“While reading the final excerpt, he even sang a troll song in the same phlegmy voice, with his face and upper body twisted in a troll-like way, dramatically becoming the character.”

A book launch of novels recently written by Dr. Stephen Dunning, retired English professor at Trinity Western University and co-founder of the Inklings Institute of Canada, was hosted by the institute on September 18, 2025, at 7 p.m. in the Glass Room of the Norma Marion Alloway Library. The lively and amusing evening performance was introduced by Dr. Monika Hilder, co-director of the Inklings Institute, who shared a brief biography of the author, followed by Dr. Laura Van Dyke’s reading of excerpts from positive reviews of Dunning’s novels. Dunning then performed selections from his three novels, two dystopian fantasy novels and one comedic sci-fi fantasy, for much of the remainder of the evening, followed by an energetic discussion period. During his performance, Dunning sat at the front of the room in a cozy armchair, a pillow nested in his lap and a Ukrainian nesting doll nearby. The audience was composed of about 30 TWU faculty, students, alumni and some family members of Dunning, along with a few community members and local scholars supportive of the Inklings Institute with an interest in the author’s works. A variety of delicacies were provided to sustain all those present.

The evening’s main event was Dunning’s animated reading of three excerpts from three separate works of fiction: Suzy and the Magic Turnip and Suzy and the City of the Plain from The Perilous Times Saga, and the standalone Trolls on Mars: A Love Story. Before launching into his readings, he provided brief plot overviews to place the passages in their contexts. He read each story using a variety of voices for narrators and characters, from slight pitch variations for each of the children in The Perilous Times Saga to a theatrical, throaty, vibrato-heavy voice for the troll, which sounded similar to the creature Hoggle from Labyrinth (1986). Dunning later explained, however, that he had never seen the cult classic. While reading the final excerpt, he even sang a troll song in the same phlegmy voice, with his face and upper body twisted in a troll-like way, dramatically becoming the character. He truly embodied the troll in a literary, musical and theatrical sense, captivating the audience. All three readings were presented in a clear, well-paced tone, with subtle, witty and whimsical intonation added to the humorous passages; pauses were inserted to allow laughter to explode and dwindle before he continued the performance. Dunning gestured subtly with his free hand while he read, as if to pull the audience in his direction.

After the live reading, Dunning opened the floor to questions, of which there were many. Topics ranged from his creative process and literary influences to troll lore. Three questions were particularly interesting. First, he was asked if place was significant to his authorial strategy, as one of his magical settings in The Perilous Times Saga is Croatia. Dunning explained that he was inspired by Eastern European fairytales, referencing the Ukrainian nesting doll with a turnip painted on it—a motif in Suzy and the Magic Turnip—and a previous short story he had written featuring Ukrainian “bird-women.” He then shared some Croatian history related to the tyrannical Roman emperor Diocletian, whose mausoleum was eventually turned into a Christian cathedral. 

Second, Dunning was asked about literary inspiration. He replied that while writing Trolls on Mars, his Troll cosmology, numeracy and other aspects were influenced by the lore of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. He demonstrated his fascination with troll numeracy by having his grandson, who was in the audience, count to 20 in the troll language he had created. He also indicated that he was inspired by Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the novels of the lesser-known English author Jasper Fforde, whose works he recommended to the audience. Not surprisingly, he also acknowledged the writings of the Inklings as a major influence. 

Third, he was asked if he learned anything from Suzy, the protagonist of The Perilous Times Saga. He said he had, relating to the struggle of the characters, specifically in the second book of the series, where Suzy faces the question of how to combat evil. Dunning explained that he related to Suzy’s uncertainty about the wickedness in the world around her and how to best wield the power she has to combat it.

During the discussion period, Dunning described his audience as “ideal readers” because they listened intently, laughed at the jokes in the novels and clearly understood literary references to Shakespeare, the Inklings and other authors. On a few occasions during the reading, Dunning conversed directly with individual audience members, stating that they would recognize allusions in the novel right away given their expertise. They would briefly reply by offering an anecdote that incited laughter before his reading continued. This performance strategy added a social element to the reading, making it feel more like an active dialogue than a monologue. Overall, both I and the audience were captivated by Suzy’s struggle against evil and the marriage troubles of the trolls.