Peterborough author releases debut fantasy novel

A novelist from Peterborough is celebrating the release of his first published book.

Christopher Sampson told the Peterborough Telegraph that seeing his debut fantasy tale, Path Of The Azdinist: LU, go on sale was “really, really exciting.”

The 27-year-old said his debut tale is packed with “a lot of the things that fantasy fans like to sink their teeth into.”

“There’s a lot of world-building and a lot of magic and fantastical creatures.”

Set within the fantasy world of Kraj, the story follows Lu, an ageless character who is awoken from a state of dormancy and lured into doing a lot of “questionable things” in order to rid himself of a perpetual curse that hangs over him.”

“Because he’s just woken up,” Christopher explains, “he doesn’t have a sense of morality, but as he experiences more of the world, he starts to question the things he’s asked to do.”

Chris, who is also a musician and songwriter, has been a huge fan of the fantasy genre since his school days at the King’s School.

“That’s where I spent my time getting into music and getting into fantasy stories,” he acknowledged.

The talented creative believes Peterborough was – and still is – “a good place for fantasy.”

“There’s a strong alternative community in Peterborough which helped me as an aspiring musician, and for getting into fantasy books or films.”

As well as being a published novelist, Christopher is also the lead-singer and chief songwriter of Azure, an avant-garde, progressive rock band with strong folk and story-telling leanings.

Flexing his lyrical muscles, the singer-cum-wordsmith describes the band’s sound as a “sonic exploration of stories.”

Christopher is in no doubt that his abilities as a musical storyteller have aided his venture into the literary world.

“I write a lot of stories for the band,” he explains: “writing music has given me the conviction to really put everything in the book I wanted to write.”

So is this just the beginning of a new creative outlet for the fledgling author?

“Absolutely,” he says, beaming: “This book has an end but… the story needs to be continued!”Path Of The Azdinist: LU, published by Grosvenor, is on sale now.