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Geographical Quirks
The Strains of Malice follows a 15-year-old girl baker’s daughter in Ghantiss, who is pursued by authorities after rescuing an ill-fated dog from a bloodsport ring. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
Emilya (the baker’s daughter) is just one of many character threads, which cover royalty, miners, druids, astronomers, gladiators, naval captains – and a baker’s daughter! I wanted to start the story with Emilya so that it begins grounded in ordinary folk – but who soon have the misfortune to cross paths with the entitled elite.
As for the idea for the novel, I sat down in December 2019 and designed my world first. Next came an outline of what was originally intended to be a five-book series, with a catastrophic event right at the end. Alongside this, I began creating the characters, and that was when Emilya and her pathway through the book was established. I even created timelines for my main ten POV characters, all mapped together a bit like a Gantt chart!
I then started designing the secrets of the world of Thera – and which will be revealed in a book called Decoding the Hidden World of Thera, which I plan to release at around the same time that Books Three and Four in The Nessemiah series are released. Only two other people know about these secrets, and they are bursting with impatience for the cat to be let out of the bag!
Finally, just to clarify, The Nessemiah is now a four-book series that only covers what was originally intended to occur in Books One and Two of the five-book series I planned back in 2019! The final three volumes of that story will now form the sequel series to The Nessemiah!
As the opening book of a series, what did you most want readers to understand about this world in the first installment?
It was important that the world of Thera itself should be slowly revealed in Book One, along with the pending catastrophe that ultimately ends the series. Thera is a world of some ancient mystery and interesting geographical quirks that I loved creating and slowly begin to reveal in Book One. Indeed, one reviewer who was being very generous about the depth of my human characters declared that Thera itself is almost a character in its own right. That said, there is nothing fantastical about Thera. There are no dragons, elves, magical powers or thousand-year-old prophecies waiting to be revealed/fulfilled. It is a hard, gritty world, for which the publisher uses the strapline, “Poldark meets Gladiator…on another world.” That is very apt.
The strapline refers to the temperate polar islands which resemble British regency times, and the brutal Theran Empire further south, which is a throwback to Ancient Rome. These are two cultures which are destined to collide, but which are currently kept apart by one of my favourite geographical quirks!
It is also worth adding that many reviewers have picked up on the depth and quality of my world-building, given the book is front-loaded with detailed maps, layouts of monasteries, explanations of geographical features, temperature charts, the daily and monthly cycles, and even Thera’s solar system. This is all important information that is going to come significantly into play as the four-book story unfolds.
Where did you get the inspiration for Prince Magnus’s traits and dialogue?
Every book needs at least one villain. Mine has several – hence The Strains of Malice. But Magnus does seem to be everyone’s favourite. I guess he must be a little bit of every nasty villain I’ve ever read about myself, from several thousand novels. Of course, his traits and dialogue have been dictated by his privileged upbringing: entitled, never been disciplined, and can do whatsoever he pleases with whomsoever he pleases. And, of course, he does!
I can tell you that he was an absolute joy to write! I suppose if I were to be pushed on an inspiration, it would have to be A Song of Ice and Fire. There have been review comparisons to Prince Joffrey, but as one wise reviewer pointed out recently, Joffrey was still boy, albeit an incredibly cruel one; Prince Magnus is very much a man – and far darker than Joffrey. Maybe there’s a bit of Cersei in him as well, if that makes sense? But not Jaime Lannister; there is absolutely no good in my Prince Magnus!
As for the dialogue, I guess he is very British. But again, he isn’t cliché’d. As one reviewer recently said, “He does not monologue. He does not twirl his cape. He is simply a man who has never once in his life been told that his desires have consequences.”
I suppose that if there is one character from literature for whom there is perhaps a fair likeness to Prince Magnus, it would be a certain character from my childhood called Count Grendel of Gracht – and you would have to go all the way back to 1978 to find out who he is! I hated him, back in the day, and I think he must have hidden in my subconscious for over forty years before covertly embedding himself into The Strains of Malice!
