From Somerset to CanQueer British-Canadian Author Reimagines Post-Arthurian Myth in Magical New Fantasy Novel The Hollow Valeada: British-Canadian Author Explores Migration and Identity in New Fantasy Novel The Hollow Vale

TORONTO, ON – Born in Somerset and now living in Canada, queer author Alexander Paul Burton brings a new voice to fantasy literature with The Hollow Vale—a poetic, myth-rich novel rooted in themes of exile, female strength, and the lingering magic of a world in decline.

Written with readers of Tolkien, Arthurian legend, and British folk tradition in mind, The Hollow Vale offers an evocative journey into a land once great, now fractured. Burton draws from the fading echoes of Roman and post-Arthurian Britain to create a story where memory, myth, and landscape carry equal weight. Mist-laced hills, crumbling citadels, and haunted vales form the backdrop of a narrative led by women and outsiders trying to preserve what remains of their culture.

Rather than a tale of conquest or chosen heroes, this is a story of resilience after the fall—one that speaks to anyone who has felt like an outsider in their own land.

“I’ve always felt that the legends of Britain didn’t end with Camelot,” Burton says. “They simply drifted west, into the mists, where ordinary people kept the fire burning. That’s what this book is about—what happens after the great stories end, and how people rebuild their lives when the old world slips away.”

Burton, who grew up near Glastonbury and the Quantocks, infuses the novel with a sense of ancient magic and earth-rooted spirituality. Readers familiar with the folklore of the West Country will feel the presence of standing stones, forgotten gods, sacred springs, and whispered legends throughout the text. “It’s not about flashy magic,” Burton explains. “It’s about a quieter kind of power—ancestral memory, intuition, and the strength we carry from the land and from each other.”

Now based in Toronto, Burton brings a diasporic perspective to the work. As a queer migrant navigating personal and cultural estrangement, he uses fantasy as a way to explore identity, grief, and renewal. “I lost a sense of home for a while,” he says. “Writing The Hollow Vale was my way of making peace with that.”

The novel forms the first part of The Tharion Cycle, a wider project that includes hand-drawn maps, original music, and companion lore essays. A special hardcover edition—with gold detailing and additional artwork—is expected later in 2025. Music from the world of The Hollow Vale is also available on major streaming platforms.

While the book has already gained interest in Canada and France, Burton is especially hopeful that readers in the South West will feel a kinship with the world he’s created. “This story is for those who love the old paths, who still believe in the power of place, and who know that the veil between worlds is thin,” he says.

Available in paperback, hardcover, and digital editions, The Hollow Vale can be ordered from local bookshops, Waterstones, Amazon, and global distributors like IngramSpark. Burton encourages independent orders where possible.