Whispers of the Storm

At a Glance: A Grimdark Exploration of Male Expectation

Whispers of the Storm is often pitched as a framed narrative grimdark fantasy that has great character work, incredible banter, and an interesting magic system. It has all of those in spades, but what I found to be the most compelling thing about this novel was the deep thematic exploration of familial abandonment and rarely talked about male expectation. Whispers of the Storm was an absolutely incredible experience from start to finish that delivers one of the best indie published stories that I personally have ever read.

Redlin of the Wolves is our main character, an infamous and devastatingly powerful warrior who is on his way to his execution. While traveling to what will be the end of his life, the Inquisitor he is traveling with is tasked with getting the story of how Redlin became that infamous and feared warrior.

Redlin recounts his journey from the beginning, giving his detailed version of events that took him from young, ambitious, and somewhat nerdy boy to the man who is one of the most feared and powerful people in the realm of Usmal. As an unreliable narrator reflecting on his own descent, Redlin reveals as much through what he justifies as what he admits. The draw to this story isn’t what happened to land Redlin in captivity, but what causes a seemingly ambitious young man to become someone the realm looks at with fear and resentment—it’s about the events and trauma that take someone with a drive and good intentions down a path where they become the one thing they seemingly never wanted to be.

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Two Picks We Think Are Worth Reading

Gateway read, then more in a similar vibe

Empire of the Vampire

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4.50

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🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

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Grimdark Fantasy • Fantasy Romance

The Devils

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4.50

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🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

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The Realm of Usmal: Where Religion and Magic Collide

Whispers of the Storm takes place in the Usmal, a realm where Shattering—an elemental magic system—is directly tied to the religious devotion of the ones who wield it. Unlike a lot of epic fantasy, Usmal doesn’t feel sprawling when we’re first introduced to it, instead Steele takes a delicate approach to make sure that the world-building doesn’t feel like a chore. The world expands slowly as we get to know Redlin through his interactions with others as he learns how to become a Vanguard at the Eilen military academy dedicated to the god Balin.

The feeling of being absconded by words and transported by imagery was something historical retellings had never done for me, but simple tales of farm boys saving the world were always good to set my mind aflame.

The religious system is well developed and directly tied into the power structure of Usmal, consisting of a Pantheon of 5 gods:

• Tidur: God of Fire
• Smaira: Goddess of Storms
• Odis: God of Earth
• Balin: God of Ice
• Reign: God of Light—leader of the rest of the Pantheon

If a person does have the ability to Shatter, that ability will be directly tied to the god of the element they wield. Their connection and devotion to that god directly correlates with how much power they have alongside their Aether—a power pool within each person similar to a soul—supply. Shattering has a cost tied to it as Aether is a finite resource and can be drained dry. Steele uses this cost to add weight and gravity to the action scenes when it’s used, moments that could have felt like an overpowered way out of a bad situation are quickly grounded with the negative effect it’s use has.

In the latter half of the book we end up in Fymdell where the political intrigue kicks into high gear when Redlin joins the Vanguard. Quickly he discovers that being a protector of the Realm’s most wealthy and powerful isn’t exactly what he thought it would be. He has to learn how to navigate the politics using quick wit and smooth talking more often than a blade, leading to some of the most intense moments in the novel.

Redlin of the Wolves: A Moral Decay You Can’t Help But Rationalize

Redlin of the Wolves is introduced as a monstrous murderer, on his way to be executed for his crimes on orders of the Archon who is the most powerful man in all of Usmal. Redlin irritated me when I first started reading this story, he’s pompous, constantly invoking one of the many titles he earned through warfare. What impressed me most was how quickly I found myself rooting for the young man who is the true focus of this story. His growth from innocent young man to Vanguard felt authentic, and this is where we start to see how the trauma of abandonment starts to cloud his morality.

If you can feel my resentment, it’s because wounds inflicted on children may never heal.

The moral decay of Redlin is a slow burn that happens so gradually that I found myself rationalizing the questionable and even outright wrong choices Redlin makes. By the end of the novel, you start to get a slight preview of the man he will become. Through his emotional struggles, seeing how loyal he is to his found family, and how ruthless and without remorse he can be makes him such a deeply compelling character.

Maya is the Inquisitor assigned to get the story of Redlin by the Archon and the person who is there to remind us that we shouldn’t be taking everything we’re reading at face value. The interlude sections of Whispers of the Storm had some of the best witty banter in the book as Maya would call Redlin on what could be a lie, and Redlin would jab back in an attempt to make her second guess her question. It was really fun as a reader who enjoys framed narratives because the interludes always felt like they came at just the right moment.