Can you give readers a glimpse inside Book 2 of The Nessemiah?
Book Two of The Nessemiah, Cold Sanctuary, is essentially a continuation of the various plights of all of the POV characters introduced in Book One, but with the threat of Nessemi becoming ever-more real as their storylines progress and The Event draws nearer. I also significantly ramp up events in the supercontinent of Epanaga, with brutal gladiatorial fighting pits taking centre stage alongside Emperor Calidius’ Expurgatio – a cruel and callous purge of various demographics of Theran society in preparation for the arrival of Nessemi.
Pretty much every reviewer has stated that Cold Sanctuary is better, deeper and darker than The Strains of Malice, and reviews so far have been out of this world – with most reviewers desperate for Books Three and Four. Happily, they will both be released shortly.
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Is anywhere on Thera safe from Nessemi? Or the hell that lies beyond?
“I’m afraid there are good and bad everywhere, Emilya. It’s a fact of life that wherever you look, there are strains of malice.”
Fifteen-year-old baker’s daughter, Emilya Luca, is in serious trouble with the Glennadian Crown. Her crime: to prevent a small dog from being torn apart by hounds belonging to the callous Prince Magnus. Having been rescued by former naval captain, Jake Oscom, the unlikely pair become fugitives, hunted across Glennad – initially for cruel sport but latterly after Oscom is framed for a heinous crime committed by Magnus himself.
Elsewhere, in a world with unusual geographical quirks and subtle energy lines, hardships endure for a close-knit community of miners and unimaginable foul play befalls a Glennadian princess – but these trials pale into insignificance compared to what northern astronomers have just discovered. Four hundred leagues south, in the ancient city of Thera, the cruel eyes of Calidius Antoninus Dominius have seen the same thing – but to him it merely expedites his imperial ambitions and presents a justified opportunity to brutally murder thousands of his subjects.
The Strains of Malice: Book One of The Nessemiah
The Strains of Malice, the first novel in Andrew Beardmore’s Nessemiah series, offers assured, character-led storytelling in a vividly imagined setting. Clear maps and a welcoming introduction make the world easy to step into from the outset.
Set in a pre-industrial society with strong late–eighteenth-century European echoes, the story centers on fifteen-year-old Emilya, a baker’s daughter in the port city of Ghantiss. Her compassion is not performative. It’s defiant. When she pulls a dog from Prince Magnus’s brutal bloodsport ring, she challenges the one person no one is meant to challenge. Magnus responds with predictable entitlement and very real menace. Protected by royal privilege, he decides she will pay.
Former naval captain Jake disrupts Magnus’s retaliation long enough to give Emilya a chance to run. The escape becomes a life. It also becomes a binding. Later, Elyse, a perceptive healer with sharp instincts, joins them on the road. The trio turns fugitive. Necessity hardens into trust. Trust turns into affection, earned in breathless flight and in the quiet gaps between threats.
A strong supporting cast adds weight and texture. Freya, Emilya’s childhood friend, carries her own scars from Magnus’s cruelty. Magnus’s sister offers a gentler counterpoint and a tragic lens on a fractured royal household. And Magnus himself? Chilling. A narcissist with a talent for performance and a taste for control. His depravity feels calculated rather than chaotic, which makes him far more unsettling.
The novel grips from its opening pages. Emilya is immediately sympathetic and never simplistic. Magnus’s amused coldness lands like a warning bell. Action scenes arrive with momentum and stay readable. Tension builds cleanly. Sensory detail does a lot of heavy lifting, keeping each sequence sharp and immediate.
Graphic violence and mature themes appear with intent. They underline abuses of power. They raise the stakes. They also shape the book’s central idea, the “strains” of malice that seep into institutions, families, and ordinary lives. The intensity will not suit every reader, yet the darkness is consistently counterbalanced. Loyalty surfaces. Love persists. Compassion refuses to be extinguished.
