“Fantium” is the debut fantasy novel by Fresno Christian Alumni Cohl Obwald. The story itself captures all things young teens love about fantasy, including high-stakes fights and arcane-esque magic. The initial idea for the novel started as far back as Obwald’s senior year in high school.

“I talked to our teacher at the time, which was Mr. Stobbe,” Obwald said. “Even though we never got around to publishing chapters for The Feather, his inspiration is definitely what sowed the seeds.”

C.W. Obwald, the pen name of the recent FCS alumnus, self-published the book on Amazon Marketplace. Obwald published his novel on Oct. 10, 2025; it is available for download on Kindle or in paperback. Obwald plans to release four or more books after “Fantium” with aspirations to construct the fantasy world to new heights. Obwald also hopes to write additional series with different themes to expand his literary portfolio.

Synopsis

“Fantium” has a unique narrative closest aligning with the Third-Person Omniscient point of view. It primarily focuses on the story and perspective of Cory Oswick, an orphaned boy accompanied by his best friend, Andros. The two orphans start the novel by attending a special annual event known as the Awakening Ceremony. The ceremony is a life-changing event where teens from all classes learn if they hold a hidden connection to a specific element.

Most attendees at the ceremony either possessed one of the four core elements, those being air, earth, fire and water, or lacked an elemental connection entirely. Cory and Andros, on the other hand, had connections to elements thought extinct, light and darkness.

The majority of the book covers the main character’s struggle with confidence in the face of adversity. Testing the protagonists’ resolve as they face opposition from treacherous trials to fierce beasts and noble-born, egotistical students.

Character Development

Throughout the book, Cory is forced to hurt, heal, adapt and repeat. From broken bones to fragile trust, he had to learn that even outside of the orphanage, the laws of Darwinism applied now more than ever.

Later in the novel, we see a shift in Cory as he changes from his natural ideology of “do not kill anyone or anything” to more of a “kill or be killed / only when necessary” type of philosophy. For me, this is a wonderful character development, because I typically do not appreciate when the protagonist has a strict moral code of absolutely no killing whatsoever, even if it is a beast trying to murder you.

This subtle change in perspective makes Cory much more relatable to the reader because even when he is forced to take the life of a beast, he feels deep remorse and emotions for what he did. 

Cory also learned how to take care of himself throughout the novel. The frequent separation in training from him and Andros, who often protected Cory in the orphanage, forced him to develop many degrees of autonomy and changes in perspective.

Intended Audience / Genre

Fantium is an action and adventure fantasy novel. Although it has no clear audience target, I would say it lands in the YA (young adults) category with its sporadic events of death and more prevalent themes of violence and injury. I personally find the mature themes compelling to read, and they keep me hooked when the protagonists are in grave danger.

Violence is vital for action and adventure stories as it tells the reader just how serious the situation is. You can be on the edge of your seat because you know the author has no fear of killing off a side or even semi-main character just for the sake of the plot.

As for the theme of magic/arcane, I absolutely love the system C.W. Obwald built for the novel. Even with elemental “control” being a common and well-run track in many fantasy stories, the unique spin Obwald puts in place is refreshing. If you like layers of complexity and multi-faceted magic, I highly recommend looking into the Fantium “cultivation” system.

Impact on Reader

Despite Cory being in a dramatically different world with a very polarized upbringing than most of us, C.W. Obwald ensures there is a fair amount of connection the reader can make with the protagonist. Some desires are, in fact, really relatable, like Cory’s desire to succeed in the face of companionship and prove himself. We also see him dealing with loneliness and change, which he mostly has to handle alone.

“I actually based Cory more closely on myself than I did the other characters on other people, specifically on my younger years, where I grew up sheltered,” Obwald said. “And then when I left that shelter, I had to figure things out on my own, much like Cory figuring out his own issues.”

The biggest relatable theme that Cory has to go through is persecution and ostracization. A large majority of the other students at the academy hate him for something he didn’t choose to be: a holder of darkness. I think this theme is excellently portrayed and very relatable, as it proves to be a consistent issue the protagonist struggles with. 

Originality

Literature is no stranger to themes of elemental “bending,” so to speak. With pop fiction works like “Avatar: The Last Airbender,”,“Shadow and Bone” and even TTRPG’s like “Dungeons and Dragons”, incorporate themes of manipulating the elements. Even though the track is well-run, I think the unique magic system that C.W. Obwald constructed is nothing less than wonderful and interesting. It has the perfect amount of layered complexity, where it feels like it could be its own book, while being just simple enough that the reader can follow and understand what is happening.

“The [magic] comes from a lot of different books that I have read that are called cultivation and progression novels, which I found I love reading the most,” Obwald said. “It leans more into the long term, like how are you going to grow and develop your gifts to their fullest potential.”

As for the content of the novel, the plot makes clear that it has big things in store for our main cast without spoiling anything. It feels like every other character besides Cory has an underlying motive that needs to be watched closely. I even think there could be bitter betrayal in the later books that would tie in mind-blowing plot twists if executed right.

Pace

With how well the book performs on the rest of the criteria, it takes its first hit in the pacing. The initial fourth of the novel feels slow, repetitive and even slightly confusing at times with the training and explanation of the world. Wake up, train, complain, sleep and repeat. It almost feels like the first quarter of the book itself is testing and training you to see if you are worthy to read the rest of it.

But as soon as you enter the seventh chapter, the whole dynamic changes. Now there are stakes, interesting new characters, plot development and even twists. If the first six chapters felt like drifting on a river uncontrollably, the seventh feels like you are watching your favorite psychological thriller movie. And it does not stop there, C.W. Obwald keeps the stakes tense throughout the entire rest of the novel, leaving it with a wonderful cliffhanger for the reader to dread.

Conclusion

“Fantium” is a work of art and a surprisingly good debut novel for C.W. Obwald. It holds stakes, risks and impact, while keeping the reader on the edge of their chair. I give the book a 4.5/5 stars with solid expectations for future installments. It has relatable characters, impactful themes, enthralling magic systems and shocking twists at every corner. If you do not own a copy yet, you can get your own physical or digital copy via Amazon.

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