The Unexpected Traveler Project

The Unexpected Traveler is my latest fantasy book—a juicy, thick fantasy epic action adventure. Peter helps a curious little man interpret some carvings in a mine. The carvings refer to a portal that the odd man desperately desires to pass through. A frantic attempt to help the man back into his own world results in both Peter and his irresponsible roommate Matt coming through the portal as well. The man isn’t a man at all, but an elf stranded on Earth. In the five years Rainier, the second son of the High King, was away, everything has changed. King Randinier is dead and Prince Rainier’s brother, Ranfolger, is now king. The peace that governed the land has been shattered in the Tax Wars. The book chronicles the adventures Peter and Rainier must traverse to set the High Kingdom in order, involving all seven sentient creatures created by the seven gods: elves, sprites, dwarves, faeries, gnomes, eagles, and, yes, dragons. Pitted against them are the conspirators: senior elves who wanted back the power that Rainier’s grandfather, the fabled King Rainden, had worked so hard to contain. With the inept Ranfolger on the throne, these old men have slaughtered thousands in their quest for ultimate control. Read of deep friendships, loyalty, tragedy, treason, intrigue, murder, battles, and magic. The Master of the Orgon Library, a refuge for humans, speaks to Peter:

“Peter,” he said, bringing his focus back to me, his eyes intense, “the forces of good are like a candle on a dark, windy night: a tiny light, easily extinguished. Once blown out, it can be hard to relight. It seems as though evil can never be conquered, only contained. I’m afraid we must constantly start again.”

Sink into this fat, juicy fantasy novel and travel with Peter, Rainier, Matt, many others, and, above all, two swords: Royal and Dag, both carrying more magic than has ever been seen before.

Drawings

My wife, Loretta (see her website), created drawings to go with each chapter. Here are some of them:

• The magic sword
• Entrance to the Jolly Judy Mine
• Drogo the Dragon
• The ruins of the Malgon Castle
• A dungeon cell in Malgon Castle
• Sheep safely grazing in meadow near town of Eagle’s Nest

Maps

From the moment I met Brett Pfister, I was completely enchanted with his work. He has converted my hand-drawn maps into art. Brett’s own website is here. Of course, a Kindle device or Kindle app can’t render them appropriately, so you can click on this link to see the maps in much higher resolution. When I read fantasy books, I like to be able to follow the map as I read. You may be the same way. In that case, print these maps and follow along.