The Magus: Elk Riders Volume Five

A thousand years ago, the dark sorcerers, the Kryen, were dethroned and entombed. The world has lived in peace ever since.

Now their acolytes want to bring them back.

Haille is a failure as a prince. Disliked and disregarded for his epilepsy, he is an unwanted reminder of the beloved queen, who died giving birth to him. Cast off by his father and resented by the masses, Haille’s prospects are grim.

Haille wants nothing to do with politics or royalty. He is a son who wants to be accepted by his father. With his friend, Katlyn, he embarks on a quest to find a spring that might cure his illness. Both stumble into a conspiracy to murder the king, destabilize the kingdom, and resurrect the Kryen.

Haille and Katlyn reach out for help from two disgraced war veterans and an elk of unknown origin. What started as a quest for a spring, turns into a scramble to avert war, heal a kingdom, and avert the catastrophe of the Kryen’s return.

Elk Ridersis high fantasy at its best. It’s a story of underestimated misfits caught up in a fight on a scale they never expected. Beyond the numerous comparisons to Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia, Elk Riders sits in a pantheon of classic and contemporary fantasy: Ursula K. Leguin’s, Earthsea series; Madeleine L’Engle’s, A Wrinkle in Time; Garth Nix’s, Old Kingdom-Abhorsen Series; Joe Abercrombie’s, Shattered Sea; NK Jemisin’s, The Broken Earth; and a plethora of television gems from Willow to the Dragon Prince and Last Airbender.

Globetrotter and Science Fiction/Fantasy writer Ted Neill has worked on five continents as an educator, health professional, activist, journalist, and even a waiter. His interests include science, technology, religion, and writing. His debut novel City on a Hill combines his passions together into a thought-provoking page turner with a compelling female protagonist, Sabrina Sabryia. His fantasy series, Elk Riders, follows a band of unlikely allies brought together by a mysterious elk as they square off against dark forces taking shape in their world and even in their hearts.