+ + book 3 out now + +
It was a glorious time for the two teens, Glenda and Traveler! At home in their magical sanctuary, hidden in downtown Chicago, they immersed themselves in the city's festive winter holiday season. Sadly, their holiday celebrations are cut short. Theo, the sanctuary's protective god, tells them of an approaching great threat. The demigod jinn host is preparing to enter our world. They seek to defeat Theo.
The malevolent fire creatures will arrive in the isolated Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania. They chose the fifth century, a chaotic, brutal time. Rampaging Hun armies battle Germanic tribes for control of the vast region. The host uses this turbulence to mask its presence as it plots the ambush of Theo. The teens arrive feeling like unarmed gladiators entering the high-walled arena of the Transylvanian Mountains. Death surrounds them. Armed only with their invisibility skill and their trust in each other, they proceed into the Carpathian abyss.
Book 2
The Blighted Fortress
This story begins in modern Chicago then moves to fifth-century Transylvania.
The teenage protagonists, Glenda and Traveler, are sent by Theo, their sanctuary god, deep into the primeval forests of the Carpathian Mountains. They must locate then neutralize an ancient demi-god called a “fire beast”.
The two must also survive the daunting challenges of isolated fifth-century Transylvania. Rome is now in its final death throes and the hoof beats of Attila the Hun echo across Europe. Civilization and Pax Romana are distant memories.
Magic, wits, and youthful courage must combine to face the fire creature. Survival, much less winning, is up for grabs.
Book 1
The Discovered Sanctuary
Certain doors open to grand adventures. Edward opens the first door while traveling on an overnight train to Chicago. Upon entering a private car, he encounters the mysterious Egyptian "M" and Theo, his sphinx-like companion. Both are much more than meets the eye. Edward's second door, hidden away in a Chicago alley, leads into a magical sanctuary. Greeting Edward warmly are M and Theo. A frosty greeting comes from Glenda, a tall, challenging Nordic girl. Theo discloses his true self to Edward and offers him a challenge to join M and Glenda as his allies against an ancient foe. Edward accepts and months of intense study follow as Edward and Glenda develop special abilities. Their abilities are tested in a Chicago museum as a keystone is being lowered into an ancient arch. Reading the arch's hieroglyphs, Glenda declares that the portal is cursed. Could an ancient curse come alive in modern-day Chicago?
DAVID E. DRESNER
We all grow up as natural story tellers with family, friends, and at school. While we tell stories we don’t necessarily write them up, except maybe for English class. As I told stories to my young children they loved them. Their enthusiasm motivated me to begin publishing them as a series.
Like many authors my stories are anchored in a blend of real life experiences. My early experiences were notably in boy scouts and my young male protagonist, Traveler, reflects some of those scouting experiences.
On a personal level I have always been captivated by history. My father was a two year old immigrant from a small village in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania. I bring Transylvania during the European dark ages into several of the books. The region played a significant role in the development of Western Europe and, of course, gave us Dracula.
As a young reader I was captivated by heroic tales of Arthur, magical Merlyn, and Robin Hood and his band of outlaws confounding the wicked sheriff of Nottingham. I was mesmerized by the stories of heroes such as Hercules and Jason in a time when gods ruled. All god pantheons were fascinating to me whether they were Egyptian, Greek, or Norse. I loved Thor and Odin before Hollywood discovered them.
My academic background was anchored in math and science and I have kept a layman’s interest in cosmology. The findings from the Hadron collider continue to advance what we think we understand but huge basic questions remain such as, “Where did our universe come from and why?” I certainly add nothing to the scientific answers but as a fiction writer I have latitude for making fun conjectures in my books.
