Magic's End


Book Description

"A magical portal opened inside my mind and conducted me into an astonishing world. [...] So audacious did my mind become..." - Nikos Kazantzakis, Report to Greco, concerning the source of his harum-scarum motivation to suddenly translate the entire French dictionary to Greek. Let me tell you how one opens a portal through the Vaults of Lore (The Five Commandments). 1. Bravery amidst the void. You must not fear unfamiliar spaces. Anything can be real or imagined. Best if you don''t even know the difference between the two. You risk adventure and misadventure. You must be ready to never look back. Do not be like salty mothers and unworthy farmers with unsure hands at the plow. Put away fear of death and love of life and trust the mechanisms of totality. They are like the works of a Great Miller who designed gears that now go round for the bread of the many worlds. 2. Listen as a whole being. Listen for the striking of the planar seconds. Wake to them in the night and forsake your own opinion in the day, if you have the gift. Do not observe reality for then you may break the first rule and believe something is real or imagined. Even if you imagine fear, that may be enough to think fear is real. Instead, let the eye ponder and the mind blink. Give every ounce of flesh a new vocation. Every wall or ceiling is everything or nothing. Wonderment is not the completion of an observation and it leaves every possibility unbound without resorting to chaos. 3. Visualize two crossings. All too often, humanity is prone to imagine a portal in a circle or an oval. Perhaps you too believe this shape is more natural and would be more likely to occur, but I disagree. Circles are too infinite and can spiral on and on if you don''t have clear perceptions of points on that circle. A good portal is not a chaotic rift that spreads out like paint dropped on to a canvas. It is a gate that frames the way and a series of straight lines within more straight lines and from points A through Z to points Ѧ through Ϫ. This is where two universes or two points within the same realm cross. It is a crossing upon a crossing, a square on the grid that no longer conforms. These two crosses form the window of the portal, through which your mind, soul, individuality and (hopefully) your body will travel to the next destination. 4. Peer beyond what you see. Hold the portal open. Peel it back first in thought and then push those thoughts outward. You will not realize it was your own doing if you have done it right. Sometimes our will to carry this out is weak and our expectations are too adapted at balancing out the equations of what should be real in our heads. That is why you need a crutch, a staff, a cane, training wheels for the soul, chained firmly to your eyes. Something visual and simple is easy to translate to the ineffable. 5. Move without doubts, without certainties. When the window is prepared, find the seams of this portal and peel it open completely! Moving aside what you perceived as a wall, a floor, a ceiling, or even empty air framed only by this one wake in the sleepy patterns of brick or panel. Then, do not let go. Keep going forward! When you see a marvelous luminescence of stars pitted against a blue glassy glaze then you are ready. Step through this divide and merely "be" on the other side. Do not lose yourself in the reflections of whatever possibilities and realities or dreams you may see around you. Just pick one. Pick the one that calls to you if you cannot choose. I have found that even in the most certain of times, answering this call is the best choice. Did you see it?! Were you scared? Did doubt anchor you here? Truly, truly I tell you, that this portal is real and humans, especially, can open them. But for those still seeking to awaken the Vaults of Lore or lacking agicalic powers, I wrote you this book. A poor substitute or a rich teacher, depending on how it is applied.







