The Book of Names - eBook

It’s Thanksgiving Break and chores are being handed out. Hadyn, nearly 16 and the oldest of the four Barlow brothers, is told by his father to clear the back acres of their new farm. Hadyn resents life. After losing his mother to cancer and relocating away from the only home he’s ever known, he misses his friends and his Mom. While hacking through a briar patch, a strange rock formation arouses his curiosity. After four mysterious black birds deliver a strange summons, Hadyn and his brother Ewan realize the stone is really a magic Viking runestone. Through this portal, they cross into the ancient world of Karac Tor.

Crisis looms. In the Five Dominions of Karac Tor, names are being stolen from the young—literally erased from the sacred Book of Names. Meanwhile, the sorceress Nemesia is spreading darkness from her Tower of Ravens. While Hadyn and Ewan are immediately hailed as Champions sent to help rescue the land, the brothers have a far more simple goal: find their way home—and stay alive! As the seductive call of Nemesia lures them towards despair, the Barlows must discover power and courage they never knew they possessed. Yet even if they survive, will anyone know how to send them back to our world? Or will they be lost forever?

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