Story Summaries

CIRCLE

The Spinner’s Journey

Cover Art from C: TSJ

This is the first novel in the Circle series and recounts the adventures of four teenagers—Maraka Rojko, Gren Vandern, Laria Sumner, and Howard Smith—as they leave behind the lives they know and realize a very different destiny. Stepping through a circle of mushrooms, the Destined Four chase a half-formed dream into the mystical, mythical otherworld of Aorea. Maraka, or Mari, leads the group on a journey over the mountains and through the Endless Forest to the Spinner’s Sanctuary, where Laria’s mysterious purpose comes to light. Along the way, they make both friends and enemies, many of whom require them to temporarily step off their path to the Spinner’s Sanctuary and accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. Time increasingly becomes an issue as Mari’s dreams warn of chaos if their journey is not completed by the end of the Fourth Spinner’s reign, a moment that is quickly approaching.

The Love of the Necromancer

Enlisted by the Spinner to seal the traveling circle in an island off the coast of southern Dahrigek, Mari, Gren, Ruv, Brae and a band of Sanguines set off to tackle the task. They find that the continent has undergone a downward slide beneath Dimeldor’s reign, and the few human and Evrae settlements there are all but under direct and constant attack. The goblins comprise the most overwhelming problem, under the command of General Servorg, but even the pixies are more mischievous than usual. Furthermore there have been more reported sightings of the monster Tauru than ever before in Aorean history. It seems the great bull of fire and ice has been agitated beyond reckoning. Then, of course, is the problem of the kidnapped dragon child, Baby Blue Eyes. Our heroes find that sneaking into Dimeldor’s lair is not as easy as they expected, especially when he knows they are coming. However, the rumor of a missing girl as Dimeldor’s sweetheart turns out to be the group’s secret key through the door. Her name is Necria, and her silence may save the world.

The Lonely Wanderer

Panicking over the recent discovery of Mari’s pregnancy, Gren stirs up old arguments and suspicions. Mari, less than pleased, promptly vanishes, leaving not even a note for him to follow. A distraught Gren immediately enters the nearest traveling circle to reach the Spinner’s Sanctuary and meet with Laria. However, out of respect for Mari’s wishes, Laria will not tell Gren a thing. At a loss, Gren runs into Ruv at a tavern, and the pair sets off on a journey from one end of Nomansland to the next in search of the elusive Dreamer. Along the way, they meet many friends both old and new, as well as a whole slew of deities known on Aorea as the Lanti, including Lupea, god of wolves, and Cantrix, goddess of song. Slowly collecting clues, Ruv and Gren eventually locate Mari…only to realize that where she has gone, they truly cannot follow. Whether or not she returns will be entirely her choice.

Within Golden Walls
This is Laria’s voice as she tells the tale of her own life. There are periodic flashbacks to her pre-Spinner existence, but mostly this is a tale of her adjustment to captivity as the watcher of the worlds, discovering secrets and controlling the fabric—literally—of time and space. Laria’s narrative includes what happens with Mari and Gren, why the colonies of humans were founded in Evra, the pollution of Earth and imminent nuclear holocaust, and her opening of the gates. She explains the various legends circulating around the lives of Mari and Gren, later known as the Wolf Queen and Tiger King. Over time, after the pain of her friends’ death and the knowledge that she could not follow for many lifetimes worth of years, Laria withdrew from direct interference with the worlds and merely watched. She reads the writings of the previous Spinners, and so tells the story of Antiln and her sister, which originated the secret history of the Loom.

HAVEN

Twins of the New Moon

The first book of the Haven series follows the story of the royal family of Lunaer, descended from the legendary Wolf Queen and Tiger King of the Neoterran Colonies in Evra. Twin sisters Morgana and Morgaine sense a threat to their kingdom lurking in the shadows of a mysterious organization—the Whisperers of the Hills—who come into Sanghaven at night and tear it apart, one building at a time. Nothing ever seems to be taken, but nonetheless the cloaked cult seems to be searching for something…or someone. The twins do not know what it is the Whisperers seek, but they think their youngest sister Sallia just might be able to figure it out. Then, when children begin to disappear, the townspeople are afraid to leave their homes and turn to the Lunaers with an accusing eye. It only makes matters worse when word comes from other cities around the capital of Sanghaven that the Whisperers are starting to spread. Worse still, the sisters have reason to suspect that the townspeople might be right in thinking their family is at the heart of it all.

Celestial Enemy
Several years after the twins triumph over the Whisperers of the Hills, a mysterious star falls from the sky and lands right in the center of Moonstar Castle, leaving the courtyard in ruins and the castle in a panic. Soon thereafter, a strange wasting disease claims the life of the Queen, most of the castle staff, and quickly starts to spread to the town. For some reason only those without any innate talent are threatened by the sickness, which they come to call Heaven’s Culling. Morgaine, at Morgana’s request, takes Sallia and Tahlen all over the countryside in a search for a tree whose bark and a flower whose petals will lessen the effects of the Culling. Meanwhile, Lucille has her hands full managing the Capital city as ice goblins and ferghins begin to multiply and attack. On the matter of the comet, the disease, and the attacks, Morgana’s visions are ominously silent. When her sisters and Tahlen return, she sends them out again to seek the aid of a Wise Woman in Thorntown named Fulmina, who may be their last hope.

GUARD

Searching for the Star

The first book in the Guard series follows Myrrhea, one of the last direct descendents of the Wolf Queen and Tiger King, now risen to almost godly status among the people of Evra. Myrrhea, the rebellious youngest daughter of the ruling family, runs away to the Academy of Guards in hopes of becoming a student. Her true identity is eventually discovered, but after escaping to the Academy a second time, she is allowed to stay and study. Once every decade or so, a handful of the best students are selected to complete a mission in which they compete against each other. The winner will become the next Spinner’s Guard and go to the Sanctuary. The rest of the students simply become warriors, mercenaries, or remain as instructors upon graduating the grueling course. After the unexpected demise of the current Guard, ten students from Myrrhea’s class are chosen to compete. Myrrhea is among them. The journey takes her across an ocean and into lands she thought were only legend, and over the course of her mission, Myrrhea realizes much more than her future profession is at stake.