Introducing The Legend of Witch Bane, Book I of The Witch Bane Saga, a new children’s fantasy book series.
Published by Outskirts Press on January 31, 2008, The Legend of Witch Bane introduces readers to the magical world of Arva. Like J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, Arva is a mythic world peopled by a rustic race of humans, chivalric knights, kings, queens, elves, fairies, wizards, dragons, and a host of other fantastic creatures borrowed from ancient Northern European legends and folklore with a few new clever inventions of its own. Unlike many modern fantasy novels that feature elements from classic mythology, The Legend of Witch Bane fully incorporates popular tales of oral tradition into its narrative. All Books Review comments:
“Kevis Hendrickson has woven a classic fairytale that captures the reader from the very first page. It is the type of tale that one would share, sitting comfortably beside a warm fire on a cold winter’s day. It is a tale told in the classic form of a fairytale, a myth of awe-inspiring adventures, fierce battles, strong emotions, and enchanting characters. Hendrickson knows his fairytales, so it is not surprising to find suggestions of other great tales, like Excalibur and Little Red Riding Hood, all cleverly interwoven into his story.”
Although a children’s fantasy book, The Legend of Witch Bane is obviously intended to be read by a much wider audience. There is plenty of action and adventure to entertain children, but the gripping plot is one that any adult fantasy fan can sink their teeth into. However, in spite of being a book for people of all ages, The Legend of Witch Bane deals with many dark and thought-provoking themes. Front Street Reviews says:
“Though this is a children’s book ripe with magic and fantasy, there are some very serious threads running through the story.”
In The Legend of Witch Bane, an evil queen demands the life of a king’s youngest daughter. For his refusal to sacrifice his child, the bloodthirsty queen curses the king and his people, forcing them into a deep slumber from which they cannot awake. Only the king’s three children escape the curse. It falls to them to rescue their people from the evil queen’s magic. What follows is a tale of the children’s epic struggle to find a magic sword called Witch Bane, the one weapon that can give them victory. However, in face of the queen’s unrelenting evil, the greatest danger the children face is Witch Bane itself!
Popular webzines such as Kids Reading Circle and Stories For Children Magazine have praised The Legend of Witch Bane and compared it to the works of classic fantasy writers such as C.S. Lewis, Lloyd Alexander, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Book Reviewer R.N. Hadley exclaims:
“If you loved Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit, Grimms Tales, even far older tales lost in time then this tale has it all and will have you glued to its pages through every twist and turn.”
Also look for the sequel to The Legend of Witch Bane which is planned for a 2010 release.
