One of the most consistent comments I get from readers of Lion of Zarall is about the world, and how it feels immersive and layered, without overwhelming or confusing. A few people have even said they felt like they were dropped into the story without needing to study a map. It took a lot of careful decisions to make sure Chinderia felt real. Here are five of the key choices I made to bring the world to life without getting in the way of the story.

1. I built the world around the characters, not the other way around

I didn’t sit down and draw a map or invent a magic system first. I started with Lion—what kind of world would produce someone like him? A man raised without choice, trained to obey, stripped of identity. That question shaped everything: the arenas, the slave trade, the purebred system… Chinderia didn’t come from a list of cool fantasy ideas. It came from trying to understand what kind of system would make someone like Lion possible—and what kind of world he’d have to survive in.

2. I showed the world through what the characters noticed

You won’t get descriptions of fancy clothing (their fabric, models, value etc) people wear from Lion’s perspective, because those are the things he wouldn’t pay attention to. And adding those details would kick the reader out of Lion’s head. So, the reader sees the world the way the characters see it, and that’s what makes it feel natural.

3. I used invented terms sparingly—and made them count

Some fantasy books throw new words at you every paragraph. I didn’t want that. When I use terms like “purebred,” “Acts of Defiance,” or “Raged/Unraged,” they come with context. You don’t need a glossary (though I still have one inside the book for those who like them). Even without referring to the glossary, you just get what the terms mean.

4. It’s those small word choices

One of my favourite subtle worldbuilding tricks is using small word choices to suggest a larger world without explaining it. In Lion of Zarall, the setting includes unique herbs and plants like Stripefang Root—a name that quietly implies the existence of a creature called a Stripefang, even though no one in the story ever sees one. Readers don’t need to know what it is. The name alone hints at a wider ecosystem. These little touches add texture without pulling focus.

5. Maintaining internal consistency

Another big part of making the world feel believable was making sure it played by its own rules. If the story introduces something powerful—like magic or advanced tools—it has to come with limits. It’s easy to throw in a magical solution to a plot problem—but then you have to ask: why can’t they use that same solution for everything? Every system, whether it’s magical, political, or economic, needs to have consequences and boundaries.

Fantasy worlds don’t need to be told or explained. They need to be felt. And if you’ve read Lion of Zarall, I hope you felt it all. All the brutal gruesome grit of it. That’s Chinderia.

And I’m not done with it yet.