Orphan: Book One: Chronicles of the Fall

A touch of George RR Martin, a dash of Jacqueline Carey, a sprinkle of Tolkien, and a hint of Lloyd Alexander."Masterful story telling. Amazing detail. Fresh and inventive characters. Grade A, all the way." - Adavanced Reader Copy Review Orphaned and raised on a hamlet far from anything interesting, Tristan wishes he was anywhere - and anyone - else.  With no name of his own or surety of place in a society that values both, he longs for something he has earned rather than the life his scholarly ward father has planned for him.  Rumors of a possible war with the distant Kingdom of Merid - along with tales of a fearsome warlord known only as the Horned Knight - fan his desire to earn the name, prestige, and recognition he might otherwise be denied. When an arrogant nobleman pays a visit to his home of Dorishad to consult with ward parents, great events and secrets are discussed...and Tristan is both insulted and excluded before being left behind.  Unprepared and ignorant of the world beyond his home, he takes his destiny into his own hands and breaks the one rule that has governed his life: never to step foot past the borders of the hamlet of Dorishad. A chance encounter with a strange nobleman turns Tristan into a pawn in a game against the mysterious Grand Duchess of Anahar - a game few even know is being played, and one with far-reaching geopolitical ramifications.  Aided by by a Hillffolk wildman, an unlucky bard, and a nervous woman claiming to be a political prisoner, Tristan must escape imprisonment and survive the most dangerous adventure he never imagined...the journey home. The first novel in Chronicles of the Fall, Orphan is a character-focused novel with adult themes and content that set the stage for events of the complete saga.