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by Martin W. Ball (Author)
No one has seen the enigmatic Orobai in a year. In his absence, Miraanni, the "Mysterious Child," has fallen ill, lost in a catatonic state, but not before inspiring a fervent religious movement in Laftandiar-Urya, where she has been named "The Mother of the Perfect Creation" by the populace in the revived religion of the Tal.
Ashi has excelled in her lessons as a student at Hyanchalth-Murira, but when a mysterious woman gives her an ancient relic, it is only the beginning of her pilgrimage to find her place in Aurduin. Unable to help Miraanni any longer, Ashi must flee with blood on her hands, her fate calling her into the unknown while the Tal proclaims her the Kyandara and Holy Warrior of the religion that grows in Miraanni's, and Ashi's, name. Now it's up to Nataali to find a cure for Miraanni before it's too late and she is lost forever. Her best option is the Serpent King, but that is a choice with its own consequences. Meanwhile, the Motu leader, Kalzhat, makes an unprecedented overture to the peoples of the interior of Aurduin to mount a resistance to the growing threat from the west, promising a secret weapon to thwart their oppressive technology, and the blind Djinari Holy Man, Kulan, makes a desperate bid to find the missing Orobai, lead on by a dream of the Great Eagles, the Arnyar. In this installment of Tales of Aurduin, Volume II, the pace quickens as the stakes are raised, tensions mount, and new possibilities arise. The choices that are made here will influence all that is to come. The fate of Miraanni could be the fate of Aurduin itself in this dynamic continuation of the story that began with Orobai's Vision.Author Biography
Martin W. Ball, Ph.D., is an independent entheogenic researcher, writer, novelist, and musician. His fiction includes the Tales of Aurduin fantasy series and his latest novel, Beyond Azara: A Universal Love Story. His most recent books on entheogens include Being Human: An Entheological Guide to God, Evolution, and the Fractal, Energetic Nature of Reality, and The Entheological Paradigm. Martin earned his Ph.D. in Religious Studies in 2000 with an emphasis on Native American traditions, shamanism, comparative mysticism, entheogens and religion, Buddhism, and the philosophy of science and religion. He began his independent writing career with Tales of Aurduin in 2003, applying much of what he had learned as a student of religion and culture in shaping a vast fantasy epic. It took several years to complete the four-book project, complete with invented languages and glossaries. From there, Martin branched into writing non-fiction works on entheogens and spiritual/mystical experiences where he has documented his own explorations and insights. Recently he has focused primarily on a nondual interpretation of entheogenic experiences and their use as tools to reach unitary states of awakening and personal transformation. Martin's books are challenging, entertaining, insightful, and often radical. He's not afraid to be himself and call it as he sees it, always pressing for deeper clarity into truth and personal awareness of the unitary nature of being. His fiction works on multiple levels simultaneously, melding philosophy, spirituality, and dynamic storytelling, all told through the lives of engaging characters that defy conventional categories. With the release of Beyond Azara, Martin is excited to be returning to the fictional worlds and ideas he first explored with Tales of Aurduin.