The End of Magic


Book Description

Two powerful mages. One steeped in privilege, the other bound by a moral code. Their world is thrown into chaos by the end of magic. Rosheen Katell is a wandering mage and, with Anzu her griffin, she’s worked hard to build a reputation as a trustworthy truth seer. She never lies, never kills. Sander Bree is a royal mage. He lives an easy life advising the king on matters of court and politics, but dreams of an apocalypse are giving him massive anxiety attacks. Very soon, their magic will be gone. A cataclysmic event will change their lives and world forever. Sander must keep a promise to save the life of a young girl that would have been difficult enough with magic, but is a suicide mission without it. Rosheen is forced to side with a murderous warlord, and her once-solid principles are tested and found wanting. Both will be set against one another in a war unlike anything the world has seen before, in this sweeping fantasy of magic’s ending. A stand alone fantasy novel for readers of Joe Abercrombie and Scott Lynch ** "The sort of book you give to people who say “prove to me why I should read fantasy”... A simply terrific read." – James Barclay, author of the Legends of the Raven series "Mark Stay paints his world and characters with deft, confident and dark strokes." – RJ Barker, author of the Wounded Kingdom Trilogy "The sort of book you give to people who say “prove to me why I should read fantasy”... A simply terrific read." – James Barclay, author of the Legends of the Raven series "Takes the tropes of high fantasy and uses them to wield an original, compelling and intricately plotted story... exactly the kind of fantasy that we need more of." – Gavin G. Smith, author of the Veteran series "Stay does for George RR Martin what Pratchett did for Tolkien." - Julian Barr, author of The Way Home "The End of Magic has one of the most compelling narratives as well as a strong authorial voice." ★★★★★ Amazon UK Reviewer "Like Game of Thrones without the boobs!" ★★★★★ - Amazon UK Reviewer "This was a blast, hints of Joe Abercrombie’s books and his dark humour, but presented in a world in chaos." ★★★★★ - Amazon UK Reviewer "The most fun I've had reading a fantasy novel since Red Country by Joe Abercrombie." ★★★★★ - Amazon UK Reviewer "This book grabbed me in the first couple of pages... Couldn’t stop. Really want more!" ★★★★★ - Amazon UK Reviewer "I may never forgive the author for that (spoiler) death scene... *When you read it you’ll understand* Rarely have I shed tears so early on in a book." ★★★★★ - Amazon UK Reviewer "A fun and intense read." ★★★★★ - Amazon UK Reviewer "A fresh take on the perennial story of the golden catastrophe/age. The author has created a completely authentic fantasy world." ★★★★★ - Amazon UK Reviewer "Normal fantasy conventions are distorted, magic is not dependable and there are evil, bloodthirsty villains at work." ★★★★★ - Amazon UK Reviewer "The humour in the writing offset the blood and gore that featured throughout." ★★★★★ - Amazon UK Reviewer "The author effortlessly creates a world that is both wonderfully fantastical and at the same time strangely real." ★★★★★ - Amazon UK Reviewer "Gripping and entertaining." ★★★★★ - Amazon UK Reviewer




The Two Magics


Book Description




Popular Mechanics


Book Description




Popular Mechanics


Book Description

Popular Mechanics inspires, instructs and influences readers to help them master the modern world. Whether it’s practical DIY home-improvement tips, gadgets and digital technology, information on the newest cars or the latest breakthroughs in science -- PM is the ultimate guide to our high-tech lifestyle.




Popular Mechanics


Book Description

Popular Mechanics inspires, instructs and influences readers to help them master the modern world. Whether it’s practical DIY home-improvement tips, gadgets and digital technology, information on the newest cars or the latest breakthroughs in science -- PM is the ultimate guide to our high-tech lifestyle.




Popular Mechanics


Book Description

Popular Mechanics inspires, instructs and influences readers to help them master the modern world. Whether it’s practical DIY home-improvement tips, gadgets and digital technology, information on the newest cars or the latest breakthroughs in science -- PM is the ultimate guide to our high-tech lifestyle.




Popular Mechanics


Book Description

Popular Mechanics inspires, instructs and influences readers to help them master the modern world. Whether it’s practical DIY home-improvement tips, gadgets and digital technology, information on the newest cars or the latest breakthroughs in science -- PM is the ultimate guide to our high-tech lifestyle.




Popular Mechanics


Book Description

Popular Mechanics inspires, instructs and influences readers to help them master the modern world. Whether it’s practical DIY home-improvement tips, gadgets and digital technology, information on the newest cars or the latest breakthroughs in science -- PM is the ultimate guide to our high-tech lifestyle.