Dawn of Chaos

Unfortunately, and due to a need to deal with some unexpected and urgent life-events, the release of my next novella, Aftermath, will be delayed until further notice.

I’ve been reading a bit about “log-lines” recently. A log-line is supposed to be a one sentence summary of your story, usually a novel or screenplay, for “pitching” purposes. I decided to take a few minutes to try to come up with one for the first volume in my Sanctum of the Archmage series, Dawn of Chaos. Here’s my first cut:

The people of Carlissa struggle for survival when a professor of magic summons an army of demons to enforce his elitist ideas on their society, and its maverick bard princess tries to reach the Archmage for the power to defeat them.

Here’s the longer description from the book’s page:

A new constitution prepares Carlissa for an era of enlightenment. The harsh traditions of the past fade, and a promise of freedom stirs the air.

In the space of one terrifying day, that promise is shattered in a bloodbath of fire and magic.

Thousands of years ago, an epic battle was fought between good and evil. The demon lords had opened a door to the realms of hell itself, and their horde threatened to overrun the earth. But the Kalarans, led by the hero Calindra, destroyed their hellgate and drove them from the world.

The Great War has long since been lost to myth and legend. The Church struggles for relevance as the people forget their covenant with the gods. A renaissance of freedom and learning stirs the air in the modern age of Carlissa, led by the royal family, and the wisdom of the Archmage.

All of that comes to an end when a dome of shimmering magic appears in the capital city.

In the chaos that follows, the people fight desperately for survival, and wonder bitterly why the gods seem to have abandoned them. Their only hope lies with the magic of the Archmage — and his, with a young princess who never wanted to rule. She must find the strength to set aside her bard’s calling and take up a battle against impossible odds, or surrender her land and people to the Black Magus and his demons.

Sanctum of the Archmage: Dawn of Chaos, by Tony Andarian

The End of the Beginning, the fourth and final episode in Dawn of Chaos: Hell Gate, is now available both from Andarian Publishing, and on the Kobo e-book store!

Episode III, The Massacre of Lannamon, is also now available for purchase on the Kobo e-store.

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So as of today, all four books in Dawn of Chaos: Hell Gate, the first full-length novel in the Sanctum of the Archmage Saga, can be purchased from both stores. So don’t delay, and get your copy today!

The scene that met her gaze seemed as though taken from a nightmare. Fires raged, uncontrolled, throughout the city. Bands of demons, dragons, and Hellmen were everywhere, pillaging and killing at will. The Carlissan fleet had been burned or sunk, and the army base on the north shore of the firth was little more than a ruin.

She barely noticed it all. She stared instead, wide eyed, at the Silver Star Adventurer’s Academy. It stood just ahead of her, at the bottom of the stair and the base of the cliff.

It was burning.

The main gates had been shattered and great gaping holes had been torn in its walls. Demons surged in and around them, invading the grounds. Loud reports of magic boomed as blasts of fire and lightning tore through the few defenders who were left. The adamant and bluesteel spire of the great tower, once the pride of the academy and her grandfather’s home, was a solid column of flame.

The Star had fallen.

She stumbled forward to stand at the brink of the cliff and stared at the vista of destruction. Her one hope had been to reach the academy, to bring the ring to her grandfather. That hope was now gone.

I’ve failed them, she thought numbly. I’ve failed them all. I’m too late, and now the world will pay the price.

From Sanctum of the Archmage: The End of the Beginning by Tony Andarian

I just received a terrific review of my first book, Prologue to Chaos, that I thought I would share. I particularly appreciated it because it did a great job of describing the experience that I’d hoped readers would find in it.

The Massacre of Lannamon, the third episode in Dawn of Chaos: Hell Gate, is now available from Andarian Publishing!

Episode II, The Ring of the Killravens, is also now available for purchase on the Kobo e-store.

“I admire your determination to set the course of your own life,” Diana said at last. “I’ve always had a streak of independence, but I’ve never even thought of resisting my family’s expectations of me.”

“That sort of thing isn’t exactly encouraged in Dorian society,” he offered.

“No, it’s not. But you’ve had remarkable support for it here. From professors at the academy, even the Archmage himself. I guess that’s what’s always fascinated me about Carlissa. Even the princess, allowed to become a bard. That would be unheard of in my homeland.”

Without warning, she walked to the window and pulled aside the valence. Orion came to stand by her side, an inquisitive expression on his face. They looked out on the city together.

The Carlissan resistance was broken. Fires raged everywhere, and columns of smoke rose like orange pillars into the reddening sky. The walls and towers of the army base had been shattered and were being consumed in a raging inferno. The only soldiers they could see lay dead. Hellmen, demons, giants, and dragons roamed or flew over the streets, destroying, killing, and taking prisoners at will.

They turned to the west. An enormous force of battle demons was surging against the palace. The outer gates lay in ruins. Explosions and reports of magic echoed through the valley as the defenders fought a losing battle to hold the fortifications. Shadows were reaching across the city as the sun moved down toward the shoulder of Mount Cascade.

“All that is gone now,” she said bitterly. “Even if the people survive, and the demons don’t just slaughter us all. That budding spirit of independence will end.”

She turned to look at Orion, face haunted. “It’s going to be lost forever, isn’t it?”

He shook his head. Diana was surprised to see that defiance still burned in his eyes.

“There’s one last hope,” he said quietly.

“What?”

Orion pointed across the firth to the Silver Star Adventurer’s Academy. Another brigade of battle demons swarmed around it, but its tower still stood, gleaming proudly against the afternoon sky.

“The Archmage,” he said. “He would never surrender the city without a fight. I don’t know what he’s waiting for, or what his plan is. But he has one.” His eyes hardened. “And this battle won’t be over until he’s played his hand.”

From Sanctum of the Archmage: The Massacre of Lannamon by Tony Andarian. Available now, from Andarian Publishing.