Sparking Imagination

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: May 2024

Marc and Elizabeth Edelheit

I was raised by a career infantryman in the US Army, and long road trips were enlivened with lectures about Napoleon’s cataclysmic invasion of Russia and the strange appearance of a comet that heralded William the Conqueror’s victory at the Battle of Hastings, and the stationing of Roman legionnaires at odd outposts of the Empire.

Dad never, ever, talked about his experiences in the Second World War or the Korean Conflict or Vietnam, but he never tired of talking about strategy, and the unpredictable turns of history, and the supreme importance of maintaining esprit de corps.

That’s why I almost immediately fell in love with The Stiger Chronicles, a vast military fantasy series by Marc Alan Edelheit.

At first glance, the first book in the series, Stiger’s Tigers, is not so different from grimdark fantasies like The Black Company by Glen Cook or George RR Martin’s frustratingly incomplete Song of Ice and Fire. It features astonishingly complex worldbuilding and periodic bursts of violence and mayhem. There are armies of faux Roman Legionnaires whose ranks are leavened with elves and holy men just this side of Gandolf the Grey.

Yet what distinguishes Edelheit’s tales from their blood-soaked genre-mates are his deftly portrayed three-dimensional characters and their fealty to the protagonist, Captain Ben Stiger.

I’m in the midst of the third book, The Tiger’s Fate, and we’re following Stiger and his company in a series of battles against an implacable empire backstopped by demi-gods and dark magic. Though Stiger is young and relatively inexperienced, he’s learning that command is best exercised when it’s built upon a level of respect. And there are elements of grief and the excruciating demands that are placed upon his weary shoulders. This is elevated military fantasy, and it’s all the richer for its emotional wisdom.

Enraptured as I am by this series, I’m equally delighted that its creator and his family have laid down foundations right here on the Plateau.
Edelheit’s childhood adventures amidst the landscapes of the Plateau have not only shaped a lifelong bond with these tranquil mountains but also fueled a remarkable career in literature.

Marc’s narrative begins during his youth. His parents, captivated by the allure of Highlands, built a vacation home in the early ‘80s. The wilderness of cascading waterfalls, lakes, and trails became the backdrop for both his real and imagined adventures.

These formative experiences were not just pivotal in nurturing Marc’s love for nature, but also in igniting his passion for storytelling.

Amidst the inspiration drawn from these mountains, Marc embarked on an extraordinary literary journey. In 2015, he published his first fantasy novel, marking the beginnings of what would become a highly successful writing career (now up to 24 novels).

The pandemic era brought a reflective pause to Marc’s busy life, leading him and his family – wife Elizabeth and their three daughters – back to the Western North Carolina mountains. What started as a pandemic retreat soon evolved into a permanent relocation. The awe-inspiring vistas and the tranquil ambiance of the area rekindled in Marc a desire to merge his creative realm with the peaceful life these mountains offered.

The Edelheit family continues to weave their story into the fabric of this community. For Marc, the move has been a harmonious blend of personal fulfillment and creative resurgence. Surrounded by nature’s muse and a supportive community, he finds both a sanctuary for his family and an inexhaustible wellspring of inspiration for his writing.

(How inspiring? During the writing of this story, Marc revealed a pair of just-signed contracts – a fantasy trilogy with Aethon books and a sci-fi trilogy with Bookouture, a division of Hachette.)