#2: Corus, the Champion

From his frozen fortress in The Cruel North, Baron von Gulag (a.k.a. Kr’Nunos) schemes and cackles with delight. His mighty Goth army is ready to be released. Also, though his plan to take control of Karac Tor by ruining the youth did not come to full fruition, an entire generation was critically led astray. Kr’Nunos knows that without leaders, character or strength, the land will fail, and no one will be strong enough to resist him. To complete the ruin of the land, his intent is to break down the final resistance of its greatest champion, Corus, whom he stole from the Fey. But all four Barlows boys—twins Gabe and Garret crossed over at the end of Book 1—are now working hard against him, with powers beyond his ability to corrupt or control. Gabe has begun the mastery of his surprising gift of Bird Speech, revered by the Highlanders, and Garret is learning to command the wind under the tutelage of none other than Merlin of old who has long traveled between the two worlds, and who, in ages past, brought Artorius the King to Karac Tor to rest and heal after he fell in the Battle for Breton.

But it is Ewan who will face the most difficult test as he and Sorge set out to rescue Corus from the clutches of Hel. Meanwhile, ancient destinies are rising from the ash heap of history, for a Champion must serve a King and the shameful betrayal committed by Corus’s famous ancestor must be atoned for. Will the Barlows grow as brothers and learn to live heroically? Maybe...if they can stay alive!

Dean Barkley Briggs is an author, father of eight, and prone to twisting his ankle playing basketball. He grew up reading J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lews, Patricia McKillip, Guy Gavriel Kay, Stephen R. Donaldson, Ursila K. Leguin, Susan Cooper, Madeline L’Engle, Terry Brooks, Andre Norton and Lloyd Alexander (just to name a few)...and generally thinks most fantasy fiction pales in comparison. (Yes, he dabbled in sci-fi, too. Most notably Bradbury, Burroughs and Heinlein).

After losing his wife of 16 years, Briggs decided to tell a tale his four sons could relate to in their own journey through loss. Thus was born The Legends of Karac Tor, a sweeping adventure of four brothers who become enmeshed in the crisis of another world. Along the way they must find their courage, battle against overwhelming odds, face their pain, and never quit searching for home.

In God’s timing, beauty and joy arose from the ashes of loss. Briggs remarried a lovely redhead named Jeanie, who previously lost her husband in an auto accident. Together with her four children, their hands are quite full.

D. Barkley Briggs may be found on the web at www.HiddenLands.net

"D. Barkley Briggs has a fresh story to tell, and he delivers it in a unique voice. His writing style brightens every page. The lyrical prose suits his intriguing tale and heightens the feel of another world. The Book of Names is sure to gather a following among young and old fantasy lovers."

—Donita K. Paul, author of The Dragon Keeper Chronicles

"A complex tapestry of magic and meaning, bravery and brotherhood."

—Jeffrey Overstreet, author of Auralia's Colors