In the early 2000s, fantasy was changing—but the gatekeepers hadn’t yet caught on. While Harry Potter was catching fire, and A Song of Ice and Fire was just gaining critical steam, another story was quietly climbing the charts, building an audience, and spreading through word of mouth: Ruin Mist.
It wasn’t supposed to happen that way.
Not without a Big Five publisher. Not without bookstore tours and TV interviews. Not without someone at the top saying, "This is allowed."
But it did.
The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches broke through the noise and found its readers anyway. Not because it was promoted. Not because it was pushed. But because it resonated.
And that scared people.
What They Were Terrified Of
They weren’t just afraid of the books. They were afraid of what they represented.
- A world where authors didn’t need permission.
- A story succeeding without the right connections.
- A readership that grew organically and couldn’t be controlled.
Because if Ruin Mist could thrive outside the system, others could too. And that meant the old system—the gatekeepers, the tastemakers, the "literary elite"—would lose their hold.
That’s why they dismissed it.
That’s why they mocked it.
That’s why they rewrote the narrative.
And when the books didn’t go away?
They came after the author.
The Blueprint of Their Attack
- Step 1: Pretend it didn’t exist.
- Step 2: Say the reviews were fake.
- Step 3: Say the readers were fake.
- Step 4: Say the author must have cheated.
- And when none of that stopped the story? Step 5: Launch full-scale smear campaigns.
But here’s what they couldn’t erase:
- Readers who passed the books hand to hand.
- Teachers who shared the stories in their classrooms.
- Librarians who stocked the shelves.
And decades later, those readers still remember.
They remember what it felt like to find a world that spoke to them.
They remember why they loved it.
They remember that the story mattered.
Why It Still Matters Now
We’re not just talking about the past.
We’re talking about right now—and the future.
- Because every time a creator is told they didn’t "earn" their success...
- Every time a self-published author is mocked for being "too ambitious"...
- Every time a new voice is told to "stay in their lane"...
...this is what’s at stake.
- The right to tell your story.
- The right to succeed on your own terms.
- The right to build something real—without having it torn down by those who didn’t create it.
We Keep Going
They couldn’t stop the story then.
They can’t stop it now.
The 25th Anniversary Edition of Winds of Change isn’t just a book. It’s a testament. A reminder. A return.
To the story that started it all.
To the readers who kept it alive.
To the truth they never wanted you to see.
Winds of Change – 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition
Launches February 10, 2026
Read the book they couldn’t erase.
Share the story they tried to silence.
—William Robert Stanek
