Ahoy Dragons!
I am sure you've heard us talk a lot about our next book, "The Serpent Rider" by Eric Staggs. Well, I'm quite excited to be able to reveal all the details about the book you've been missing and wondering about, including the official synopsis, the cover art, the world map, and the release date.
First, some basic information to get you started. "The Serpent Rider" is a mythological fantasy that chronicles the hardships of Keteris, a serpent rider in the legendary lost city of Atlantis. Keteris is just one of many serpent riders, whom Atlantis uses as an elite military force that has provided them naval dominance throughout the region for several generations. Atlantis is powerful, rich, and prideful, a true leader of its time. Yet, with greatness comes complacency, and complacency can be extorted. Keteris is part of the latest generation of serpent riders, who manages to earn a decent reputation alongside his menacing sea serpent, Long Shadow. Believe me when I tell you that this book has it all. Jaw-dropping action, battles and fierce duels to the death on both land and sea, shady plots from enemies on all sides, heartbreaking betrayals, brutal escapes, and of course, plenty of giant sea serpents.
Here's the cover for the book. Personally, I think it's one of PD's absolute best. It's simplistic, yet says everything.
Of course, since Atlantis hasn't been proven to be a real place, that meant the story's author, Eric Staggs, had to take some liberties with the geography and opted to have a more fictional world map. The surrounding lands of this book's world all take influence from various civilizations but he didn't want to misrepresent any particular nation, culture, or historical people. You'll no doubt notice some similarities to real-world geography but all of them are purely fictional.
As promised, here's the official synopsis for the book, just in case my summary didn't quite convince you that you need you get yourself a copy of this novel.
As a child, Keteris of Atlantis never dreamed he’d become a serpent rider. One fateful day he came face to face with Long Shadow, a dreaded sea serpent with a reputation for being untamable. Keteris and Long Shadow, against all expectations, bond and become Rider and Serpent. Meanwhile, Atlantis’ tyranny of its vassal states and the free people of the Inner Sea reach a critical point. Keteris finds himself a central player in a war that he does not believe in. Keteris, duped by a sorceress spy, loses his Astrodextria, a tool that can expose the hidden location of Atlantis. The people of Atlantis turn on Keteris, punishing him for his perceived lack of responsibility. His accomplishments forgotten, Keteris is imprisoned in the Ortorios, a half-sunken dungeon where Atlantis’ enemies are put to be forgotten about. Betrayed by his own people, Keteris finds himself travelling to strange places and making unusual allies to stop a world-spanning war before it starts. But will Atlantis accept his aid? Or will centuries old prejudices bring mighty Atlantis to the brink of destruction?
If all this has gotten you extremely excited for Staggs' book, I wouldn't blame you one bit. Luckily, you won't have to wait much longer. "The Serpent Rider" will be published on all of Private Dragon's regular platforms on Friday, February 18th, 2022, just a few short weeks from now!
-Your homeboy, Boyd