much of it seems to be conflating well-considered worldbuilding and the bad stereotype of fantasy of "a bunch of nonsense words" as the same thing, some using this old XKCD as "evidence" of that.

And that just hurts the genre.
[Line graph shown with an inverse curve.] [Y-Axis: Probability book is good.] [X-Axis: Number of words made up by author.] [The curve becomes less steep as the number of words increases.] "The Elders, or Fra'as, guarded the farmlings (children) with their krytoses, which are like swords but awesomer..."
November 30, 2025 at 6:57 PM
mrmaresca.com
I got you, friend.
Screenshot of a spreadsheet showing how the same day is represented in several cultures in the Maradaine setting.
November 30, 2025 at 5:08 PM
mrmaresca.com
Are the authors that pretend this in the room with us, Peter? I know a ton of authors and can count on one hand the ones that independently live off just book income. And all of those got there because of prior day job & family support.
November 25, 2025 at 11:16 PM
mrmaresca.com
share a 90s movie you think deserves more love
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WILL YOU PLEASE PUT YOUR WORKING CLASS HANDS TOGETHER FOR THE SAVIORS OF SOUL, THE HARDEST WORKING BAND IN THE WORLD: YES, YES, YES, THE COMMITMENTS!
November 25, 2025 at 4:34 AM
mrmaresca.com
Reskeet with a time you looked cool
A promo photo of me for a play I was in way back in 1997. For reasons that I'm sure made sense to the playwright/director, my character needed to be full Barney Stinson SUITED UP, in a theater space in Texas in June with terrible air conditioning. I did look pretty cool, though.
November 21, 2025 at 12:35 AM
mrmaresca.com
The key was supposed to stop reckless use!
Still from TIME AFTER TIME (1979) of HG Wells putting his special key into the time machine.
November 20, 2025 at 11:56 PM
mrmaresca.com
Perfect juxtaposition on my timeline.
Screenshot of my post, reading, "I'm not saying shows like, say, CENTURY CITY or DEFYING GRAVITY were great or anything, but there's really no reason why they shouldn't be available for people to check out, but now things like that are nowhere to be found legitimately." followed by James L. Sutter's post of: "We're entering the Era of Convenient Theft. Anything digital can be pirated. Anything posted will be reposted by an aggregator. AI can give anyone perfect simulacra or deepfaked porn of anybody. With no logistical barrier, the only thing inhibiting constant theft is our own internal ethics."
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 PM
mrmaresca.com
A scene using images from A MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL, where Scrooge calls down, "What day is it, dear boy?" and the boy on the street calls up, "It's Nazi punching day, sir, just like every day."
November 20, 2025 at 1:07 AM
mrmaresca.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:03 AM
mrmaresca.com
Syracuse, New York is known for two things, cuisine-wise:
Heid's Hot Dogs (especially the white ones, which terrified me as a kid) and Salt Potatoes, a dish that could only come from a city that grew out of a salt mine industry.
A flat grill full of hot dogs (white and pink, as well as Italian sausages) from the infamous Heid's Hot Dogs. Salt potatoes (small potatoes boiled in salt water SO SALTY you get a good crust on them), served with melted butter, because we all die someday.
November 18, 2025 at 6:44 PM
mrmaresca.com
Photo from a shoot for a play I did in 1997, where I was a well-dressed conman looking for a secret book hidden in a bookstore.
November 15, 2025 at 5:44 PM
mrmaresca.com
I only JUST THIS WEEK learned that the title the Bajorans give Li Nalas-- navarch-- is in fact a real word (an anglicization of the Greek equivalent of admiral), and not a made up Bajoran word like I had been thinking for the past 30+ years.
Screenshot from DS9's "The Homecoming" of Sisko and Li Nalas.
November 13, 2025 at 12:06 AM