Picture a Canadian storyteller who weaves gothic tales as misty as the Pacific Northwest forests—meet J.M. Miro! This novelist and poet, also known as Steven Price, has enchanted readers with his historical fantasy series, The Talents Trilogy, starting with the spellbinding Ordinary Monsters. With a knack for blending Victorian-era grit with supernatural wonder, Miro’s stories feel like Charles Dickens teaming up with the X-Men.
As a professor at the University of Victoria, Miro shapes young writers while crafting narratives that dance between life, death, and the eerie unknown. His work is a haunting love letter to outsiders, found families, and the beauty of being different.
The Making of J.M. Miro
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Miro was a lonely kid who found solace in fantasy novels. From Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea to the epic sagas of the 1980s, these stories sparked his dream of becoming a writer. He earned a BFA from the University of Victoria in 2000 and an MFA in poetry from the University of Virginia, honing his craft in both verse and prose. Under his real name, Steven Price, he published award-winning poetry and literary fiction, but it was his love for speculative fiction that birthed J.M. Miro.
J.M. Miro’s Unforgettable Stories
Miro’s debut, Ordinary Monsters (2022), kicks off The Talents Trilogy with a bang. Set in 1882 Victorian London, it follows Charlie Ovid, who heals instantly, and Marlowe, who glows with a strange light, as they’re hunted by a sinister man made of smoke. The novel’s lush, gothic prose and diverse cast—think Komako, a dust-twisting witch-child, and Ribs, an invisible girl—create a world both grim and magical. Critics have compared it to Penny Dreadful and The Umbrella Academy for its dark, sprawling vibe.
The sequel, Bringer of Dust (2024), deepens the saga, taking readers from Sicily’s sunlit villas to Paris’s shadowy catacombs. Here, the Talents face a new threat: a horned creature and a mysterious Abbess seeking forbidden power. Miro’s style is atmospheric, weaving themes of belonging, difference, and the thin veil between life and death. His characters, especially the fierce detective Alice Quicke, shine with complex backstories that tug at the heart.
Under his real name, Miro has also published poetry like Anatomy of Keys (2006), which won Canada’s Gerald Lampert Award, and literary novels like Into That Darkness (2011). These works showcase his versatility, but it’s his fantasy novels that have captured a global audience.
Why J.M. Miro Matters
Miro’s work resonates because it celebrates the marginalized—orphans, women, and minorities—who wield extraordinary power in a brutal world. His stories challenge readers to rethink what makes a monster, blending horror with hope. As a professor, he inspires students to find their voice, while his novels invite fans to embrace their own uniqueness. With The Talents Trilogy still unfolding, Miro is carving a lasting mark on historical fantasy.
- Born: Date unavailable, raised in the Pacific Northwest
- Key Works: Ordinary Monsters (2022), Bringer of Dust (2024), Anatomy of Keys (2006, as Steven Price)
- Awards: Gerald Lampert Award (2007, as Steven Price)
- Fun Fact: Miro’s wife, novelist Esi Edugyan, inspired Ordinary Monsters by urging him to write it!
Snag Ordinary Monsters and dive into J.M. Miro’s haunting, heartfelt world of gothic fantasy!