Coming in May 2010...it's a...

The Epic of Karolan

Our friend Ari's book is now for sale. Ari is amazingly gifted (he wrote this series while completing his PhD in Astronomy) and P and I have already had the joy to peek at his book electronically but are excited to have a hard copy. Please see info below and please pass on to anyone you know who may enjoy the series.

Lovers of deeply characterized, heroic adventures, rejoice! Bright Against the Storm, available now from http://www.hopewriter.com/Karolan.html, begins an epic on the scale of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings – and one with “the wonder, the awe, and the heroism” of Tolkien’s masterpiece.

With the neighboring realm of Norkath girding for a brutal war of conquest, King Thomas of Karolan sends young Sir Ilohan on a quest. Ilohan chooses the bold peasant blacksmith Jonathan as his companion. The quest seems too easy at first – an irrelevant footnote to the coming war. Soon, however, the travelers find themselves hunted by pitiless foes. Back in Karolan, the beautiful shepherdess Naomi prepares to face the war alone, wondering if Jonathan will ever return to her to redeem his pledges of undying love.

Bright Against the Storm is the first book of four in The Epic of Karolan. The other three volumes are already written, and are scheduled for release in the spring, summer, and fall of 2010, respectively. The Epic of Karolan was written for adults and older teens who enjoy fantasy or Christian fiction. The books may not be a good choice for children under 14. Bright Against the Storm is an average-length fantasy novel, at 424 pages, or 125,000 words. It is self-published by the author, Ari Heinze, and therefore is not backed by the advertising budget of a large corporation. Please send this on to anyone you know who might enjoy The Epic of Karolan. Scroll down to read endorsements for Bright Against the Storm, and a more detailed plot introduction.

Endorsement 1:

“In Bright Against the Storm, Ari Heinze does a number of things that I did not think possible in a 21st century novel: he offers a believable and compelling portrait of true honor and chivalry; he depicts both male and female goodness in a way that is neither clichéd nor cloying; he creates a medieval-like world that is suffused by Christian faith but that never degrades into mere piety or self-righteousness; he meditates honestly on both the glory and horror of war; and he offers one of the best and truest portraits of a virtuous pagan that I have ever encountered. Lovers of Tolkien’s Middle-earth will find in Heinze’s Karolan a world that is far closer to our own—all the characters are human—but that nevertheless retains the wonder, the awe, and the heroism of The Lord of the Rings.”
Louis Markos, Professor of English and Scholar-in-Residence, Houston Baptist University

Endorsement 2:

"Bright Against the Storm, the first volume of this epic fantasy, is beautifully written and realized, its style exuberant, with a sense of immediacy that draws the reader deeply into the narrative. I look forward with anticipation to reading the rest of the Karolan series!"

Luci Shaw, author of Breath for the Bones, and Writer in Residence at Regent College.

Endorsement 3:

“Bright Against the Storm is a work I commend to all those who would be stirred in mind and heart by a saga taking on the grand themes of faith and fortitude, doubt and destiny and the abiding presence of the goodness and grace of God in the midst of the travels and travails of life in any time or place.”

Reverend Paul Karlberg, Proclamation Presbyterian Church, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

Plot Introduction:

King Fingar of Norkath is planning a brutal war of conquest against neighboring Karolan, allegedly justified by a mysterious betrayal decades old. Karolan has a history full of heroism, but dread weighs heavily on her people now. Aging King Thomas has no heir, and they may face Fingar’s onslaught without an effective leader.

In beautiful Glen Carrah in Karolan, Jonathan the blacksmith and the shepherdess Naomi exchange pledges of undying love. Confident in his strength and skill, Jonathan tells Naomi that he will find and rescue her, no matter what, if war separates them. The separation comes unexpectedly soon, when young Sir Ilohan asks Jonathan’s company on a journey commanded by the king.

Is Ilohan’s mission what it seems, an irrelevant footnote to the gathering storm of war? Why do deadly foes dog his footsteps almost from the beginning? Can Jonathan and Ilohan escape their enemies and finish the king’s quest? Will Karolan – and Naomi – weather the storm?