Daughter of Etheron
by Brandon Young
Genre: YA Space Fantasy
Release Date: April 18th 2017
Starforged Entertainment
Summary from Goodreads:
Born the children of the ruling family.
Betrayed by the ones that swore to protect them.
IN A SHATTERED GALAXY . . .
Siblings, Elenah and Teveran are thrust into a secret war of space magicians that will decide the fate of the galaxy.
But a darkness swells in the galactic depths, magicians wielding magic not seen for millennia, and as the struggle for power grows more desperate, the children might find themselves fighting on opposite sides of the conflict.
The first book in the Saga of the Magicus Eye.
Buy a copy HERE!
About the Author
Brandon Young is the debut author of the Saga of the Magicus Eye. He’s also a musician, gamer, and avid Star Wars fan living in Melbourne, Australia.
Author Links:
GIVEAWAY:
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Receive a free digital copy of Daughter of Etheron and the first novella in the Magicus expanded universe, Rebel and the Aeonseer! Simply fill-in the signup form to receive monthly updates on the Saga of the Magicus Eye, and automatically go into the draw to be one of ten winners! This giveaway expires at midnight on May 12, 2017 (AEST), with winners being notified that weekend.
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EXCERPT : Elenah
After escaping from her homeworld of Etheron, Elenah has arrived at the spaceport of Mokuura for refueling, alongside two unlikely allies...
Elenah leapt out of the Voyager, her shoes slapping the glossy stone of the overflowing spaceport. Lights flashed across every surface, amber and blue and occasionally vibrant greens, but the city was not colourful. The sky was black, and there were no stars nor a sun. Shivering in the chill air, Elenah pulled her grey sweater across her blouse and exercised her cold hands.
“There’s a lot more people here than I remember,” Oswald said, ushering Eukaloo from the shuttle. Elenah watched the Troff, whose thin face swivelled upon his long, grey neck as he took in these new surroundings. His large, yellow eyes darted about. The light slithered across his greenish-grey skin, slipping in the cracks between his reptilian scales.
“You’re bringing him?” Elenah asked.
“Not because I like him. Because I don’t trust these people not to kidnap him,” Oswald said as he led them briskly away from the ship, and through an archway that became a broad tunnel.
“I thought it was locked with a protective—”
“If you’d looked around, you’d find that Mokuura is not a Free World. There are magicians here and all breeds of other dodgy sorts. Just keep your eyes on the road and don’t stare.” Elenah wondered what made Eukaloo so special, and what Oswald needed of him, but her thoughts were soon whisked away as she glanced up and around and examined the city.
Windows overlooked a dark metropolis to either side of them. Ships hovered steadily through lanes in the sky. Buildings rose up awkwardly, jutting unevenly into the great dark. Elenah realised it was the first extra-terrestrial world she’d ever stepped foot on. It was also nothing like she’d imagined. Cold, dead, depressing.
“It’s certainly become a lot grimmer,” Oswald said, tipping his top hat so it shaded his face. He brushed a curl of brown hair out of his eyes. “But that’s not saying much.”
“Why is it so bad?” Elenah asked.
“Who knows? One day, I’m sure this place won’t even exist.”
They skirted to the side as a short creature passed them through the tunnel. Is that another Troff? Elenah wondered, glancing at its yellow bulb-like eyes and grey reptilian skin. Walking several strides behind him was a taller nonhuman with broad pink arms ringed with tattoos, and a snout that stuck pointedly from the centre of his face.
They emerged from the tunnel and into some sort of shanty town, with buildings that looked fit for slaves: slanted corrugated roofs, sphere-shaped lamps hanging from the eaves, trashcans spewing papers and scrap metal. Elenah clutched the straps of her knapsack tightly, afraid that somebody might steal it—not that it contained anything of value.
“Best you don’t talk to these folk,” Oswald told her, leaning close. “They’ll do anything to swindle, bribe or murder you.” Elenah followed his eyes towards an old lady sitting in front of a burrowed-out building, proffering a grey tankard that rattled with chits. Beneath the soot and scraggly hair, Elenah could’ve sworn that was a human.
