Given the world that we live in, it’s not really a surprise that people escape into books. It’s easy enough to come up with fictional tales set in our world, but it can be even more fun to create an entirely new world and develop interesting creatures that inhabit it. Instead of putting on a suit and going to work in a corporate office, you can put on a suit of armor and go off on an amazing quest.

With winter forcing most of us to stay inside as much as possible, I was able to tackle one of the books in my to-be-read pile. Curse of the Onyx Heart was written by Chad Grayson, an author from northern California, and showcases a world where humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, changelings and more coexist together—not amicably, but enough to make the story interesting.

In this world, there is magic and intrigue, with a mage’s guild and a giant library in Bright Haven that is protected by a group called the City Guard. The book begins with a city leader slain by undead creatures called revenants, and a member of the City Guard must team up with an elven mage who is developing his powers while working at the library.

I first jumped into Curse of the Onyx Heart while getting a brake light replaced by my mechanic. With some simple repairs, I usually bring a book along to read while I’m waiting to get my Jeep back. I got through the first couple of chapters before everything was ready to go, but by then, I was so engrossed in the story that I had to figure out when I had some free time to keep on going.

Over the course of a couple of weeks, I became enveloped in a story about a warrior coming into his own and becoming a hero for his community, the mage who learned to develop his powers while on a quest for an ancient artifact, and a thief stuck between two worlds who developed a heart of gold and used her skills to save society as she and her comrades knew it.

It’s been a while since I’ve been enveloped in a fantasy story involving gay protagonists that was not my own. I first met Chad Grayson in a Facebook group about gay men who enjoy gay books. His pitches about his books intrigued me, and I decided around November to order one of his books. A lot of my reading as of late has involved books with main characters who are gay, but most have been love stories.

Curse of the Onyx Heart was different. Sure, the main character became involved with another man, but that was a footnote in the fantasy adventure. I enjoyed being able to relate to the main character—in terms of his sexuality—but being able to focus on the quest as the characters search for the all-powerful Onyx Heart.

I’m eager to read the next book, and not just because I liked this one. It ended with a good indicator that the story is not over, that there’s something else lurking around the corner. That can be exciting in one way, because it means you can continue the adventure. However, that book has not come out yet, so it can be a little infuriating because I have to wait for the author to write it.

That’s probably how some readers feel about my books. Most of my fantasy tales are standalones, but I remember one of those books, A Cure For Hunger II: Howl of the Wendigo, ending on a cliffhanger of sorts. The secondary plot involved one of my main characters, a witch named Benjamin, whose power involved one inherited power from each of his parents.

At the beginning of the story, Benjamin is being pursued by evildoers and discovers he’s imbued with a second power from his mother’s side, something that’s naturally forbidden by his people. While he manages to be victorious over the titular monster, he finds himself at a crossroads regarding his powers and leaves his home, his sweetheart and everything he knows to find the answers to his dilemma.

I suppose that’s the ultimate compliment for good authors—giving readers the happy ending they want while leaving a hint that there’s still much more to the story. When you can leave readers with mixed emotions of joy and emptiness, you’ve done a good job.

I look forward to the next book. I hope I’m not waiting too long.