Get Ready for Court of Snakes - YA Dystopian Political Fantasy w/ LGBT Rep
by Tycho Dorian Art and Writing
Can we count on your pledge for our upcoming project?
Join 40 other
people!
Court of Snakes: The Omnibus
What is Court of Snakes: The Series?
Do you love politically charged fantasy? Young rulers forced to inherit broken systems? Morally messy characters trying their best in a world stacked against them? Found family, rebellion, and survival under oppressive power?
Court of Snakes is a YA Political Dystopian fantasy series about youth inheriting a world shaped by cruelty and daring to change it anyway.
Set in a city on the brink of collapse, the series follows Terran and Parisa as they navigate leadership, unrest, and the quiet violence of systems designed to fail the most vulnerable. Resources are dwindling. The people are restless. Power is dangerous in the wrong hands and irresistible in the right ones.
This campaign is about bringing Court of Snakes into a tangible, lasting form. Reading digitally is great, but holding the story in your hands matters. And this isn’t just a book: it’s a chance to grab exclusive rewards and editions that won’t be available anywhere else.
Court of Snakes is very much inspired by what's happening to marginalized people around me all the time now and how I myself have been impacted by broken systems. It’s fast-paced, character-driven, and deeply personal: built around themes of systemic oppression, legacy, survival, and hope. It’s about what happens when young people are handed power they never asked for and decide whether to repeat the past or burn it down and build something better.
If you love fantasy that interrogates power (readers of The Hunger Games and Fullmetal Alchemist, I'm looking at you!), centers marginalized voices, and believes that survival itself is an act of rebellion...
Welcome to Court of Snakes!
Meet the Main Characters: Terran and Parisa
About the Series
Boy is forced to rule. Girl refuses to kneel. The city demands they stand together or burn.
Terran never wanted power. Parisa only wants justice. Bound by circumstance and sharpened by opposing ideals, the two are forced into an uneasy alliance as Segeno fractures under corruption, scarcity, and the quiet cruelty of those in control.
As unrest spreads and old systems begin to rot, Terran struggles beneath expectations he never asked for, while Parisa confronts the legacy of violence and privilege that put him there. Each is certain the other is wrong. Each may be the city’s last chance.
To survive and to change anything, they’ll need allies, trust, and the courage to challenge the structures that profit from suffering.
Court of Snakes is a politically charged fantasy series about power, rebellion, and the people crushed beneath broken systems. It explores leadership under pressure, inherited guilt, and what it means to build something better when the world insists you can’t.
🐍 Queer, character-driven political dystopian fantasy 🐍 Found family, rebellion, and moral conflict 🐍 Anti-authoritarian themes and systemic critique 🐍 High magic, high stakes 🐍 Suitable for YA and Adult readers
Court of Snakes Icon
About the Project
Court of Snakes is set in a fractured desert city where power is hoarded, truth is dangerous, and survival often comes at a moral cost.
A complete duology, Court of Snakes blends court intrigue with rebellion, found family, and sharp-edged humor. At its heart, it explores systemic oppression, inherited power, empathy as resistance, and what it means to build something better from a broken world.
What does this crowdfunding project help achieve?
A bunch of cool things! - Entry into contests for Court of Snakes: This Desert Cage - Entry in to contests fro Court of Snakes: Bitter Truth, Honeyed Justice - The Omnibus itself
Meet the Characters
Terran
Terran
Reluctant leader, impossible expectations
Power inherited, not chosen
Believes people can be better, even when the system isn’t
Carries the weight of an entire city
Learning that survival is not the same as surrender
Parisa
Parisa
Diplomat’s daughter turned military badass
Strength built from empathy, not force
Understands power because she’s lived beneath it
Love and loyalty are deliberate choices
Knows peace is something you fight for
Perseus
Perseus
Brilliant tactician, forged by poverty
Dragged into service by a system with no mercy
Faith, duty, and love in constant conflict
Knows the cost of failure
Still chooses to protect others no matter the price
The King
The King
Former Embassy, current legend
Rebel leader wrapped in rumor and secrets
One of the few who can wield the cards
Gave up everything to fight corruption
Proof that power doesn’t need a crown
Interior Divider
Read the Series Online
Want a sneak peek before committing?
Click here to read a sample of Court of Snakes: This Desert Cage Click here to read a sample of Court of Snakes: Bitter Truth, Honeyed Justice
About the Book
Paperback or Hardcover
Paperbacks are 320 - 350 pages, Omnibus is 600 pages
Front page comes signed
Omnibus Perks: dust jacket with holo foil, cloth bookmark, sprayed edges, endpapers, and full color illustrations
All backers get their name in the back of the book!
Court of Snakes Omnibus Dust Jacket
Physical Rewards
Kickstarter Physial Rewards
Stretch Goals
Stretch Goal 01
At $2800, all physical reward tier backers will receive an art print of The King! Thank you. Your support will help me recover the cost of editing.
Stretch Goal 02
At $4600, all physical reward tier backers will receive an art print of Perseus! Thank you. Your support will help me recover the cost of editing my next book.
Stretch Goal 03
At $7800, all physical reward tier backers will receive an art print of Aumi! Thank you. Your support will help me produce audiobook editions of these books, which will be distributed via my Ko-Fi store with a coupon code as DRM-free.MP4 files.
Shipping
Shipping is NOT included in the tier prices.
All digital reward tiers will be delivered via Ko-Fi download.
Please fill out surveys promptly after the completion of the campaign, as rewards will not be shipped after 12 months from sending surveys.
Estimated Shipping Costs:
US - $5 - $10 Everywhere else: $18 - $30
About the Author and Illustrator
I’m Tycho, and I love storytelling! I’m incredibly passionate about writing, art, and anything that allows me to create my own worlds. My goal is to write dreamy fiction for all ages that is unique, inspiring, and imaginative. I like to write about themes that include coming of age, magic, identity, relationships, and changing the world. My books are intended for readers ages eight to one hundred and eight, and are meant to connect the world of the fantastical to everyday life.
I currently live in Colorado and have an MA in both Visual Development (Concept Art) and Publishing.
AI Policy
No AI was used in the creation of this project. I wrote and illustrated everything entirely with my own hands.
Can we count on your pledge for our upcoming project?
Join 40 other
people!
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive news and updates about Tycho Dorian Art and Writing's projects.
