Damien Ike and the Fallen House of Draven by Dee Benson and David Arlo
Author Dee Benson shares some enticing insights into this book and it is entirely likely that our audience will want to know more about Damien Ike and will search for this story. It is a powerful guest blog!
Damien Ike and the Fallen House of Draven by Dee Benson and David Arlo
How writing the book was a celebration – words from Dee Benson:
I grew up reading anything and everything I could get my hands on. I was that child who preferred to sit in a corner with a book rather than run around the playground. I loved reading so much that I was able to brush aside the fact that very few of the characters I ever read about looked like me. That’s why writing Damien Ike and the Fallen House of Draven was more than just a fun fantasy project in which I got to explore magic systems and play with complex layers of worldbuilding—it was a personal celebration of representation. Personal because I, the bookworm who once wished for more representation, now have the opportunity to be one of those creating it.
Crafting a Black protagonist with depth and complexity, someone who isn’t defined by his race but by his character and choices, was incredibly important to me. I wanted readers to see themselves in Damien’s struggles and triumphs, no matter their background. I also wanted to celebrate Nigerian culture through subtle inclusions in the world of Damien Ike. For example, Ike means ‘power’ in the Nigerian Igbo language, and I hid other little Easter eggs in the novel, such as making the surnames of the other two powerful families also mean power in the two other major languages of Nigeria: Yoruba and in Hausa. For readers who understand these languages, it adds another layer of connection to the narrative and emphasizes how language itself can be a source of power and identity.
This theme of power is explored not only through language choices but also through the supporting cast. I made a conscious effort to write strong female characters who are just as formidable as their male counterparts. Damien’s mother, Ida Ike, is a prime example. As the editor of a prominent newspaper, she navigates the murky world of politics with intelligence, poise, and courage. I wanted to explore different types of power: political, personal, magical, and familial, and Ida is perhaps the only character in the story who embodies all four.
At its heart, Damien Ike is a story about finding your place in the world when society tells you that you’re not enough. For Damien, that struggle is due to being the son of the most powerful Mage in the world but not yet having powers at age fifteen when most people get them at thirteen. But in the end, his story is about redefining power—showing that true power comes not from magical abilities or family legacy, but from standing up for what’s right, even when it’s hard.
So, whether readers are drawn in by the complex magic system, the political intrigue, or the characters themselves, I hope they’ll see Damien Ike and the Fallen House of Draven as more than just a fantasy story. I hope they’ll see it as a celebration of identity, resilience, and what it means to be truly powerful. If I had magic powers, I would send the novel back in time to eight-year-old me. I think she would be immensely proud of her future self for writing it.