The Strains of Malice stands out for immersive worldbuilding, well-timed twists, and a cast that is vivid and easy to root for. The opening volume introduces its setting with care, blending the fantastical with the uncomfortably familiar and grounding imaginative elements in a plausible social reality. The historical texture adds depth and authenticity. As a series opener, it’s gripping and confident. Epic-fantasy scope meets the brisk punch of pulp adventure. Beardmore’s novel is best suited to readers who want their fantasy darker, sharper, and unafraid to look directly at cruelty, without losing sight of warmth.
Pages: 548 | ASIN : B0DYZ5T653
Immersion and Enthusiasm
Lucas Cabral and the Secret of the Amazon follows a group of guardians who must scramble to protect three newborn warriors while themselves being hunted by the Lord of Darkness. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
This story was born from a moment of inspiration during a trip, while listening to the song “I Save the World Today” by the Eurythmics. The narrative is structured into five fundamental parts and explores the eternal struggle between Good and Evil. It begins with an epic battle between a thousand Templar knights and a creature determined to destroy humanity. A surviving Master Templar prophesies the birth of three Warriors with special gifts who, together, will be the only hope for victory. For a millennium, while the Enemy’s servants have relentlessly searched for these children, a secret Brotherhood has been formed to protect them. Each Warrior of Light is assigned a Guardian who is prepared to give their life for them if necessary.
What is it that draws you to action and adventure tales?
I love writing stories filled with action, mystery, and adventure because I know how effectively they engage young readers – a mission I consider deeply important. When a theme is truly exciting, readers become so enthralled that they cannot put the book down, remaining captivated from the first to the very last page. Creating that sense of immersion and enthusiasm is exactly what draws me to this genre!
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Beyond the classic battle between Good and Evil, I wanted to explore fundamental values such as solidarity, companionship, and loyalty. Environmentalism and ecology are also central themes; I wanted to raise awareness about the risks the Amazon rainforest faces due to unbridled ambition, greed, and the short-sightedness of those who put our entire planet in danger.
Can you give us a glimpse inside the next installment in this series? Where will it take readers?
The next book will be Fernão Dias and the Mystery of the Black Stones. It features the third Warrior of Light, born in Angola, who possesses very different gifts from those of Sofia Gama and Lucas Cabral. It is an incredibly emotional and thrilling book that continues this global mission to protect the Light.
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Moral Danger
The Founding Scroll follows a ledger-trained merchant’s daughter who accidentally touches a run-shifting guild scroll labeled Vow of Accord / Twelfth Hand, leaving her Oathbound and forging the beginnings of the Vowforged. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration came from a blend of gaming, anime, and real-life responsibility. I’ve spent years playing games like New World, World of Warcraft, and Elder Scrolls Online, and I’ve always loved how life-skills, crafting, and non-combat systems give players identity and purpose beyond fighting. Those systems feel lived-in, and they make the world believable. I wanted that same feeling in The Founding Scroll.
Anime such as Shield Hero also influenced the story, especially the idea of power that isn’t glamorous or chosen, but forced upon someone who never asked for it. Seren doesn’t begin as a warrior or a savior; she’s trained to track, record, and survive through systems. When she touches the scroll, the power she gains isn’t freedom; it’s obligation. That idea mirrors real life far more than traditional hero narratives.
Seren doesn’t just gain power; she gains public responsibility. How did you approach writing leadership as something morally dangerous as well as necessary?
Leadership in this story is shaped by my own experiences with responsibility, particularly decisions made through co-parenting, where the right choice isn’t always the one that benefits you personally. Sometimes leadership means choosing stability, protection, or fairness for others, even when the outcome costs you something. That tension is at the heart of Seren’s growth.
