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To Raise a King is the first book of The Broken Crown fantasy series by Justin Orton.
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— “Following Matt on his quest takes you on a fantastic journey through the dramatic beauty of the Scottish Highlands”
— “Was unprepared for this fascinating look at the real King Arthur”
— “The author weaves an exciting fantasy blending history and mystery in a tale that will leave you breathless”
When Matt escapes a Scottish boys’ home to search for his parents, he instead finds himself fleeing for his life. Cast back in time to the brutality of 6th-century Scotland, he is sent on a dangerous quest – a race to recover the missing fragments of a broken crown and save two worlds from certain destruction.
Love, betrayal and murder follow Matt as he struggles against a backdrop of powerful magic and political tension that soon erupts into open war. Matt’s faith in himself, and his trust in his newfound friends will be put to the ultimate test as he fights to Raise a King.
A Word from the Author
I began “To Raise a King” at the age of sixteen. Sitting in my Aunt’s car as she drove through some of Scotland’s most stunning scenery I reached for my sketch book and began “Matt ran -”
I had no idea why he ran, or where he was running to! His journey was as much a surprise to me as it was to him but gradually that sentence became a scene, then a chapter – and then life happened. I won’t bore you with the details of that – but bills needed to be paid!
It took twenty years, a divorce, and a move across the Atlantic before I stumbled across Matt again – stuffed in an old box – the fading ink of those hand written chapters taking me back to a time when life was simple. I read those old pages curled on the couch with a glass of scotch in one hand, and my faithful Husky beside me. When I was done, I promised Matt his story would be told and I am delighted to present to you the first part of his incredible journey in the pages of “To Raise a King.”
I decided early on that Matt’s story needed to be more than just a fantasy set in Scotland. It needed a back story, something epic in scope from which more stories could be woven. But it had to be new, something not done before. I’ve always been drawn to the great monuments of history – Stonehenge in England, the pyramids in Egypt, ancient burial mounds in Scotland. I’d recently finished reading a book that presented a fascinating look at the history of the pyramids and I stumbled across another work by the same author that dealt with the famous “face” on mars that had been discovered in photographs from one of the early NASA missions. I’d suddenly found my back story! An exciting tale that would weave together the mysteries of the pyramids, ancient Rome, and a lost civilization from Mars.
Matt’s story began to take shape quickly. New characters appeared, and despite the plan and shape I had for the story, I found each character had other ideas! The story no longer seemed to come from me – but from them! I had been reduced to a tool that existed only to put their story to paper.
Writing “To Raise a King” was a true adventure for me and I hope you will follow Matt on this journey of discovery. This story is a coming of age for a young man of the 21st century who must use his wits and determination to survive in the brutality of 6th-century Scotland. Love, betrayal and murder will follow Matt as he struggles against a backdrop of powerful magic and political tension that soon erupts into open war. Matt’s faith in himself, and his trust in his friends will be put to the ultimate test as he fights to Raise a King.
(Justin Orton, May 2017)
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