The Tobias & Stuart Trilogy
When Music dies, Death intervenes, and Time cheats—love becomes the only way back.
A queer, character-led contemporary fantasy trilogy set in Birmingham, London, and beyond. After Music dies and the world forgets how to sing, academic Tobias Staghorn and A&E doctor Stuart Murray are pulled into a widening struggle with embodied forces—Music, Death, and Time—where stories have power, consent matters, and what returns always has a cost.
At a glance
- Setting: Contemporary England (Birmingham, London, the Thames) + wider travel
- What it is: Queer contemporary fantasy with embodied cosmic forces
- Series arc: Music → Death → Time (escalating scope and stakes)
- Tone: Lyrical, intimate, quietly witty; wonder-and-grief to apocalyptic tenderness
- Romance: M/M romantic core; slow-burn early, explicit consensual intimacy later
- Content intensity: Book 1 gentler; Book 2 darker (hospital/trauma themes); Book 3 cosmic/apocalyptic
Reading Order
Behind the Series
Over the years, I’ve had more story ideas than I can count—some passing through quickly, others lingering for tea. A few even came with dramatic entrances and impossible demands. But none of them ever made it onto paper. Not even a line. Not even a note on the back of a napkin.
Until Tobias & Stuart.
I’ve always been drawn to MM romance and speculative fantasy, and since this was my first novel, I thought I’d start with something I knew well—academic life. It’s a world full of eccentric characters, strange rituals, and an endless supply of questions without clear answers. In its own way, academia already feels a bit fantastical. My challenge was to combine all three into one story.
Tobias & Stuart became the kind of book I wanted to read myself: an MM romance that doesn’t just flutter hearts but nudges the mind awake. At its centre is Tobias, an academic who’s built a perfectly sensible life for himself… until he hasn’t. His journey is one of confronting emptiness, finding courage in vulnerability, and slowly becoming the truest version of himself—all while the world threatens to unravel around him.
It’s a story about love, friendship, and the delightful absurdity of being human. Those small, stubborn things that—when you really think about it—might just be what saves the world.
I hope you’ll come along for the journey with Tobias and Stuart, and of course with Music, Death, and Time, who have a way of turning everything upside down just when you think you’ve figured it out.
Jern Tonkoi
FAQ
Do I need to read the trilogy in order?
Yes—strongly recommended. The world rules and Tobias & Stuart’s relationship build across all three, and the emotional payoff depends on that accumulation.
What kind of fantasy is this?
Contemporary fantasy with a literary, magical-realism edge: the uncanny walks beside ordinary life, and the rules of the world shape every choice.
How central is the romance?
Central. The trilogy’s heart is Tobias and Stuart—love, boundaries, consent, and the ways intimacy survives pressure. It starts slow-burn and deepens over the series.
Is there explicit content?
Yes. Book 1 has limited on-page intimacy; Books 2–3 include explicit consensual sex scenes and strong language.
How dark does it get?
Book 1 is tender and melancholic; Book 2 goes darker with hospital and trauma elements; Book 3 turns cosmic and apocalyptic. Violence is situational rather than gore-forward.
Who is this for?
Readers who like lyrical, character-first speculative fantasy; embodied cosmic forces; found-family warmth; and queer romance that stays emotionally honest under high stakes.