I wanted leadership to feel exposed and irreversible. Once Seren becomes visible, every decision she makes carries public consequences. There’s no version of leadership where she can please everyone or walk away unscathed. That moral danger, knowing that even the best choice will still hurt someone, is what makes leadership necessary, but never comfortable. Power in this world isn’t about dominance; it’s about carrying the weight of impact.
What role does the in-world codex play for you as a storyteller?
The codex is the structural backbone of the world. As a storyteller, it allows me to build a setting that feels governed rather than improvised. It defines how oaths function, how systems interact, and why consequences exist. Instead of magic being vague or reactive, it operates through rules that characters must learn, challenge, and sometimes exploit.
Beyond the page, the codex represents a larger creative vision. It’s designed to support expansion into multiple formats, whether that’s tabletop storytelling, interactive experiences, or visual adaptations, without losing internal consistency. I’ve always felt that many fantasy worlds are missing connective tissue between mechanics and meaning. The codex lets me fill those gaps, creating systems that feel discoverable, intentional, and alive.
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
The first book is designed to complete a full rise-and-trial arc. Seren’s journey establishes her as a leader whose influence comes not from force, but from trust, trade, and the systems she helps shape. By the end of the story, she earns legitimacy, but that legitimacy comes with a visible cost. The world begins to recognize that her voice doesn’t just affect people; it affects how power itself moves.
The next book expands the scope of the story while deepening its relationships. As Seren’s influence grows, so does the complexity of leadership, particularly around partnership and responsibility. The world is structured so that growth feels earned, layered, and discoverable, where progress comes from systems, cooperation, and long-term choices rather than brute force. This is also where familiars take on a more prominent role. They aren’t pets or accessories; familiars aren’t pets in this world, they’re reflections of trust, role, and responsibility. They reinforce identity and function, shaping how individuals and groups operate together rather than acting as isolated sources of power.
Looking further ahead, the series explores legacy. It asks what happens when systems, oaths, institutions, and alliances become larger than the people who created them. As influence scales, those systems begin to strain, and Seren must confront whether they can evolve without losing the values they were built on. The familiars, like the people bound to them, become part of that question: what is chosen, what is inherited, and what endures.
Each book builds outward from personal survival, to shared leadership, to long-term consequence, while leaving room for future stories that explore different perspectives within the same world. At its core, the series isn’t just about gaining power, but about deciding what kind of world that power ultimately sustains.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Seren has spent her life balancing ledgers, not shaping history. But when she accidentally binds herself to an ancient guild oath—the Vow of Accord—her quiet world is pulled into a system far older and more dangerous than she imagined.
In a realm where contracts shape reality and trust is a form of power, Seren must navigate guild politics, rival merchants, and unseen forces that seek to control what she represents. Leadership is earned, not claimed. Every promise carries weight. And every decision leaves a mark.
The Founding Scroll is a system-driven fantasy about leadership, responsibility, and the cost of building something others depend on. Blending immersive worldbuilding with moral tension, it offers a fresh take on power—one forged through cooperation rather than conquest.
⭐ Perfect for readers who enjoy:
Guild-focused fantasy
Strategic worldbuilding
Moral leadership dilemmas
Progression with real consequences
Significant Purpose
The Legends of Astorynia: War of Wars Ending follows a young elf hunter who gets pulled out of his quiet life in Edengrove and dropped into the middle of a world-ending war. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I actually began writing my book on a whim. What inspired me to write fantasy was everything fantasy, I guess (LOTR, Elder Scrolls, Dragonlance Chronicles, D&D, etc., etc.). I’m a huge, huge fan of the genre.
What made me want to write an actual full-length book would have to be The Hobbit by Tolkien. It was the first novel I had ever read from cover to cover, and I fell in love instantly. It wasn’t even so much the story itself, but how it was written, that I loved so much. I must have read it a dozen times by now. I sometimes still crack it open randomly and read passages or excerpts just to appreciate how well-crafted it truly is.
I started my story much like Tolkien started The Hobbit. I just wrote the first sentence off the top of my head without any plan or idea of what it would become, and then just rolled with it.
