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Synopsis:
2021 Firebird Book Award winner for Steampunk MAGUS
The Magus were the protectors of magic, armed with a magic caster’s power and the strength of a warrior. They were able to summon various magical weapons from specialized caches they wore as an armored pauldron known as an Armory of Attlain. They were legendary among the people of Attlain, until the Magus Rebellion. When a few Magus decided they should lead the people instead of protecting them, they rebelled; but the insurrection ended from within the Magus ranks. However, the rebellion already did the damage. The Magus were cast out, feared, and outlawed except for those few who remained loyal to the crown and lived as adventurers. For generations, they had all but disappeared from the landscape of Attlain.
Marcus Gideon awoke at the crossroads outside the border town of Armändis. Lost, with no memory of his past life, he was left for dead by brigands… Stabbed through the heart. His life was saved by a blacksmith’s kindness who replaced his damaged heart with a mechanical, magical miracle—a clockwork heart. The gears turned, the motor spun, and his heart was beating again, powered by his magical energy.
Gideon was alive, but his savior was no ordinary blacksmith. Henry Botàn was a Magus, hiding out in Armändis to protect the weapons within his magical armory. The swords, spears, and other-worldly artifacts were potent in their rights, some cursed and even forbidden to wield. His responsibility was to protect these weapons from falling into the wrong hands, but he was old and past his prime.He needed an apprentice, and Marcus Gideon may be the one he waited all these years. Now begins a new adventure, as Gideon searches for clues to his past, looking ahead toward his future in Attlain as THE LAST MAGUS.
Author bio:
Mark Piggott, a native of Phillipsburg, N.J., enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1982, beginning a 23-year career.
He served on four aircraft carriers and various duty stations as a Navy Journalist before he attained the rank of Chief Petty Officer. He retired from active duty in 2006.
His first novel, Forever Avalon, was published in 2009, followed by his second novel, The Dark Tides, in 2014. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series from Austin Macauley Publishing, was released in 2020. He is currently working on the fourth book in the Forever Avalon series, The Prometheus Engine, and a new fantasy/adventure series, The Last Magus.
His short story, Demonfall, was one of ten stories published in The Publishing Room fantasy anthology, Of Distant Worlds.
His short story, Corsair and the Sky Pirates,won the Crystal Peake Publishing “Steampunk Writing Contest” and will be published in a steampunk anthology in 2021.
He and his wife, Georgiene, live in Alexandria, Virginia. They have three children.