Mika is the love interest, Redlin’s paramour, his first, and his love. The romance between them has good yearning, believable encounters, and offers some genuinely funny moments of Redlin internalizing embarrassment. She is kind, thoughtful, but ultimately I’ll leave it at that, but I will say I’m very interested to see more of her in book 2.

Mocking is generally the best way for boys to bond with each other.

Then we have the supporting cast of characters Gare, Rohan, Malcolm, and Prace who all are richly developed with unique voices, different motivations, quirks, and reasons to both love and loathe them at times. Steele masterfully ensures that every character that sees page time truly feels unique and is noteworthy. Steele’s clever banter masks emotional undertones brilliantly, making you care even about characters you initially resent.

I set myself on being great, right then and there. If a sniveling child was easy to toss aside, then I could only become a great man. It was the only way to make sure I'd never be left behind again. I stopped my tears. Great men don't cry.

Framed Narrative: A Journey to Infamy

Whispers of the Storm being a framed narrative allows it to open with a gripping hook and slowly build momentum throughout. The first half of the book reads a little slower but has a perfect blend of world-building and action to keep it interesting. The tension ebbs and flows while at Eilen, Steele ride the line at times between humor and gravity, but does it in a masterful way to keep the more information heavy sections from getting boring. There is some very minor moments of questionable time period specific names and dialogue that you may catch if you’re a history buff, but they’re so inconsequential to the overall novel that I think the average fantasy reader may not even notice them.

The action scenes feel cinematic, painting a great picture with little details while adding suspense and tension to the moments through Redlin’s internalization during the fight scenes. The experience is heightened by the first person POV because the emotional component of not knowing the fate of others while things unfold because we only are able to get the view Redlin has.

The tip of the blade met the edge of his throat and went through like a farmer’s scythe goes through wheat. Blood flew through the air, crimson sparkles that danced and shined like jewels before falling on uncaring stone.

The rest of this section will contain minor spoilers but nothing that will reveal plot points

So this is the part where I’m going to go deep into the underlying thematic pieces of Whispers of the Storm. This is where this books truly shines and frankly I don’t see nearly enough praise for how they’re handled, with the exception of one particular theme. The effects of familial abandonment and childhood trauma are so beautifully—and heartbreakingly—represented in this story. Redlin’s entire trajectory hinges on the moment he is sold to Eilen by his father, leaving him emotionally devastated, bitter, and rightfully full of a constant burning rage. He is then forced to accept this new place—that literally paid his father for him—as his home where he now must prove himself worthy to avoid a worse fate. All of this while being a 14 year old boy who is at the peak of hormones, mental development, and emotions. All of these things combined are something even someone with the best support systems and emotional intelligence would struggle to grow up and not be forever changed in a negative way.

I don’t know how much I was sold for. I hope it was worth it.

That setup allows Steele to showcase a topic that is often to this day avoided because it’s not something anyone willingly addresses even in real life, male expectation around emotions and trauma. From the very beginning there is multiple instances where banter and humor is used as a subtle way to mask or convey emotion around other men. Redlin jokes about his situation, even to himself internally because he like almost every other man I know has been told men don’t show their emotions. This is portrayed early between Prace and Redlin, where Prace clearly cares for him and becomes a father figure to him, but will never outright tell him that. Instead he makes jokes about him, or plays of being kind to him as a way to avoid Redlin getting “all emotional” on him.

One particular scene that still sticks out to me even weeks after reading this was when Prace, Isaaru, and Redlin are playing cards and they make a comment about someone who has died. Prace and Isaaru laugh but their expressions betray them. The moment of vulnerability triggers a heated argument as they internally war with needing to be “men”. After their exchange and a long silence Prace tells Redlin that maybe it’s time for him to go, and as Redlin leaves he begins to cry because he feels that he’s once again being abandoned. Then he says this quote which I think perfectly sums up male expectation and Redlin’s character.

I set myself on being great, right then and there. If a sniveling child was easy to toss aside, then I could only become a great man. It was the only way to make sure I’d never be left behind again. I stopped my tears. Great men don’t cry.

