About The Last War
The people of the Archipelago of Cynnahu are used to war. Aeons ago their ancestors conquered the old continent, wresting it from the native Dragonkin whom they wiped out in a land-shattered conflict. Then, five hundred years later, new invaders arrived from the unknown south, the mireborn Naga, the snake-folk of Nag Isle who the Cynnahu folk have been ceaselessly fighting in the millennia since. But nothing prepared then for what was about to happen. A time foretold by an ancient Seer and Archmage speaks of a time when the Archipelago must fight its Last War against the Naga, a time when five heroes – Traveler, Orphan, Survivor, Student, and Lord – will set sail to rediscover the secret of the Elder Song.
Only they are not heroes. They are Myrriden, the footsore mage and single father. Sakura, an orphaned and homeless girl seeking vengeance. Volcan Darkrod, the enigmatic Fire Mage. Emrys, Myrriden’s nervous son. Archmage Hoth, the unflappable Leader of the Cynnahu folk.
Guided by an ancient riddle recently uncovered by the famed Loremaster Aneirin, these chosen five must a run a race of swords, spells, and dusty scrolls – for while the Elder Song was crafted to summon the primeval power of the Dragonkin to save the Isles, it has, down to its very name, been forgotten. Will the courage and wits of two eleven-year-olds and three vastly different mages be enough to free purposefully hidden secrets from forces older than the Isles themselves and reunite the scattered Song while fighting a desperate war on land and sea? Only two things are certain: where swords fail scrolls may prevail, and that humanity stands at doom’s edge and time is against them.
Buy The Book Here
Visit The Authors Website & Follow Them On Social Media
Learn More About The Author
I am Ian E.S. Adler, the son of librarians and born and bred in Cambridge Massachusetts (despite many people thinking I have an accent). I got into Fantasy when my Dad read J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings to me and became perpetually hooked after reading Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, Garth Nix’s Abhorsen series, and Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea Cycle. It is to Le Guin whom I owe my debut world and series, the Cynnahu Saga, for her Archipelago inspired me to create my own.
As I have been a Fantasy reader (and gamer) all my life, and a blogger since 2016 (see http://www.starsuncounted.com/), I know the common (and uncommon but still recognizable) tropes and tricks of the genre and so do my best in my own work to either move past them or give them a new coat of paint so as to make them fresh, enjoyable, and unpredictable. Cynnahu is an Archipelago because I noted while reading Earthsea that few other Fantasies feature them, and none in the way Ursula K. Le Guin did. I write Epic Fantasy, yes, but not with the Tolkienesque approach seeing as Middle-earth is perfect.
With an M.Ed and bachelor’s degree in History, my writing reflects an optimism regarding the human potential for peace and goodness despite of and acknowledging history’s grimmest, bloodiest moments. The pen is mightier the sword, but swords guided by pens have the power to win the world from the clenched fists of war. Notice the plural for swords and pens, as I avoid the by now over-used Chosen One archetype. Being Chosen is fine, but the One leaves little authorial room to maneuver.