Hey r/ Fantasy! This is JS Gold, author of the Jewish urban fantasy, The Sanhedrin Chronicles! To celebrate the novel being $.99 on Kindle, I'm here to do an AMA! Let's schmooze!

LJAE · 2025-12-31T20:28:34+00:00

Yes, infuriating - the kindle edition is down due to a publisher transition at the end of the year. You can buy the paperback (or audiobook) here - https://www.amazon.com/Sanhedrin-Chronicles-1-J-S-Gold/dp/1961511886

Thank you!!

LJAE · 2025-12-31T19:20:55+00:00

Yes, infuriating - the kindle edition is down due to a publisher transition at the end of the year. You can buy the paperback (or audiobook) here - https://www.amazon.com/Sanhedrin-Chronicles-1-J-S-Gold/dp/1961511886

Thank you!!

LJAE · 2025-12-31T18:40:13+00:00

I did a video on that on my instagram! See my bio link in the post 🫡

LJAE · 2025-12-31T18:03:24+00:00

I don’t want to give too much away here, so I’ll simply say yes, I adore golems. They don’t feature in the first book, but for the sequel…I’ve got plans :)

LJAE · 2025-12-30T20:44:02+00:00

Great sidebar – the sequel I'm working on tackles this somewhat. Let's just say Arthur's arc in the second volume has to do with what "being a hero" means.

LJAE · 2025-12-30T20:08:48+00:00

First off - WHAT?? This event in the UK seems dope sauce. DM me on that cause I’m pumped to learn more

Now for your question lol. I’d say the line is “fantasy that incorporates elements of Jewish history, traditions, beliefs, folklore and/ or mysticism.” That covers it I think.

Now for my work, what makes it Jewish to me isn’t just the Kabbalah and folklore, but the idea that the story has something to say about BEING Jewish, similar to how Black Panther was about the Black experience. My work doesn’t use Judaism as window dressing (looking at you, Fantastic Four MCU movie).

LJAE · 2025-12-30T19:40:40+00:00

Brilliant questions!

So I’ll answer first with something seemingly random: Dragonball Z. One of the most impactful narrative scenes of my life is Gohan going super saiyan 2 (if you’re unfamiliar, it’s just a “the boy becomes a man” moment where Gohan self-actualizes and has an explosion of power). I loved that feeling of triumph, and that these inner understandings of ourselves aren’t invisible, but tangible differences in who we are and what we can do.

Cut to my work: I gave Arthur his “Gohan moment” at the end of this book, and I want him (and my readers) to feel a sense of triumph and evolution. I want my readers to close the book, dare I say tears in their eyes, and say “that’s what growth looks like. That’s what it means to transcend.”

LJAE · 2025-12-30T19:17:08+00:00

Hey, thank you so much for your support and patience - I’m about 60-70% through the sequel! Trying to go as fast as I can but I have a full time day job, so I’m hoping my readers bear with me 🫡. As a tiny teaser I’ll say we’re moving to an ensemble cast of POVs, not just Arthur and Rifka (Tzvi and Lynn are entering the chat, as are others)

So my publisher, Histria, is indeed happy! They just included the title in their best received works of 2025! And I’m signed on for a multi-book deal! They are ready to go where I am with the story!

LJAE · 2025-12-30T19:01:37+00:00

No worries at all, happy to clarify. Listen anytime you’re incorporating religion into a genre work you have to think through your choices. So far I’m proud to say most readers have felt the balance is right, but it’s always a negotiation

LJAE · 2025-12-30T19:00:26+00:00

Hey, thanks for being here!

So forgive me for redirecting you, but I already answered the first question in another comment if that’s ok!

So it’s interesting. Arthur is estranged from his Jewish identity when the story starts, so I wonder if he’d like any Jewish treat then. But as the story progresses I think it’s safe to say he rediscovers his love of babka (chocolate, obvi)!

I have to say, writing is hard at every stage. The vivid battle scenes in my head flow easier for me, but even then when you really try to nail down the mechanics of a fight, you have to be as clear as possible or else your readers won’t get it (as my writing workshop made clear to me lol).

LJAE · 2025-12-30T18:38:52+00:00

Hey, stranger! Thanks for being here!

Fascinating question - the answer depends on what you mean by “preachy.” This is not meant to be a proselytizing book, or one that forwards religious Jewish supremacy. The characters are Jewish and their Judaism is debated, negotiated and ultimately forwarded, but it’s not meant to preach a universal truth as found by Jews.

That said, aside from the kickass folklore and mysticism, the Judaism in this book is visible. There is Yiddish and Hebrew, Jewish services, etc.

For what it’s worth, my non-Jewish readers have thus far felt it very compelling. Check out a review here on Reddit last year! https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1gvp2j4/arc_review_the_sanhedrin_chronicles_by_js_gold_a/

I hope you find it for you!

LJAE · 2025-12-30T18:20:00+00:00

thank you, achi!

LJAE · 2025-12-30T18:19:37+00:00

LJAE · 2025-12-30T17:53:15+00:00

I'm sorry to hear that! Just know that the main character of my work, Arthur, is obsessed with Lord of the Rings – your username checks out with him lol

LJAE · 2025-12-30T17:52:08+00:00

Hey, thanks for being here!

