Alexander Sulyok
Writer and Narrative Designer
To the Outlands: The Outlander cover art
To the Outlands
"After the racket of the Cluster, a silence settled across Erthen. Then, a path between realms was crudely torn into existence, its formation like a cry of pain that echoed across the cosmos. This unnatural Entrance disrupted the balance. So They must fix it."
"To the Outlands" is my fantasy book series that I've been working on since 2019.
The story takes place in an alternate fantasy continent known as Erthen, where people from our world are being transported and branded with the label "Outlanders". With our species being as ambitious as we are, our arrival is destructive and problematic, leading to wars and an imbalance of power.
The mystery of who or what sent us here hangs over the series like a melting icicle in a dark cave; occasionally, a drop hits our head, and we are reminded of its existence. But in a world of Celestial beings, Eldritch unknown, and men who can level entire countries, the mystery remains. ​
My novels explore the politics of a sentiently varied society having to deal with a species such as our own. They explore the dangers of escapism leaking into reality, and how that escapism can make you feel as though you are in control, when in actuality, it controls you. They explore letting go of what you can't control and having agency over what you can. And finally, they explore the idea that even if you find yourself in a new body, in a fantastical world where even your wildest dreams could be a reality, you can never escape your own brain.
The Outlander
The Outlander is the first book in my series, To the Outlands and has a completed manuscript that is available to read.
The novel follows a young man named Flynn, who awakens in a dark, strange forest with no memory of how he arrived. He quickly realises he is no longer in London, but somewhere else entirely. A layered world governed by celestial entities and filled with Relics powered by a strange energy known as Essence. A world that, only recently, has been ruptured by something or someone. And everyone seems to think that someone is Flynn.
​
If you would like to read more, there is a small sample of my manuscript available below.
The Sovereign
The Sovereign is the second book in my series, To the Outlands, and is currently unfinished.
Set seven years after The Outlander, ​​The Sovereign is told from the eyes of Autumn, a young female outlander who has severe short-term memory damage. Entering Midrealm, aiming to delve into the lower realms, Autumn finds herself mixed up in a conflict between a reluctant king, his neglected people, and a righteous revolutionary with poor intentions.
​
If you would like to read more, there is a small sample of my incomplete manuscript available below.
Cncept art of Edward Sullivan, The Sovereign
War Stories
War Stories is a fantasy, military story set in the world of To the Outlands. While not part of the main series, this story takes place during a war that happened between books one and two.
​
This book's plotline is largely irrelevant to the main plot of the series, which is why it's considered a side story. However, it covers a significant event that mostly affected all characters involved in the main plotline of the series, introducing PTSD, trauma, survivor's guilt, and larger political tones to the narrative.
​
Told from several viewpoints, with some characters introduced in The Outlander and some introduced in The Sovereign, War Stories is about a band of soldiers who are tasked with taking and holding a stronghold in Midrealm, the Realm that exists below the continent. Holding Midrealm is pivotal for the war as it allows easy and quick access to all points of the continent due to its geography being at a 1:5 ratio to Erthans' land mass. To do this, they must battle an army of misguided outlanders and inhuman, faceless creatures, while surviving a harsh, fantastical land that doesn't care whether they live or die.
This story is about the operation that won the Faceless War, and ultimately, the harrowing toll the war took on the brave soldiers who survived.
​
Unfortunately this Novel is still in note form and cannot be read; however, if you would like to learn more about it feel free to get in contact.