The other pointed credit I want to pay to Steele is a particular scene where Redlin is trapped by a woman’s predatory use of power while on a mission. On first read, I completely missed it. The scene shows Redlin freezing, unable to stop her, and I initially thought his panic was about infidelity. Only later did I realize he was trapped by a woman’s predatory use of power—an older noblewoman and a poor orphan boy in a dark alley. This has such a profound emotional impact on Redlin but also highlights the broader male expectation theme of the book. It is not gratuitous at all and handled perfectly to be a reality check on the reader in my opinion—at least for me personally it was. It also allows Steele to really highlight how a young man in that situation would think, how they wouldn’t be able to bring it up because they’d be met with people thinking it was a positive like I admittedly did.

Everyone except Olivia knew that something was off, but no one said anything. That’s how it always is for survivors.

If you’re a guy reading this, and you told your friends in high school that the hot teacher put her hands in your pants they’d all congratulate you. If you then told them that you didn’t want it, that it was traumatic they’d say things like “oh poor you, the hot teacher made you climax” or “well if you don’t want it, I’ll be glad to pull my pants down for her”. Steele perfectly portrays this with Redlin’s internal dialogue doing an incredible job at highlighting this exact type of scenario a man would face and truly shines a light on how men are conditioned to think from an incredibly young age.

I did humor telling Asher, or Rohan. With both, I figured the best I could hope for was to be laughed at. Hearing something like “I wish my clients were that grateful!” or “Did she have rough hands?” would have broken me. At worst, I’d be disdained for receiving sexual activity from a client, accused of volunteering, if not outright suggesting, and placed on suspension.

Between the Sheets: Young Love

Whispers of the Storm has a surprisingly yearn filled romantic subplot for our guy Redlin, a little bit of love at first sight and then some pining until they meet again. It’s a slow burn with some believable awkward encounters, and even a brief bit of tasteful spice earning this a 🌶️ (1.5) on our spice scale.

What really stood out to me was how Steele channels what makes the Romantasy genre special and is often overlooked by male authors when writing romance and spice. It’s not just the physical descriptions of the moments, but Redlin’s emotional experience as the scene unfolds. We’re in his head feeling the elation, the nervousness, the bliss of the aftermath. That vulnerability from a male POV is rare and refreshing, and it’s handled with the same care Steele brings to everything else in this book.

When I leaned into her, she pushed back, our kiss turning into an aggressive meeting of flame and oil. We ended up on the ground, rolling atop the stone, taking turns on top of each other and only pausing for quick breaths. I could feel her apology or what had happened between us in those kisses, and I could feel her matched excitement when she began to grind against me.

The real focused relationships in this story are the found family of Redlin and his roommates at Eilen and then later his group of Vanguard in Fymdell. The romantic subplot between him and Mika certainly feels like it’s going to have a much bigger role in the next book. In this one it was just enough to surprise me and make this a new “bridge” book to showcase how romance can enhance a story.

Bro Reading Comfort: Baristas Won’t Give a Second Glance

Whispers of the Storm might get a bit dark and emotionally heavy at times, but that is really the only thing that might make you consider not reading this out in public. The spice is a blip on the radar in this and the cover art screams dark fantasy earning this one a 😳 (1.0) on the comfort scale.

I spent that free time valiantly on love, friendship, and books, the three most worthy things in the world.

The cover is incredible, it screams dark broody fantasy, instantly stand out on the shelf, and will have me screaming as Z.B. Steele until he gets me a damned hardback version. This book should be fine if you’re looking to emphasize that male expectation by going to your local Dunkin Donuts and ordering one of those new protein iced coffees before you do some performative reading.

Darkness Factor: Gritty Exploration of Trauma

Whispers of the Storm is unequivocally a grimdark fantasy even if it’s not the typical flavor you may be accustom to because it’s more the psychological aspects. It’s a difficult read in the sense that it’s going to challenge you because of how much empathy you find yourself having for this seemingly horrible person, earning this a 💀💀💀💀 (4.0) on the darkness scale.

You’ll learn from this. You’ll see who you can save and who you can’t. Caring for dying soldiers … it’s a fleeting comfort for those who won’t remember it. Futile, and ultimately it’s the living around you who suffer for it.

The book is full of vividly violent battles, profound psychological trauma, childhood abandonment, and a fair share of adult naughty words but none of that is used in a gratuitous way. There is one scene where Redlin is the victim of sexual assault, it’s not heavily detailed in the physical description of the assault, but does go deep into the emotional component during and after it happens. It’s not an easy part of the book to read, but it is handled with extreme care and very well written with obvious thought behind it to ensure it doesn’t go too far, but certainly uncomfortable.