I began writing my book when I was 24, though I treated it more like a hobby than anything serious. I would write a paragraph or two here and there, sometimes several months apart. And on very rare occasions, an entire page! This went on for about 12 years, resulting in a mere 6 chapters.
A few years back, when I was between jobs, I decided to finally finish my book with the free time I had available. I would start at 6 am and grind away at the thing until midnight. I did this for 14 days straight. The result was a novel (War of Wars Ending) and 6 prequel novellas—approx. 140K words total (5 days on the novel and 9 on the prequels). I didn’t even mean to write any more than the main novel, but once I got started, I just couldn’t stop until the entire thing was out of my system.
It was a lot of fun to write!
Keagle begins as a quiet hunter and ends as a central figure in a world-altering conflict. What defines his growth?
Determination, courage, and persistence.
The story emphasizes loyalty across races and backgrounds. Why was chosen family such a central theme?
I just like the idea that no matter who you are, or where you’re from, there is a significant purpose for you somewhere in the world, even if you’re completely oblivious to it.
What lessons or values do you hope younger readers especially take away?
That anyone from anywhere can make a difference that truly matters. It’s not about where you’re from but how far you’re willing to go that defines you.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
When a young Elf named Keagle meets a wise wandering wizard called Mannus, his small-time adventures become a grand one in this thrilling and epic action-adventure fantasy of one world uniting against an ancient evil.
In the world of Astorynia (Astor-eenie-uh) as war is ever wavering on the horizon, a group of companions, led by Mannus, travel the lands to bring together and unite the armies of Elves, Gnomes, Dwarves, Gruflyn, and Man against the ever-growing evil that is spreading. They strive to bring the People’s Army together one last time to put an end to this menace.
The vile creatures of the southernmost mountains of Shadowrock are led by a wicked sorceress known as Veldora. She leads this evil army of Vurkyn into battle against all the peoples of all the lands of Astorynia, to try and take the world for reasons all her own.
She must be stopped at all costs, and the company of companions are the ones to get the job done. With the help of a guardian dragon, they go to war to destroy this evil once and for all.
This is the story of the final war to end all war in the world of Astorynia.
The Clometheons
In The Clometheons, a science fiction novel with a strong spiritual and emotional core, we follow Jenelle, a solitary seamstress living in a remote valley whose life has been shaped by a past lightning strike that nearly burned her world down. When a storm rolls in with lightning that sometimes has no thunder, time that seems to freeze, and a comet-like streak of light that falls into the woods, her private battle with trauma suddenly collides with a much bigger one: an interdimensional conflict between TUPO and the Deugeotvites, watched over by mysterious beings and embodied in things like a glowing orb named Dot and a living doll called Stitch. As Jenelle, her sister Linda, her niece Melissa, and their friends get pulled into this strange war, the book shifts from small, weather-beaten cottage life to questions about peace, restoration, and what it actually means to trust.
The writing leans into vivid, sometimes almost playful description: thunder sounds like trucks in tunnels, storms feel like cauldrons whipped by a cranky wizard, and anxiety is this stomping thing in your gut that will not sit still. I enjoyed that a lot. It gave the science fiction a grounded, sensory feel, like the cosmic story had mud on its boots. I never doubted that the author cared about these characters. Jenelle’s fear of lightning, her stubborn attempts to pull up her big girl pants, and Linda’s protective streak all felt human and messy in a way that suited a character-driven sci-fi story more interested in hearts than hardware.
What surprised me most was how the book handles the big ideas under all the strange terms and factions. On the surface, you have TUPO, Deugeotvites, triglets, and travelers, but underneath that, I heard very familiar questions: What do you do with trauma that never really leaves? Is peace something you fight for or something you receive? How far do you go to keep others safe, even when you are terrified yourself? There is a clear spiritual layer here, not preachy, but present, especially in the way storms, second chances, and “miraculous” timing show up in Jenelle’s life. The science fiction framework lets the author talk about good and evil, loyalty, betrayal, and restoration in a way that feels like a parable in motion. I did feel the book’s length, and sometimes the pacing wandered when I wanted the main conflict to stay sharper.
