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A brief history of Ardalia
This mythological, not to say cosmogonic, story describes in a few pages the genesis of the four great civilizations of Ardalia and the most significant events preceding the Ardalia trilogy. For those who have read The Breath of Aoles, Turquoise Water and The Flames of the Immolated, it offers an interesting shift of perspective. For others, it permits an easy introduction to the details of the universe while furnishing a complete synoptic history from a different viewpoint.
As a bonus: the five first chapters of The Breath of Aoles are also included.
Ardalia: The Breath of Aoles (Book One)
Pelmen hates being a tanner, but that’s all he would ever be, thanks to the rigid caste system amongst his people, the hevelens. Then he meets Master Galn Boisencroix and his family. The master carpenter opens up a world of archery to young Pelmen, who excels at his newfound skill. But Pelmen’s intractable father would have none of it, and tries to force Pelmen to stay in the tannery.
One day, however, Pelmen’s best friend and Master Galn’s son, Teleg, disappears. Lured away by the prospect of untold riches through mining amberrock, the most precious substance in the world, Teleg finds himself a prisoner of the Nylevs, fierce fire-wielding worshippers of the god of destruction.
Now Pelmen must leave all he knows behind, overcome his fears and travel across the land, in search of his childhood friend. Along the way, he will ally himself with strange and fantastic beings: a shaman who controls the Breath of Aoles, or the power of the wind, a krongos, a creature of the mineral realm who can become living rock, and a malian, adept at water magic.
Ardalia: Turquoise Water (Book Two)
Along the Great Rift, in the heart of the volcano Ixal, Valshhyk the Immolated is stirring. The creatures corrupted by his putrid fumes are growing in number daily. Within the fiery walls of Sinista the amberrock swords, axes and lances of an army of outcasts gleam, waiting. The day is drawing near when the ties binding the dark god will collapse. Then, the nylevs will surge forward from the depths of the abyss.
Pelmen, Xuven, Teleg, Elisan-Finella and Lominan, the Messengers of Destiny, have an urgent mission. However, dissent soon rears its ugly head and they go their separate ways. Who among the Children of Aoles or Malia will succeed in warning the world of the danger it faces? When the time comes to confront the servants of the Sacred Fire, will the Breath of Aoles and the power of Turquoise Water be enough to defeat them?
Ardalia: The Flames of the Immolated (Book Three)
The great hunt had begun, and the hevelens were the prey. When would it end, and how? Impossible to predict…
With the malian army defeated, the forces of Destruction are laying siege to the Gate of the Canyons and spreading out over the Windy Steppes. For every child of the wind or the water captured and hurled into the Great Rift, a Nylev, a fire-being, is born. Pelmen, Laneth, Lominan and Elisan-Finella must convince the krongos to join them in their desperate struggle, but only a handful of the mineral creatures remain, and Valshhyk, the Immolated, seems unstoppable…
The Flames of the Immolated is the third and final book of the Ardalia trilogy. It includes a map of Ardalia and a glossary, with a description of the various creatures peculiar to its universe, and suggestions for the pronunciation of some words.
The Ardalia trilogy
A hooded silhouette was outlined on an overhanging rock in the blue lunar light of Tinmal and Hamal. Motionless, the individual was tracking his every movement.
Pelmen shivered. He looks more like a protodactyl ready to fall on its prey than anything else. Not wishing to find himself alone in the presence of the unnerving stranger for a moment longer than necessary, with no further thought to what Komel was doing, he hurried back to the relative safety of the hut.
A fantasy novel set in a prehistoric world
Pelmen hates being a tanner, but that’s all he would ever be, thanks to the rigid caste system amongst his people, the hevelens. Then he meets Master Galn Boisencroix and his family. The master carpenter opens up a world of archery to young Pelmen, who excels at his newfound skill. But Pelmen’s intractable father would have none of it, and tries to force Pelmen to stay in the tannery.
One day, however, Pelmen’s best friend and Master Galn’s son, Teleg, disappears. Lured away by the prospect of untold riches through mining amberrock, the most precious substance in the world, Teleg finds himself a prisoner of the Nylevs, fierce fire-wielding worshippers of the god of destruction.
Now Pelmen must leave all he knows behind, overcome his fears and travel across the land, in search of his childhood friend. Along the way, he will ally himself with strange and fantastic beings: a shaman who controls the Breath of Aoles, or the power of the wind, a krongos, a creature of the mineral realm who can become living rock, and a malian, adept at water magic.
The most complete version of the Ardalia universe
This ebook includes the trilogy three books, The Breath of Aoles, Turquoise Water and The Flames of the Immolated, along with A brief History of Ardalia, which will help you go deeper into the universe imagined by the author, a map of Ardalia, and a glossary. You will also find pronunciation suggestions for the peculiar words of Ardalia and the characters’ names.
What readers are saying
« Forget elves, dwarves, trolls and dragons. In Ardalia, you have all sorts of alien species that fit well into the ecosystem of a low-magic world, which is sort of elemental in its own way. The originality is excellent here. » —Awesome Indies
« I absolutely loved this book. It is phenomenal. The power of the author’s imagination and his use of language really make it a brilliant read. It’s complex but you get used to it and really start to enjoy it. » —Paige
« The story is great. Lots of adventure, action, some romance. The main character’s coming of age is great to follow. He is overcoming the arrogance of youth, and realizing other cultures often have much to offer. » —Mike
« This story was really good. It drew me in from the first few pages and was packed with adventure, excitement, and danger. The main character, Pelmen, is just an ordinary tanner at the bottom of the “totem pole”, wishing to escape for a better life at the start. But instead of escaping with his friend for a better life, he is thrown into a dangerous world where he has to learn to fight in order to survive. » —Dakota
