That’s right! It’s nearly here! The second book in the Dark Age trilogy is finally ready for the real world.
After four years of serious work on the manuscript, and eight years after publishing Book 1, The Bones of the Earth, I have finally released it to the world.
My thanks to all who gave me so much help and support, without whom this just would not have happened:
- my editor, Gary Henry
- proofreader, Joy Lorton, the Typo Detective
- Marc Laisne, cover painter extraordinaire
- David C. Cassidy, cover designer
- and of course, my patient and loving wife, Roxanne.
What’s it about?
The Children of the Seventh Son starts five years after the end of The Bones of the Earth. The hero, Javor the Sklavene, has settled in Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and the greatest city on earth at the time.
This story covers a little more than 16 years of Javor’s story, punctuated by the birth and growth of his children. I’m not giving much away—you can find this from the table of contents—in telling you that Javor has seven children. Readers of The Bones of the Earth may remember that Javor was the seventh child of his parents, as well.
I tried to weave in some of the history and very complicated politics of the time, the early seventh century of the current era. And far from the common conception of nothing happening during the Dark Age other than isolated peasants trying to stave off barbarian attacks, politics were highly complex and sophisticated.
First, we have the remnant of the Roman Empire, which persisted until 1453 when the Ottoman Turks conquered the capital of Constantinople. It not only staved off attacks by nomadic Avars, Sarmatians, Gepids and other nations, it also competed in economic and military terms against the powerful Sassanian Persian Empire. And it would not be long before the newly converted Muslim Arabs would explode out of the Arabian Peninsula.
Meanwhile, the Empire, especially the capital, was rife with conspiracies and counter-conspiracies, not to mention a whole lot of religious conflict. Yes, while every Roman was Christian by this point (okay, nearly everyone), people being people, they found hairs to split and arguments to fight over.
The story
The year 600 of the Christian Era—the darkest time of the Dark Age.
Wielding two special weapons made from the Bones of the Earth, Javor has become the favourite monster-killer of the secret Gnostic Order. As his young family grows, he is sent to distant, exotic lands to eliminate threats and learn more about why the earth is intent on destroying humanity.
Every mission seems to bring more questions than answers—until he finds the greatest danger comes not from forces from beneath the surface of the world, but from the very civilization he has been defending.
It’s available widely for pre-order
Two points in that headline (I know, I’m breaking my own rule): first, it’s now available fore pre-order at a special price. Until launch day, you can order it for just 99 cents US, and on November 13 it will automatically download onto your device.
After that, the price goes up, so don’t delay!
- Amazon: .mobi format
- Smashwords: epub and other formats
- Direct 2 Digital: your choice of formats
Still not sure? So far, The Children of the Seventh Son has one review on Goodreads. And I’d love to get more, so let me know if you want an advance review copy.