I felt like I had spent time in a very particular corner of science fiction: one that cares as much about emotional scars as it does about cosmic battles. If you enjoy character-focused, spiritually flavored science fiction that mixes small-town living with interdimensional stakes, and you are okay with some extra flourishes in the prose along the way, The Clometheons will hit that sweet spot. Readers who like their genre stories thoughtful, hopeful, and a bit talky will get the most out of it, especially if they are willing to sit with storms, both in the sky and inside a person’s chest.
Pages: 658 | ASIN : B0FNYK44LJ
Lucas Cabral and the Secret of the Amazon: The Warriors of Light Series
Lucas Cabral and the Secret of the Amazon sweeps through prophecy, danger, and a race against time as ancient forces stir and evil claws its way toward freedom. The story moves from a cursed Templar temple to modern Brazil, where the birth of three extraordinary children sends shockwaves through the world. As Brotherhood guardians scramble to protect the newborn Warriors of Light, sinister servants of the Lord of Darkness hunt them across continents. The book blends myth, adventure, and heartfelt human moments in a tale about destiny, courage, and the fragile balance between good and evil.
This was an exciting story, and I felt the excitement right from the beginning. The writing has a bold, cinematic quality. At times, it feels intense, even breathless, because danger lurks behind so many corners. I loved how the book shifts between sweeping prophecy and very grounded moments, especially the scenes with Rafael navigating airports while holding onto fear and faith at the same time. The mix of mysticism and real-world tension pulled me along, and that slow but steady buildup was thrilling.
I also felt a warm connection to the characters. Rafael’s devotion struck me deeply. He’s not flashy or loud. He’s steady and scared and determined, which made him feel real to me. Tendy and Paulo brought softness and heart into the story, and the Amazon setting felt rich and alive. There were moments when I wished the pacing slowed down to give me more time with them, but even then, I admired how the author kept the story moving along. The ideas in the book made me think about legacy and responsibility and how ordinary people rise when the world seems to be falling apart.
By the time I reached the last pages, I felt both satisfied and curious about what comes next. I would recommend this book to readers who love fast-moving adventures, mythical prophecies, and stories where ordinary characters carry extraordinary burdens. It’s a great pick for anyone who enjoys young adult fantasy with a global scope and a good dose of heart.
Pages: 283 | ISBN : 978-1962185776
Stillness and Reflection
Shifting Sands follows the survivors of Sol Thalen in the aftermath of its fall as they try to rebuild their culture and society when everything has literally been destroyed. How did you approach writing about this destruction and your characters’ response to it?
For me, destruction is never just about the physical loss of a city—it’s about what happens to identity, purpose, and relationships in the aftermath. When Sol Thalen fell, it wasn’t just the loss of a home; it was the unraveling of legacy, belief, and the illusion of safety. I approached the writing with a deep sense of grief—both personal and communal. I asked myself, What do people hold onto when everything collapses? The characters’ responses came from that place of questioning. Just as some characters choose hope—clinging to survival and the chance to rebuild and dream of a future—others give up hope for themselves, often believing that their own death or disappearance might still serve a purpose. There’s this tragic tendency to justify surrender as a kind of sacrifice: If I fall, maybe someone else can rise. That contrast—between hoping for self and hoping for others—is the heart of the emotional conflict I wanted readers to feel. It’s rarely clean or heroic. It’s messy, human, and deeply personal. And it’s in those moments, I think, that the soul of a story reveals itself.
It seems you took your time in developing the characters and the story, creating a great emotional impact while the survivors process what is left of their world and civilization. How did you manage the pacing of the story while keeping readers engaged?
