This is a list of the book series that I’ve written, or am still writing. Just click on the links to see the individual books described.
This trilogy follows the fortunes of Wolf Narak and Pascha the Sparrow through the three years of the second Seth Yarra war. There’s a lot of history behind it, and the details of that are woven into the plot in the books, but for those who like that sort of thing, here’s a potted history of events that take place before the opening of the book.
Two thousand years ago a great war ravaged the world. More than half the people died, cities were destroyed, kingdoms fell. God Mages of unimaginable power battled for supremacy. In this great war two mighty weapons were created. The dragons, whose purpose was simple destruction, turned on their creators and slew them. The surviving god mages were clever enough to defeat the dragons, but they did so by creating the second weapon, an artefact that imbued all who beheld it with a full and terrible knowledge of the consequences of their deeds. The artefact, a gemstone, was variously known as Pelion’s Star, after its creator, or The Pity Stone.
The stone was hastily made and hastily deployed. It stopped the dragons, but also changed the surviving god mages. Knowing what devastation they had wrought, a few ended themselves, and the others, a mere handful, strove to remake the world as a better place.
Pelion himself tried his hand at creation. Not trusting men, he fathered a race known as The Bren, specialised, largely hive minded creatures that dwelled in darkness beneath the earth. He also created the Benetheon – twenty men and women raised to godhood whose task it was to protect the forests, the seas and the plains from mankind. Each member of the Benetheon was named for an animal, and had power over and responsibility for that animal.
Narak was raised up to be Benetheon god of wolves, Pascha the god of sparrows. Once, many centuries ago, they were lovers.
Four centuries ago, war came again, brought across the sea by ships filled with men who believed in the two headed god, Seth Yarra. The invaders were driven out, slaughtered in a last great battle. In that last battle the armies of the kingdoms were led by Wolf Narak.
If wishes would bide, beggars would ride.
The Beggar’s ride continues the story of Wolf Narak and Pascha the Sparrow. A century had passed since the end of The Pity Stone and the world has changed. Pascha is a god-mage and Narak her bored consort.
But magic is loose in the world again and god mages new and old rise to threaten the world.
A civil war breaks out in Avilian, the King of Afael is assassinated and peace seems a distant hope.
One by one the gods become entangled and the dragons have sought their own desperate solution. The only hope may risk the end of everything, and it all rides on one troubled man.
Wolf Narak.
Shanakan is the home world of the Shan, a diminutive race with a gift for truthtelling and prophecy, and poisons.
Centuries ago, men arrived. It’s unclear where they came from, but they were more warlike and stronger and pushed the Shan almost to extinction. The Shan now survive only on the Island of Cabarissa.
After men came the Faer Karan, shapeshifters and powerful mages who took power from men and subjugated the world.
The Fourth Age of Shanakan technically begins at the end of the first book and covers a period perhaps a hundred years. It also spans many worlds. This is hinted at in the first book – after all, men and the Faer Karan had to come from somewhere. Book by book more of the structure of the many worlds is revealed. But that’s not what the books are about. They are stories of the lives of the people of Shanakan, their troubles, disasters, achievements and loves, from the Mage Lord Cal Serhan down to lowly lawkeepers, traders, royalty, bandits and sailors. This series tries to paint a portrait of a world through it’s people.
.
Derakwa is a scattering of islands in the middle of the Great Sea. It’s ruled, in theory, by the Judge, but she acts as the fulcrum, balancing the powers of the Great Houses, the Guilds and the Gills.
This series tells three seperate stories that revolve around the Judge, an ambitious young man called Kel Anderan and a SungLi adventurer called Jiang. The action moves from Derakwa to the SungLi empire, the cold Terakan lands and the thirteen kingdoms, but always comes back to Derakwa, a liberal, tolerant trading nation and the source of dust, a seed harvested deep beneath the sea, which is the origin of all magic.
Through invasion, civil war and plague we follow the pursuit of power, money, love, justice and simple survival.