Photo by Kourosh Qaffari on Unsplash
By Dakota Hornak, Staff Writer
On April 12, the Susquehanna Writers Institute held a virtual Seavey Reading Series event to welcome back 2016 graduate Nick Martell. Since his time at Susquehanna, Martell has begun his series, “The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings,” which features two books thus far. Martell’s fantasy series started with his debut novel “The Kingdom of Liars” which was published in May of 2020.
Not only is Martell’s writing style unique, but so is his life. He was born in Ontario, Canada before moving to Huntington, N.Y. at seven-years-old. After graduating high school, Martell majored in creative writing with a minor in French at Susquehanna. At only 23-years-old, Martell sold “The Kingdom of Liars,” fulfilling a dream he’s had since he started writing in fifth grade.
His reading featured chapter one of the series’ second installment, “The Two-Faced Queen.” Having just been released on March 23, Martell described the excitement around his newest novel. He noted that he is looking forward to seeing the reactions and reviews as more and more people read his novels and enter the world Martell has built for years.
As an admirer of fantasy, hearing “The Two-Faced Queen” immediately drew me into the story. What I love most about Martell’s writing style is the descriptiveness of his word choices and how he uses metaphors. He is able to write in a way that perfectly paints a vivid, yet unique picture of the novel’s universe for each reader. His reading created a sense of warmth that drew the audience in and left them disappointed when he finished the first chapter.
Martell spoke with passion as he read and talked about his writings in a way that made me admire his work even more. It’s clear that every word of every page of his novels was chosen with care by the way he reads his stories and how he shows gratitude towards supporters. He even features fanart on his website, which demonstrates the compassion Martell carries for his supporters.
The night of fantasy was an amazing experience for aspiring writers, and it was great to welcome back an alumnus and hear his take on writing. After hearing the excerpt, I will be reading both of Martell’s novels and I encourage all magical fantasy lovers to do the same.
