J. Michael Radcliffe
  • Home
  • Characters
  • Creatures & Places
  • Author's Bio
  • Links & Contact
  • News

Novels

 The Guardian's Apprentice
Book 1

Picture
Keegan Whitestone doesn’t believe in magic.  A disillusioned young man drifting through life without purpose, he almost welcomes the unexpected delivery of his father’s signet ring and a mysterious note.  Estranged from his father before the man’s death, Keegan knows nothing of his family heritage, or of the world awaiting him on the other side of the magical barrier known as the Veil.

Summoned by the grandfather he never knew existed, Keegan must travel beyond the Veil to become the older man’s apprentice.  With his grandfather, known as the Guardian, they must safeguard the barrier tethering together the worlds of science and magic.  Someone – or something – is at work trying to break that barrier and bring the long separated worlds together, to subjugate the human race on both sides. 

Before he can become his grandfather’s apprentice, Keegan must gain the approval of the High Council, a group of witches and wizards more interested in advancing their own agendas than in protecting their world.  If he wins their approval, he must survive training under the tutelage of his grandfather’s assistant – a wizard convicted of treason some five-hundred years before and sentenced to spend all but one hour every day as a black cat.

Learning to control the power within proves harder than he thought, but when he tries to return home he learns the shocking truth – his grandfather’s enemies want Keegan dead whether he’s an apprentice or not.  If he doesn't find the inner strength to control his power, both worlds could perish as the ancient portal is unsealed and the Shadow is unleashed upon mankind.


Bloodstone,
The Guardian's Curse
Book 2

Picture
An ancient evil has returned to threaten the world of magic and mortal alike.  Keegan Whitestone is now the Guardian - the protector of the magical barrier known as the Veil - but he has yet to learn how to control his powers.  He must find and destroy the Bloodstone, a legendary jewel used by the powerful necromancer, Sava, to ensnare and devour the souls of others.  In order to save the soul of the woman he loves, Keegan must make a terrible choice.

'Bloodstone - The Guardian's Curse' is the sequel to 'The Guardian's Apprentice'.  It is a twenty chapter novella of 32,000 words.  Also included is the never before published short story 'Inner Daemon', as well as the short stories 'Forsaken' and 'Scale of a Dragon'. 


Rise of the Shadow
Book 3

Picture
Sakkara, Egypt - the birthplace of magic in our world.  On the thirteenth hour, of the thirteenth day of the thirteenth month after their death, an old enemy returns from the abyss with the aid of the Shadow.  Keegan Whitestone must unravel a mystery and stop a murder before it happens, five thousand years in the past!

Rise of the Shadow is the third and final book in the Beyond the Veil series.  It is a novella of approximately 30,000 words.


Short Stories

The Amaranthine Flask
 

Picture
Shai'tan is a fierce and powerful dragon, enslaved by the dark witch Khamsin since he was hatched.  Although she raised him from a hatchling and taught him the ways of wizards, she is a harsh and unforgiving taskmaster.  When she sends him on a mission to obtain the Amaranthine Flask, a potion that will grant her perpetual youth and beauty, she learns the difference between obedience and loyalty.  

'The Amaranthine Flask' is a short story of approximately 3,500 words.


 Forsaken

Picture
Corvinus Black is dying.  Nisha, his only daughter, is desperate to find a cure, but just how far will she go to save him?  When she learns of a magical talisman that might save him, she must risk everything to steal it.  Forsaken is a short story of just over 3,600 words set in the world of The Guardian's Apprentice.




Scale of a Dragon
 

Picture
Callen is a beautiful young woman who tries to see the best in everyone.  Cursed with a cruel, overbearing father, she struggles to find balance in her life.  When an injured dragon crashes near her home, she must disobey her father to follow her heart.  Scale of a Dragon is a short story of 5,700 words set in the world of The Guardian's Apprentice.




Tears for Hesh

Picture
Set in the world of The Guardian's Apprentice, this is the story of Hesh, a young man who works for a coniving, power-hungry wizard.  Hesh's master will stop at nothing to get what he desires - power.  Hesh is a gentle giant, towering above others yet soft spoken and afflicted with a stammer when he gets nervous.  Sent on an errand by his master, Hesh uncovers a terrible secret and must face the consequences.




Legend of the Pumpkin King
 

Picture
Jack Thatch thought things couldn't get any worse. Picked on and taunted by bullies, his life was a nightmare. Warned by his mother to avoid the farmers' fields at night, Jack thinks the Pumpkin King is just a myth used to scare little children, but one cold night while running for his life he learns the truth.

Legend of the Pumpkin King is a short story of approximately 1,651 words.


Frostbite, the Dragon that saved Christmas

Picture
When a solitary ice dragon is awakened by the old wizard, Kris Kringle, she doesn't expect to be asked to help him save his job - and Christmas. 'Frostbite' is a short story of approximately 2,800 words, based on characters from the novel 'The Guardian's Apprentice.'


Available at Smashwords, Amazon, Apple's iStore, Sony, Kobos, Diesel and Barnes & Noble.

Also available through BestsellerBound's storefronts:
Kindle Editions:  http://astore.amazon.com/quiboo0d-20
Print Editions: http://astore.amazon.com/bsbprint-20  

Of Cats & Magic

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Copyright © 2012 J. Michael Radcliffe, all rights reserved