Countryside · Book Two
Site artwork. Published editions feature cover art by Mark Korsak.
★★★★★ · 4.6 Amazon · 4.61 Goodreads · Kirkus Indie
Luke Rayburn has spent summer vacation running up and down sandy beaches with his family. He’s explored hidden coves, learned how to write invisible letters, and even met an ocean nymph. But his friends write to tell him of strange happenings in Countryside, and he’s anxious to get back.
When Luke returns, he finds that much has changed. Mischievous gnomes are spreading chaos across the valley, a lone wolf haunts the forests, and Mayeem, one of Luke’s new teachers, just happens to be a mermaid. And then there’s the hunter — a man with golden eyes, only part of a soul, and the belief that Luke has hidden something he wants. Something he’s willing to destroy Countryside to get.
Hounded by blackhearted men and soulless creatures, and with darkness luring him in, Luke must gather his wits and ferret out his true friends. As he draws close to what the hunter seeks, he will learn there is more at stake than he understands. He’ll learn that it is not the hunter he should be afraid of — and that, once done, some things cannot be undone.
“The glimmering continuation of a detailed, emotionally rich saga.” — Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus noted that the elemental disciplines of Countryside remain open-ended: as Samech says, “your ability to use them is controlled by what you can think of and what you think can be done.”
Published September 8, 2015. Hardcover ISBN 978-0996050067. Paperback ISBN 978-0996050074. Ages 8–12. Illustrated / cover by Mark Korsak. Tiner Publishers.
