Gods and Monsters: Terra Solaris is the first volume in the Gods and Monster series.
The series takes place in Graia: a fantastical version of ancient Greece not unlike the world of Greek mythology. All the gods and mythic creatures are real and similar to their real mythic counterparts.
Terra: The Goddess of Nature
Terra Solaris is based on a mix of: Greek Gaia/ Roman Terra the goddess of the world, Hera the queen of the gods (and goddess of marriage), Persephone goddess of spring (and Hades’ wife) and Rhea the Queen of the Titans and mother of the gods.
Typhon: The Strongest Monster
Typhon is based on a mix of Kronos the king of the Titans and god of Time, Typhon the father of all Monsters from Greek mythology and Saturnus the Roman harvest god.
Hades: He Is Not The Devil, I Promise
Based on Hades god of the dead, mines, and the wealth of the earth in Greek mythology.
Enemies of Africa is Jaiden Baynes debut novel
This book was born from a Black History Month personal side project that spiraled out of control. A few years back I wanted to use black history month as a way to inform and educate family and friends on black history globally rather than just focusing on African American history.
I wrote an article a day for a month and by the end had enough content to make a book. So, I did. I wanted to have people understand the history of racism and imperialism in the world using a more concrete and materialist way rather than the commendable but vague general idea most in the black community have as a result of generational trauma.
Given the dark subject matter and the emotional responses I received, especially from the slavery section, I decided to add more lightheartedness to balance it out. The snarky introduction and casual asides, while unbecoming of a truly scholarly text, proved to be a favorite of most casual readers. Hopefully that approach keeps the book entertaining while it is educating. It won awards or whatever, so some people seemed to like it.
BLOGS
FAQs
A: Graia is a smaller part of a larger cosmos inhabited by early bronze age equivalent humans. I say larger cosmos because despite still being in a stage of civilizational infancy, humanity has somehow already found itself inhabiting multiple earth like planets. Graia is just the region of space where most of the story takes place.
A: My love of mythology from personal study made me want to share what I’d learned with everyone else. My Professor John Colarusso inspired and assisted me in bringing this vision to life.
A: I won’t give my personal favourites, but based on feedback from readers, the main crowd favourites seem to be Cerberus and Typhon.
A: The series delves into themes of power corrupting, conflict between classes and the hazy distinction between pirates and emperors. Terra not only has to confront external threats but also navigate the complexities of her internal problems too.
Reviews and Accolades
