The Albean Chronicles
An ancient war. A forgotten prophecy. And a powerful weapon lost to time.
For three unlikely friends, the adventure of 1,000 lifetimes is about to unfold.
Introducing: The Albean Chronicles
An epic 8-book saga telling a story of war, adventure, friendship, sacrifice, and ordinary people making impossible choices in an extraordinary world.
For thousands of years, the course of humanity has been shaped — for better and for worse — by the unseen influence of strange and powerful beings.
From their perch on the vast floating island of Annwyn, hidden beyond the clouds behind the Féth Fíada — the Druid’s Fog — the Tuatha de Danann instil in mortal hearts the virtues of wisdom, curiosity, compassion, self-sacrifice, courage, and diligence. A seemingly-immortal race of kind and wise beings, the Tuatha leverage their godlike powers in subtle ways to gently guide humanity toward the pursuit of knowledge.
But for the Tuatha’s ancestral enemies, the monstrous and vicious Fomorians in the bleak wastelands of Dubnos, teaching mortals anything is a waste of time; beasts of burden need only know how to do back-breaking manual work.
So when the Fomorians begin abducting and enslaving humans — or Midworlders, as the Tuatha call them — the Tuatha are faced with an impossible choice: Attack the Fomorians, undoing a thousand-year-old pledge to not directly intervene in human affairs and risking a third war they may not win…or sit idly by and watch as the entire Midworlder race is crushed beneath Fomorian boots, just as the Tuatha once were.
That’s when the Dagda, the High King of the Tuatha, proposes a new and controversial solution: Imbue Midworlders with the power of magic and enlist them to fight against the Fomorians, to fight for their freedom.
As the Dagda’s Midworlder army grows, the Tuatha begin to turn the tide. But when seven legendary artifacts are stolen from Annwyn’s most heavily-guarded vault, it falls upon Midworlders Liam, Cara, and Dermot — aided by their mentor Priscus — to find and recover them, lest the Fomorians discover the artifacts’ true power.
Along the way, they unearth a long-forgotten prophecy that hints at a destiny none of them could have ever imagined — a destiny their ancestors ran from. Will they fulfill it? Or will they fall prey to the Fomorians’ temptations?
Book 1: The Staff of the Dagda
In the sleepy little seaside Scottish town of Mara, the townspeople whisper of odd happenings: Unexplained disappearances. Sightings of impossible creatures. Strange markings all over town.
For Liam O’Kean, these ghost stories were little more than fodder for his biting sarcasm. That is, until his 21st birthday, when a brush with death brings him face-to-face with a group of mythical beings known as the Tuatha Dé Danann and a world where legends are real.
Trading in his job at an underground fight club for a sacred gift and a burdensome calling, Liam soon discovers that only he can recover the Staff of the Dagda, break the mysterious curse over the town of Mara, and lead the charge to drive back the evil Fomorians. But to do that, he’s going to need some help from his friends.
Join Liam O’Kean and friends as they discover a new world of magic, mystery, and danger. Follow them on their journey as they master strange new powers in a mystical world of peculiar creatures, legendary artifacts, and fateful choices. Pulled into a war that is not theirs to fight, they soon discover that true power comes from knowing who you are.
“My people have been at war for a long time, Liam. And I have worked very hard to keep your kind out of that war. But despite my best efforts, my war is about to spill into your world — and you might be our only hope to win on both fronts.”
— The Dagda
Excerpt from Chapter 10: A Sacred Gift
“When the Tuatha began recruiting Midworlders like us to help in the war against the Fomorians, they did so because they saw our potential,” Priscus explained.
“They could see the spark of goodness in all of us. But the Tuatha also saw the frailty of our nature. We are weak, which makes us easy prey for the Fomorians. Even with our technology, the average Midworlder in his or her natural state is simply no match for even the lowliest of Fomorian foes.”
Priscus handed the book to Liam. The red binding was well preserved, and the book looked as if it was old, but well cared for. In embossed gold letters, the title read Fundamentals of Magick, Volume 1: Orders of Danann, by Amergin mac Eccit.
“So the Tuatha decided,” Priscus continued, “that if they were going to recruit Midworlders into this war, it would be necessary for the Tuatha to give us one of history’s greatest gifts: A piece of their power.”
Liam opened the book to the first page and read the description:
Long ago, when the Tuatha de Danann came to this realm, they made landfall in Connaught and began teaching their skills in the cities of Falias and Gorias. They taught the local humans various trades and disciplines like science, architecture, medicine, the culinary arts, and metalsmithing. Their aim was to improve the human condition through the free flow of knowledge.
But the Fomorians opposed this endeavour, reasoning that humans are like wild animals and are fit only for lesser, more menial work. The Fomorians wanted the humans to serve as beasts of burden, to till fields and pull carts and harvest resources like lumber -- to do hard physical labour and nothing else. The Fomorians saw the humans’ pursuit of knowledge as undermining their usefulness as servant animals. So the Fomorians began abducting humans to perform the work they thought was beneath them.
The Tuatha could not stand to see the humans suffering, and so they gave the humans the tools to fight back. Six members of the Tuatha imparted to the humans the gift of magic, so the humans could free themselves from oppression, just as the Tuatha had freed themselves long ago.
Now, each of these six Tuatha calls humans to the cause. And each human is called to an Order of Danann to refine their unique brand of magic. Will you become a master of metalsmithing like Goibniu? A water warlock like Manannan? A fearsome fighter like the Morrigan? A handy healer like Dian Cecht? A clever crafter like Lugh? A nature navigator like the Dagda?