Thank you—that means a lot. Pacing is something I pay obsessive attention to. I wanted the emotional beats to land, but I also didn’t want the story to feel like it was dragging its feet. What I aimed for was a rhythm: moments of stillness and reflection followed by bursts of urgency. It’s like breathing. When the characters pause to mourn or reflect, the reader breathes with them. But when danger returns—and it always does—they’re pulled right back into the action. I layered multiple storylines so that even when one character is reeling, another might be scheming or moving forward. That way, readers never feel stuck. There’s always a heartbeat somewhere.
I also use an outline, and I’m meticulous about following it. That’s where I catch when there’s too much breathing space, when a chapter feels like it’s meandering, or when a sequence clearly needs to be tightened with rising tension or sharper stakes. The outline becomes a map of emotional flow and momentum, helping me keep that delicate balance. I layered multiple storylines so that even when one character is reeling, another might be scheming or moving forward. That way, readers never feel stuck. There’s always a heartbeat somewhere.
Are you a fan of the fantasy and adventure genres? What books do you think most influenced your work?
Absolutely, I’m a lifelong fan. Fantasy gave me the language to talk about things I didn’t always have words for—identity, grief, power, longing. I grew up reading Tolkien and C.S. Lewis like many others, but it was later on that I was deeply moved by authors like Brandon Sanderson, Cassandra Clare, J.K. Rowling, and Ursula K. Le Guin. Each of them, in their own way, showed me that fantasy could be epic and intimate. That worldbuilding could serve emotional truth. Their works taught me that it’s not just about dragons or swords or kingdoms—it’s about the people who bleed and hope in between. I try to carry that into every page I write.
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
Thank you—and yes, it absolutely does continue. Shifting Sands is the fourth installment of a five-book saga, and the next book is the finale, where everything comes to a head. The choices made in Shifting Sands ripple outward, and readers will be taken to corners of the world that have only been hinted at until now. The political game gets even deadlier. Old wounds resurface. And the more fantastical elements take center stage in ways that force the characters to question not just their loyalties, but their very sense of identity.
If Shifting Sands was about surviving the collapse, Ancient Paths is about reckoning—learning who you really are when certain truths come to light, and deciding what kind of legacy you want to leave behind. Some legacies, after all, might be too broken to rebuild. And some people may discover they were never meant to serve themselves, but something far greater.
Readers have often told me they don’t know how the stakes could possibly get any higher—and to that, I say: I’m excited for them. Many have also noticed how I tend to plant seeds in earlier books that only bear fruit later on. Well, this fifth and final book is where all those seeds bloom. Every thread comes together. Every secret is revealed. This is the climax of everything.
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THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA IS ALWAYS PAID IN GRAVES. And with the Sunken City subdued and Sol Thalen fallen, this truth has become undeniable. The Cycle of the Capitals has ended, leaving a world fractured by distance and silence. As Chris joins a people in exodus, he finds no victory left untainted—every gain paid for in blood, every cost sharpening like a blade. Joined by the new Chronicler, he journeys in a final attempt to save a scattered remnant from extinction—and soon realizes he must confront the creature within him… and accept that surviving the monsters around them may require becoming one himself.
Elline faces a different reckoning. With the Capitals isolated and every line of communication severed, mistrust coils behind every stone of Djarin Tor—ready to ignite a coup that would ensure their defeat in the widening war. To stop this collapse, she must embrace the birthright she has long avoided—even if it means defying the Magister. Meanwhile, Havet’s designs tighten with a precision that suggests his victory has already begun, and his cruelty shows no end. As an era dies in silence, the fate of the next will be written not by those who hope to endure it, but by those who dare to shape it from the ruins left behind.
A fast-growing favorite among epic-fantasy readers, this saga delivers cinematic battles, devastating stakes, and slow-burning bonds caught in the crossfire of a war that threatens to consume entire eras—set in a world where monsters rise and no victory comes without a price.