She averted her eyes and quickened her pace to keep up with him. “What are they?”
“Beggars,” he said. “Quite unfortunate. Nobody wants to live in a place like this. And if anybody says otherwise, don’t believe them.” Elenah screwed up her face as a bad smell wafted past. “Most of these people, they’re either hiding from something...or they’re just trapped here.”
“I hope nobody steals your ship,” Elenah said, wishing they’d walk a little faster. The beggars were everywhere, sitting along the skirts of winding roads, smoking, playing dice and cards, scrounging through the trashcans. They reminded her of rats, flitting about, and she wondered why nobody tried to help them. “Will they hurt us?”
“Not if you keep your distance,” Oswald said. “Come here.” He turned a corner and led them out of the town. Buildings here rose two or three times higher, but they remained dark and crooked. Other people lurked among the shadows. They scurried about with backpacks or grey sacks, riffled through fried vehicles and toppled structures. Scavengers. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the acrid, sweaty smell clinging to the air.
“Now, this might be difficult,” Oswald said awkwardly, hauling Eukaloo to a stop and rounding on them outside a shop lit with amber lamplight. The sign was written in glowing alien strokes. A bald-headed creature stood behind the counter with greasy yellow skin. He had one customer: a guy whose face was concealed by a high brown collar, whose eyes were metal spheres that rolled about, blinking red and white. “It might end up taking longer than I would like it to. If you want to take a wander, just don’t go too far.”
Elenah nodded, and Oswald also did—just a little less surely. Then he stepped away with Eukaloo and vanished amidst the crowds. Elenah couldn’t help but notice how well they seemed to blend in. She shouldn’t have been surprised; after all, Oswald was a criminal.
Brandon's Guest Post: The Saga of the Magicus Eye
In a galaxy forged in the debris of a magical explosion...
We enter a war of military might and magic where secret armies collide and an ancient foe threatens to topple the stability of the galaxy. Enter the Saga of the Magicus Eye, a brand new space fantasy epic told in two narrative threads spanning thousands of years:
The Main Sequence is the primary story thread, a series of novels broken up into multiple story arcs beginning with Daughter of Etheron—the first in a trilogy. As the main sequence progresses, we will see reoccurring characters, locations and themes, as well as how they and the galaxy they live in change over generations of warfare and revolution.
Daughter of Etheron is the perfect place to start as it minimizes the learning curve exponentially. In writing it, I knew the story needed to fulfil a number of functions. It had to:
- Introduce readers to a brand new galaxy
- Establish the state of the galaxy
- Have a satisfying ending
- Set the stage for something exciting to come
So I came up with the simple story thread of a girl who leaves her homeworld for the first time, so as to put her in the reader’s shoes, with the simple quest of finding her brother—which can be easily accomplished in a 100,000-word novel. Meanwhile, a secondary thread follows her brother as he learns about the more mystical aspects of the galaxy under the tutelage of a powerful magician—which in turn introduces us to another important element of the saga: magic.
The use of multiple viewpoints was a conscious choice made in the early stages of idea development. I specifically chose to include a diverse set of characters (human, non-human, old and young) in order to reveal many different aspects of the galaxy and ensure this novel worked as a strong launching point for the rest of the saga.
However, it is not a necessary starting point...
The Expanded Universe serves as a companion to the main sequence, a series of standalone novellas and short stories designed to expand on characters and events mentioned and starring in the main sequence. The EU is not required reading in order to understand the main sequence, although new readers could potentially start here so as to try a smaller story before delving into the meat of the saga. The first novella was released simultaneously to Daughter of Etheron, and is entitled Rebel and the Aeonseer: a story about the birth of the rebellion and the supernatural creatures that set things into motion. Rebel will be included free with every purchase of Daughter of Etheron, but can also be purchased on its own for the low price of $1.99AUD (or about $1.50USD). I’m also excited about the first short story, A Perfect Doom, releasing later this year for free.
I had a lot of fun writing the first two instalments in the Saga of the Magicus Eye, and I hope you’ll come along for the ride and find something you like within its pages!
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