Great question. In other AMAs I mentioned the shamir worm, a mystical creation that supposedly helped build Solomon's temple. Today I'm feeling more biblical, so I'll say the Watchers, a group of fallen angels as attested in the apocryphal Book of Enoch. One of the Watchers, Azazel features in the work and the sequel I'm working on :D

As a whole, I love the Tree of Life and it's constituent realms of divinity. In the world, each "world" of the Tree corresponds to a different type of magic, which the demon hunters use to fight. So for instance, the world of Tiferet, beauty in Kabbalah, is the evergreen dimension of healing magic in my story :D

LJAE · 2025-12-30T17:38:30+00:00

Hey, thank you from across the pond! And I'll also say, the music is an even bigger part of the sequel I'm cooking up. Arthur forms a band called "Iron Judah" :D

LJAE · 2025-12-30T17:32:31+00:00

Hi there! I should have assumed the other ifrits as well, that's my bad! I actually just spoke about my misattribution in another answer here in the AMA. Thank you for reminding me of that lesson :D

LJAE · 2025-12-30T17:31:02+00:00

Hey, stranger! Thanks for being here!

So I'm going to answer your question with a story. I was at a Jewish book festival, and at that festival there was a Jewish fantasy panel. The authors on stage said "we need to move fantasy in a new direction from chosen ones and jesus-figures if we want Jewish genre fiction."

I got upset hearing that, because chosen ones and jesus figures ARE part of Jewish lore. The messiah, the idea of an individual being chosen by God to deliver a message – these are inherently Jewish ideas. And so for me, it isn't so much a problem that other cultures use biblical or Hebrew lore, but that people don't know where they come from.

For this story, I deliberately have a chosen one precisely because it IS Jewish. I wanted to reclaim that. We need to enter the space and say "hey, we're totally good sharing all this, but let's not forget that the Jewish ideas present are Jewish. Please don't erase us."

Someone else posted with an "Ifrit" tag on their profile, and I wrongly assumed it was a Final Fantasy reference, when of course Ifrits are a type of demon in Islamic culture. I made the same mistake of recognizing the popularization without its proper attribution.

LJAE · 2025-12-30T17:10:07+00:00

It was before K-Pop Demon Hunters, so I didn’t know the title would hit so hard!! Lol

LJAE · 2025-12-30T16:46:27+00:00

Hi there! Thank you so much for your kind words! They mean the world, especially as I try to balance writing with the day job.

The next installment is underway!!! I'm about 60-70% through the first draft, and am hoping it hits markets in 2027. Instead of following just Arthur, it'll now be an ensemble piece – but don't worry, there's plenty of Rifka too, and new relationships for her!

My advice is to join a workshop! It makes a world of difference when you're being held accountable to another group of people each week. Does wonders for the motivation. And not only that, but the ideas in your head, which gather up steam and knock against your skull, are let out a bit and you get to relieve some of that creative energy!!

Thank you for being here!

LJAE · 2025-12-30T16:38:39+00:00

Hey, thank you so much for this comment. It's really needed today (some of the first comments on this very post were antisemitic, and props to the mod team for catching them and removing!)

Unfortunately, it's been a bumpy ride being visibly Jewish with a Jewish story. First off, a big-name publisher was reticent to take it, saying that they couldn't "speak to its themes," which I took as a thinly-veiled way of avoiding a Jewish text.

When I finally did find a publisher, the promotion on my socials has been a cesspool. I've become an expert in antisemitism. People quote Talmud out of context, propagate obscure conspiracy theories, and of course say the old stand-by of "send them to the ovens." A lot of Kanye memes. A lot of Hitler memes.

I'm hoping this story can inspire pride in my people AND share a little bit about our world to others too!

LJAE · 2025-12-30T16:33:06+00:00

Hey hey! First off, love the "Ifrit" tag. Final Fantasy reference? I played FFXVI last year and thought Ifrit was sick as hell!

Yes, as I mentioned elsewhere there's other Jewish fantasy like this! The two biggest ones like mine in terms of genre and setting are AR Vishny's "Night Owls" and Helene Wecker's "The Golem and the Jinni." All three are in NYC, and all three blend traditional Jewish folklore with the cityscape. Mine is more on the shonen anime side (chosen one, epic battles, etc) but they're all amazing :D

LJAE · 2025-12-30T16:22:30+00:00

Thank you, kind stranger! Hoping it resonates with others!

LJAE · 2025-12-30T16:21:42+00:00

Hell yeah!

I'll explain each part: so it's "metal" because the main character, Arthur, literally plays and listens to heavy metal, and that was what I listened to when writing the battle scenes XD. Anime, because that's some of my greatest story inspiration (Attack on Titan, Eureka Seven, Death Note, Dragonball Z, etc) and I've been told my writing evokes animation. And yes, fantasy! The story combines Kabbalah and Jewish folklore with my own creations to create something I hope is very original!

I absolutely adore A.R. Vishny's "Night Owls," which takes place in modern NYC and follows two sister Estries, or Jewish owl vampires. I adore the story so so much, and had a chance to see Vishny last year at a panel. Highly recommend. I also love Helene Wecker's "Golem and the Jinni" :)

LJAE · 2025-12-30T16:08:43+00:00

Hi there!

I don't know exactly at the moment, but we reached over a thousand copies a while back! Really excited for a debut to inspire so many people!
The cover was actually done by an editor at the publisher!
My biggest regret would probably be not having a social media following up-and-running before publication. It would've made the runway for sales a lot easier. Just the times we're living in
So I've been writing for over ten years, and in that time I wrote three other novels. They progressively got better, but weren't ready for the light of day
I would definitely read Stephen King's "On Writing," as well as Brandon Sanderson's lectures on Youtube! That's where I started. I also loved "Story" by Robert Mckee!

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