Book Battlefield: A Name You Should Get Familiar With

Z.B. Steele’s Whispers of the Storm sets the bar impossibly high for anyone putting out an independently published book. It’s polished, hits all the right notes in terms of story beats, and makes you want to keep turning the page to find out what’s going to happen. Steele could go toe to toe with some of the goats on the traditionally published side when it comes to character work. I genuinely mean it when I say that I’d expect this book to be on the shelf next to Jay Kristoff and Joe Abercombie—the quality of the prose and the character work are at such a high level.

As you can see, I am just an old man trying to enlighten a young mind. No Vanguard business here,” Shur said dismissively. “You overstep your bounds.” “You put your flag on a castle that doesn’t belong to you.” “I won’t forget this.” She bent down to collect the pin. “See that you don’t. I’m a teacher at heart, but I do hate to repeat lessons.

If you love a framed narrative like you get with Empire of the Vampire, the type of banter that we got in The Devils, or a morally gray protagonist that has that dramatic melancholy of Hadrian from The Sun Eater series then this is a must read.

This belongs on the same shelf as those books—not as aspirational comp, but as peer. If you shelve Kristoff for unreliable narrators with dark wit, Abercrombie for moral ambiguity that makes you complicit, or Ruocchio for protagonists whose tragedy defines them, Whispers of the Storm delivers on all three fronts while adding something they don’t: a willingness to tackle male emotional trauma with unflinching honesty.

Should You Bother?

For Fans of Jay Kristoff: This will hit all the notes of Empire of the Vampire and then some, especially if you liked that top tier witty cat and mouse game between the unreliable narrator and somewhat likable interviewer.

For Grimdark Fans: You get all the grit, dark, and deep thematic dives that make a story feel human and believable. A powerful thematic exploration into trauma and the person that it creates.

For Men Who Want to Feel Seen: I have not read anything quite like this before in terms of being willing to really shine a light on the unspoken male expectation that showing emotion is a negative and must be avoided at all cost.

For Found Family Fantasy Fans: The heart of this story is Redlin’s roommates at Eilen and his Vanguard unit—a group of men and women bound by oath and shared purpose. The found family dynamics are as compelling as the main plot, with banter that masks genuine emotional bonds and loyalty tested by impossible circumstances.

Final BroMantasy Verdict

Z.B. Steele has done something that most traditionally published authors struggle with. Steele created a morally gray antihero you simultaneously loathe and deeply empathize with, wrapped it in a framed narrative that crackles with wit and tension, and delivered it independently without a major publisher’s backing, large editorial teams, or a billion dollar marketing machine. Whispers of the Storm doesn’t just compete with books like Empire of the Dawn, The Strength of the Few, Shadows Upon Time, and The Devils—it belongs on the same shelf, earning it a 5.0.

What makes this achievement remarkable isn’t just the technical polish (though it’s there). It’s the thematic depth. Steele refuses to shy away from exploring male expectation and emotional suppression in ways I have never experienced in a novel. He portrays trauma with nuance, writes banter that masks and reveals emotion simultaneously, and creates a protagonist whose moral decay is so gradual, so human, that you rationalize his worst choices even as you’re horrified by them.

Redlin of the Wolves is someone I find myself still thinking about weeks after finishing this book, not because of all the betrayals or murders without remorse, but because of how in spite of all the awful things about it, I can’t help but empathize with what created that person. Male expectation is often overlooked or shrugged off and Z.B. Steele flipped the script and made it the primary focus. The way he portrays that expectation and culture of “men shouldn’t be emotional” is profoundly tragic—and tragically human. For male readers especially, Redlin becomes an uncomfortable mirror—a warning about what happens when we accept the cultural lie that strength requires emotional suppression.

It’s not often that I find myself sitting this long after finishing a book, and it’s truly an indication of how deeply this story not only affected me, but resonated with me. I wanted to make sure that I gave this book it’s due because I believe that everyone, even if you’re not a dark fantasy reader should give a shot. I’m one of those weirdos who doesn’t go back and change rankings—feels disingenuous. I was midway through Whispers of the Storm when I finalized my top 6 of 2025. But this? This is definitely top 3 material for the year.

Be sure to follow Z.B. Steele on socials, read his books, and support indie authors because this is the kind of story you might be missing because it wasn’t put out from a traditional publisher.

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