Yeah, it’s a great series! Follow on series is pretty solid too (Fury of a Rising Dragon, also complete now, although I do believe there are plans for another series, with the same cast, to follow).

The magic system there is a pretty good one, and it has a pretty great setting as well. The early books are possibly a little YA-ish for a lot of the recommendations you see on this sub, but still solid books, and do have some pretty dark topics throughout anyway. The newer ones still have a bit of a YA note, but not too heavily, and the books are well executed enough it doesn’t really get in the way for me.

Overall it’s absolutely one I’d recommend, and with nine books out, a spinoff and a sequel to the spinoff coming out soon-ish, and two complete main story arcs, each reasonably self contained, there’s a fair amount of content there to pick up, and it’s a good time to do it, with the current arc being complete. I’m fairly sure they’re all on KU as well, although I could be misremembering there.

But yeah, pretty damn solid series! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcane-Arinthian-Line-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00Q5M78KW should be the amazon page link, as I saw someone asking for it down here already lol

My reply got buried, but for those wondering, I write coming-of-age fantasy adventure (my first book began with the classic farmboy-learns-magic-and-goes-on-a-grand-adventure trope).

Readers commonly describe it as a mix between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings (spellcraft/characterization + the adventure of LOTR). With some Eragon and perhaps Eddings thrown in. There's no cursing, no sex, and it's fairly relaxed escapist reading (readers range between ages 10 to retiree).

EDIT: link to the first book of my series in case my work is of interest to you.

Thank you!

I love Rothfuss and GRRM and Tolkien and Orson Scott Card and Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman and Kevin Siembieda and Robert Jordan, but my all-time favorite is J.K. Rowling, specifically her Harry Potter series. I read that series like four or five times before I wanted to write my own story, that's how impactful her work was to my life.

I wanted to create something that can compete with HP for my own fickle attention (it was really hard to delve into other books after HP, which made me ask myself why that was); but also an adventure that would stand on its own--and one that I wanted to go on.

And that was how Arcane was born.

EDIT 3: To clarify my title, I'm the author who wrote the series. The backstory is below ;)

Hiyas, r/fantasy!

After over four years of work, countless gallons of coffee, repeated recriminations for self-discipline and doubt, numerous crumpled pieces of paper, and thousands of hours of research and learning, I've finished my first series, The Arinthian Line.

I grew up with fantasy in my blood, religiously reading Dragonlance (Raistlin, Huma, etc). Tolkien, the usual. I never imagined it would one day turn into a full time job. In my youth, I was repeatedly told how much of a waste of time it was. Back then, I was heavily into dice RPG games like RIFTS, AD&D, GURPS and Vampire, drawing up characters and plots late into the night. As much as I loved sports (I think I was the only goth jock in the entire school), what really got my blood racing was after-school role-playing sessions with a group of people. The best adventures were the ones that went late into the night during a storm outside, the school long abandoned by all except a janitor suspicious a cult gathering was underway.

That went on for years. I even did a bit of live action role playing downtown Toronto in the mid 90's. I was and continue to be an avid video gamer, starting with Legend of Zelda in 1986 and continuing on with Diablo 3, which I play with my wife to let off steam.

I even wrote a book as a teen ... only to see it disappear with a hard drive crash. Harsh lesson learned. Always back up your work. That put me off writing for some time, but it was for the best.

I'm also a failed musician. My career in the music industry grew stagnant and was just losing me money after a while. After sixteen years of giving it my all, I threw in the towel. That sucked. Hard. It's painful giving up on your dreams. I truly thought I was going to be making music until I died. I even told the papers that. It's in print in the press. How embarrassing.

That's when it happened. After a fourth read-through of Harry Potter, I really did not want the adventure to end. So I started my own series.

...Aaaaaand it quickly became apparent I didn't have the chops. I then went on a massive two-year-long learn-to-become-a-better-writer blitz, ingesting "how to write" books with the vigor of Tom Hanks clawing at coconuts in Cast Away. I approached the craft like a blank slate, as someone starting from scratch--a know-nothing nobody. By the time the twelfth or so draft of the first book was complete, I was ready. After getting all my ducks in a row, I hit the publish button on Amazon, and saw the book do rather well.

That was Nov 2014. The series, though unfinished at the time, did well enough to allow me to quit my job in September 2015, nine months later. And this past weekend, I released the final book in the series. It now sits complete. And I feel ... well, shock, I suppose.

Moving along. Working from home as a full-time writer presented challenges I did not anticipate. I'm a social guy, yet suddenly the only one around was the cat (and the wife when she got home from work). I had to make an effort to be social, to get out of the house. And then there was the whole self-discipline thing. Getting up early to work on my craft was tough at first (it's easier now). Feedback from readers kept me going, as well as the promise of a possible career.

Moral of my little story? Just because you think you're going to be doing something for life, doesn't mean you're meant to do it. And failure is a wonderful motivator. I highly recommend experiencing one massive failure in life. Once I accepted I was not going to become a musician, I started enjoying things again. But especially, I loved the craft of writing and shaping a world and characters. There were no expectations because I had already suffered failure. There was nothing to lose but to give it my all.

I guess that brings me to what exactly I've spent so much time and effort on. To make your life easier, I present the basic stats of the series along with a brief premise. As always, thank you for your time and inspiration, r/fantasy.

