Portents of Chaos (The Drinnglennin Chronicles)

"This is a well-plotted, smartly paced fantasy novel. It is built from converging subplots, each of which features a main character whose adventures allow for the elaboration of the history of the kingdoms and families central to its imaginary world and the intrigues brewing in them. The reader will keep turning pages to see how the bigger story they are building comes together. Portents of Chaos is very much in the tradition of other stories that blend sword and sorcery, romance, wizardry, and high fantasy--up to and including Game of Thrones . But it never seems derivative of other works; the imaginary-world fantasy carries enough seeming verisimilitude that at moments it reads like a solid historical novel.Julius's characters are well developed and believable, especially her female characters, Maura and Halla, who are determined, resourceful, and independent, even though they move through a male-dominated patriarchal society. Her other characters--especially Leif, with his previous unknown elven heritage, and Master Morgan, his mentor and the wizard whose actions carefully bring all of the subplots together--offer the story great diversity and depth." The BookLife Prize 2019 From the Inside Flap When Leif accepts an apprenticeship with the reclusive wizard Master Morgan, he has no inkling of how dramatically his world is about to change. Leif soon finds himself fleeing his village for a hidden sanctuary, where he joinsxa0three others--Maura of Branley Tor, Whit of Cardenstowe, and Halla of Lorendale--all of whom might be the legitimate heir to the ailing King Urlion on the Einhorn throne. Morgan has brought them together to ensure their loyalty to whomever Urlion's true heir may be. In this unlikely fellowship, Leif, Maura, Whit, and Halla will find their courage, integrity, and trust sorely tested, all without the wizard's guidance. For Master Morgan must travel the length and breadth of the Isle in search of the truth behind rumors of a Helgrin attack, the mystery of the missing å Livåri ,xa0and what the unbound dragons, long secluded in Belestar, are planning for mankind. Morgan's quest will reveal a heinous betrayal--one that will ominously shift the tides of destiny and shake the very foundation of the Known World. The realm of Drinnglennin hangs poised on the cusp of chaos, for Urlion Konigur, the High King, is dying and has yet to name an heir. Rumors abound that the Helgrins, Drinnglennin's bitterest foes, are preparing their longboats to raid the Isle's shores, while the roving å Livåri folk, for whom the island kingdom is the last sanctuary, are strangely disappearing. And in distant Belestar, the fabled dragons are stirring from their self-imposed exile...Drinnglennin's hopes lie with the wizard Morgan, who must gather together and safeguard the king's possible heirs, all three of whom are coming of age. Yet a dangerously powerful house seeks the succession for one of their own, even if it means disrupting the fragile peace of the realm. One thing is certain: whoever next sits on the Einhorn Throne will determine the fate not only of Drinnglennin, but of all who dwell in the Known World. K.C. Julius is the author of The Drinnglennin Chronicles, an epic medieval fantasy quartet. A classic tale of adventure, sword and sorcery, romance and betrayal, The Chronicles combines all of the elements of the stories K.C. personally loves. The complete series--Portents of Chaos, A Realm at Stake, Bindings of Peril, and The Wings of Dread--will be released in the first half of 2020.K.C.'s previous book, Beyond the Green Door (published under Kristan Julius,) is a YA fantasy set in Hutanya, a world in which water has become a precious commodity.K.C. currently lives in Düsseldorf, Germany. Read more