After three science fiction novels, well the third one, Ultimate Wizard, did have some magic it, I’ll be launching later this year what I thought was a fantasy novel.
Full of swords and magic, I think of the Circle of the Chosen as my ode to a group of authors I admire including JRR Tolkien and Terry Brooks among other great story tellers.
Well, a beta reader told me the Circle of the Chosen is also a love story. A story about the power of love. I hadn’t thought of that but she is correct.
The subtitle of the book tries to convey the two themes– Love could be the ultimate weapon as two great armies square off with their swords, bows and magic.
The storyline is a simple-sounding request from his brother, the new king of Bernna, sends Dameron on what turns into a dangerous mission in the Lands south of the Great River. He needs his soldier skills to survive encounters with treacherous priests, bandits, thugs and shapeshifters under the control of the Evil.
After gaining important texts for his brother, Dameron heads for home with people he has saved from marauding gangs. Among them is Lady Burska, who is trained to fight with a sword. His group encounters Giants on a mission to warn their clans about the return of the Evil that is once again trying to destroy all who live in the Lands of the Great River.
The Giants’ Elder realizes Dameron is the Champion of the Spirit and starts to prepare him for a battle with the Evil that will appear as a massive black cloud. Collaborating with brother Artorus and his cousin Yukul, Dameron plans to confront the Evil’s hordes who have besieged Compard, a walled city on the shores of the Great and Reddon Rivers. They hope that will draw the Evil into the open where Dameron can confront him using the power of the Spirit.
He knows from the ancient Credo of the Champion that he must tap into the power of the Circle of the Chosen to gain the full strength of the Spirit when he faces the Evil. How to do that is a mystery he must solve.
He has enough of the power to save a group of Protectors from the shapeshifters and they help prepare him. Then he employs it to destroy the Evil’s henchmen who control a powerful army sent by Haddonstone and they join his army on the way to Compard. Even with them and the warriors sent by the Giants, the Bernnaveld is badly outnumbered by the Evil’s forces. And Dameron doesn’t know how to combat the Evil.
The cover for the book will be posted once it’s ready and the launch will come in late October or early November.
Alex Binkley 