Crystals of Ulstra is a book I come across while browsing instagram (yes, I use it, though I don’t post anything there) and immediately loved the sound of it and what the author Bradley Bowen was saying about it! I saw it pitched as ‘for readers who love expansive worlds with political depth and queer representation’, which is in fact EXACTLY my thing!
Here’s the official description;
When royalist interlopers set fire to Arbardio’s Grove, an earnest forest guardian named Koralo must face his fears and join the fight to save his world.
Across Ulstra, its people are drawn into the war by the mad king: Gerda, a crystal seeker from the mountains who is captured by the enemy; Lazuro, an entitled prince who wants his father’s crown for his own; and Rubena, a magical leader contending with the world-bending secrets that haunt her past.
An epic fantasy tale with a queer-normative sensibility, Crystals of Ulstra introduces a cast of complex, unforgettable characters and a lush new world that readers won’t ever want to leave. It is the first book in the Ulstra trilogy.
It’s been comped to Wizard of Earthsea, The Spear Cuts Through Water, and The Last Unicorn, among a bunch of other great titles.
And here’s the gorgeous cover!
Cover art by the wonderful @legendsofaukera!
And we even have a trope map!
After browsing through the author’s posts, I can elaborate a bit on some of the things in the trope map: we’ve been promised THREE magic systems (crystals, emotion-magic, and elemental magic), griffins (who will sometimes wear armour?!), a matriarchal order of wilderness guardians who can be recognised by their pink hair, and genuinely complex villains.
Plus, of our three main characters, one is non-binary, one is a brown immortal (and I wouldn’t be shocked if she turns out to be queer as well), and one is queer and in an M/M romance.
I also think it’s incredibly cool that the language of Ulstra is Esperanto – a language that has been repeatedly banned by governments because it’s designed to be internationalist. It’s often thought of as a language of hope, hope in humanity – so the fact that the author used it for his fantasy language makes me extra excited for the hopepunk themes in his book.
Basically, I’m sold.
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Non-binary MC, brown MC, queer MC
Published on: 4th December 2026
Goodreads
When royalist interlopers set fire to Arbardio's Grove, an earnest forest guardian named Koralo must face his fears and join the fight to save his world.
Across Ulstra, its people are drawn into the war by the mad king: Gerda, a crystal seeker from the mountains who is captured by the enemy; Lazuro, an entitled prince who wants his father's crown for his own; and Rubena, a magical leader contending with the world-bending secrets that haunt her past.
An epic fantasy tale with a queer-normative sensibility, Crystals of Ulstra introduces a cast of complex, unforgettable characters and a lush new world that readers won't ever want to leave. It is the first book in the Ulstra trilogy.
Crystals of Ulstra will be released on December 4th this year, but you can already preorder it on Amazon or add it on Goodreads!
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