THE ARINTHIAN LINE

Genre: Coming of age adventure fantasy

Target age: All ages

Primary style influences: J.K Rowling, Orson Scott Card, J.R.R. Tolkien

Foundational tropes: Friendless farm boy learns magic; aging mentor

Basic premise: Fourteen-year-old aspiring warlock boy befriends two girls, quickly going on a wild adventure while learning the arcane arts under the tutelage of a legendary but cantankerous mentor.

Maps: Yes, one per book

Explicit language: None

Sex: None

Violence: Mild to medium typical of genre

Romance: None at first, but a relationship later blossoms organically in the "sweet sixteen" fashion (during survival situations, at that). Not a focal point of plot but a support pillar.

Word counts:

Arcane (book 1): 97,000

Riven (book 2): 173,000

Valor (book 3): 159,000

Clash (book 4): 195,000

Legend (book 5): 243,000

Total: 867,000

FINAL NOTE: If you wanted to give the series a try, Arcane (The Arinthian Line, book 1) is on sale for $0.99 cents (USA, UK) on Kindle until January 20th in support of the launch of the final book.

My website: severbronny.com

If you have any questions, feel free to post them anywhere in comments -- I'll respond :)

Sever

EDIT 1: Going to bed now (it's 1 am on the West Coast) but will respond to all questions in the morning!

EDIT 2: I'm back and will answer any questions that arise throughout the day :)

Here is the link to the book:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q5M78KW

And a link to the image above in case you decide to share it on social media:

https://i.redd.it/1oyadao7yjs81.jpg

Thank you for your help in spreading the word :)

Hiyas, r/fantasy!

I'm your writer of the day, here to answer all your questions regarding my work.

I've been a full-time author for over four years and write coming-of-age fantasy that can be read by all ages. I've published 1.48 million words spread over eight books (two series), all having to do with the same three characters (a teenage boy and two girls: Augum, Bridget and Leera). I write from a single point of view (Augum's) and painstakingly complete about one book a year.

I'm a failed musician who has been given a second chance at a creative life (backstory to that can be found here), and am extremely grateful to be writing for my day job. On average, I write about 2000+ words a day and love every minute of it (well, usually). I cannot thank my readers enough for supporting my work, allowing me to write full-time.

What critics say about my work: The early stuff is overly simple, youngish, and derivative. Some are repulsed by the immaturity of the teenagers involved, others can't stand the political biases which I've occasionally allowed to bleed into the work. I consider these criticisms fair.

What fans say about my work: That I've developed my own unique magic system, that my characters are lovable and relatable and evolve over time, that they love my worldbuilding, and that they enjoy seeing me progress as an author. They compare my work to a mix of Harry Potter/The Hobbit/Eragon, though say it has quickly evolved into its own unique thing.

Here's an overly staged photo of me for today.

A quick rundown of my work:

==============================

Series 1: THE ARINTHIAN LINE

Genre: Coming of age adventure fantasy

Primary style influences: J.K Rowling, Orson Scott Card, J.R.R. Tolkien

Target audience: All ages (same audience as Harry Potter)

Foundational tropes: Friendless orphan farmboy learns magic; aging mentor; harrowing survival

Basic premise: A lonely fourteen-year-old aspiring warlock befriends two girls, quickly going on a wild adventure while learning the arcane arts under the tutelage of a legendary but cantankerous mentor.

Maps: One per book

Explicit language: None (other than occasional words like "damn" and "hell")

Sex: None

Violence: Mild to medium typical of genre

Romance: None at first, but a relationship later blossoms organically in the "sweet sixteen" fashion (during survival situations, at that). Not a focal point of plot but a support pillar.

Amazon links:

Arcane (The Arinthian Line, book 1)

Riven (The Arinthian Line, book 2)

Valor (The Arinthian Line, book 3)

Clash (The Arinthian Line, book 4)

Legend (The Arinthian Line, book 5)

Audiobooks narrated by Grammy and Hugo winner Stefan Rudnicki (Ender's Game)

===========================

Series 2: FURY OF A RISING DRAGON

Genre: Epic coming of age adventure fantasy

Primary style influences: J.K Rowling, Orson Scott Card, Patrick Rothfuss, J.R.R. Tolkien

Target audience: All ages / young adult (same as later-book Harry Potter)

Foundational tropes: Legendary teen tries to summon dragons to save his kingdom from an emerging new threat

Basic premise: A now accomplished teenage warlock chooses a long-extinct warlock profession—that of the warlock-knight class—that gets him and his friends into a heap of trouble. But due to what happened in the last war, a threat looms on the horizon, one that will make the extinct occupation relevant again. The young man deals with his struggle to grow into his new leadership role while balancing a loving relationship and the responsibilities that come with fame.

Maps: One per book

Explicit language: Very little (occasional words like "damn" and "hell", and two uses of the word "bitch".)

Sex: None

Violence: Mild to medium typical of genre

Romance: Relatively low (a wholesome teenage amount between the two protagonists)

Amazon links:

Burden's Edge (Fury of a Rising Dragon, book 1)($1.99 until end of month)

Honor's Price (Fury of a Rising Dragon, book 2)

Mercy's Trial (Fury of a Rising Dragon, book 3)

================================

My website: severbronny.com (Maps, photos, news, reader mail, etc)

My subreddit for my work, which I started only recently.

Anyway, I'm here to answer your questions! Fire away :)

Ah, then Amazon is your best bet still. Link to the book on the Canadian Amazon store :)

Yes :)

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00Q5M78KW