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Nicholas Kotar

"Blending European folklore and epic fantasy, Kotar is a brilliant new voice in speculative fiction!" - Miles Cameron, bestselling author of the Traitor Son Cycle

In The Song of the Sirin, Voran, a young warrior of Vasyllia, seeks a miraculous cure for his dying city. As his quest falters, he is faced with an impossible question: what if the only way to save his world… is to let it be destroyed?

In The Curse of the Raven, Llun, a swordmith with an artist's heart, forges an object of great power that can heal thousands… or lead to a war that will never end.

In The Heart of the World, Khaidu, a crippled girl in a society with no place for the weak, plunges into the great struggle for the heart of the world. But can she find the strength to heal the world before it dies?

In The Forge of the Covenant, Lebía lives in a false paradise, created by a dark Power who blackmails Lebía into undertaking a dangerous quest to save her family. But to save them, she may have to sacrifice herself first. 

In The Throne of the Gods, the endgame of the Raven is finally uncovered. As the fate of all the worlds lies in the balance, the heroes of Vasyllia have to undertake the most terrifying quest of all. They must storm the land of the dead to save the world of the living. 

If you love creative retellings of ancient myths, gorgeous worldbuilding, and complex characters who never do what you expect, you'll love this series, described by readers as "The Lord of the Rings meets 1984".

John Paton

Waystone Press

Raven Son

Raven Son: Books 1-5

"Blending European folklore and epic fantasy, Kotar is a brilliant new voice in speculative fiction!" - Miles Cameron, bestselling author of the Traitor Son Cycle

In The Song of the Sirin, Voran, a young warrior of Vasyllia, seeks a miraculous cure for his dying city. As his quest falters, he is faced with an impossible question: what if the only way to save his world… is to let it be destroyed?

In The Curse of the Raven, Llun, a swordmith with an artist's heart, forges an object of great power that can heal thousands… or lead to a war that will never end.

In The Heart of the World, Khaidu, a crippled girl in a society with no place for the weak, plunges into the great struggle for the heart of the world. But can she find the strength to heal the world before it dies?

Readers have called the Raven Son series "The Lord of the Rings meets 1984." If you enjoy traditional fantasy, cinematic world-building, and creative twists on mythology, you'll love Nicholas Kotar's sweeping tale. 

Buy the ebook bundle of book 1-3 of the series today!

Raven Son: Books 1-3

An evil omen clouds the sky. A song of lore returns. A choice that can heal the world... or plunge it into ruin.

Voran can’t help but believe the rumors. As blight ravages the countryside and darkness covers the sun, the young warrior of Vasyllia hears of an ancient spirit that devours souls. He feels powerless to fight the oncoming devastation until a mythical creature entrusts him with a long-forgotten song. Legend has it that such a song can heal the masses, overthrow kingdoms, and raise humans to divine beings…

Armed with the power of the song, Voran must hunt down the dark spirit before it achieves its goal of immortality. His quest takes him through doorways to other worlds and puts him on a collision course with seductive nymphs and riddling giants. With each step of the journey, the strength of the villainous spirit grows, as does Voran’s fear that the only way to save his world… is to let it be destroyed.

The Song of the Sirin is an epic fantasy retelling of the Russian fairy tale Prince Ivan and the Grey Wolf. If you like complex characters, creative twists on mythology, and cinematic world-building, then you’ll love Nicholas Kotar’s sweeping tale.

Buy The Song of the Sirin to begin the journey today!

The Song of the Sirin

Aging warrior Otchigen safeguards Vasyllia, Mother of Cities, Jewel of the World, with his sword and his heart. Nobleman and beggar alike adore him. 

But after a routine training exercise goes horribly wrong, Otchigen fears he is going mad. To make matters worse, his city crumbles in fear and corruption around him. For the first time in his life, he feels powerless to stop any of it.

But is it madness… or are there darker forces intent on destroying the city?

The Forge of the Covenant is a prequel novella to the Raven Son epic fantasy series inspired by Russian fairy tales. Dostoyevsky meets Tolkien in an intense, poignant tale of a rich and complex character who is neither hero, nor villain, but who finds the weight of the world on his all-too-human shoulders. 

Begin an unforgettable journey in The Forge of the Covenant today!

The Rusted Blade

"Blending European folklore and epic fantasy, Kotar is a brilliant new voice in speculative fiction!" - Miles Cameron, bestselling author of the Traitor Son Cycle

In The Song of the Sirin, Voran, a young warrior of Vasyllia, seeks a miraculous cure for his dying city. As his quest falters, he is faced with an impossible question: what if the only way to save his world… is to let it be destroyed?

In The Curse of the Raven, Llun, a swordmith with an artist's heart, forges an object of great power that can heal thousands… or lead to a war that will never end.

In The Heart of the World, Khaidu, a crippled girl in a society with no place for the weak, plunges into the great struggle for the heart of the world. But can she find the strength to heal the world before it dies?

Readers have called the Raven Son series "The Lord of the Rings meets 1984." If you enjoy traditional fantasy, cinematic world-building, and creative twists on mythology, you'll love Nicholas Kotar's sweeping tale.

Raven Son: Books 1 - 3

In a world ruled by a demon, one man's choice can break the world... or save it.

Llun the smith is an artist at heart, content to make the most beautiful swords, nails, and horseshoes in his city. But when his smithy is visited by the grand inquisitor of the secret police, his peaceful life is at an end.

He is offered a perfect job–to be the exclusive smith of the new order. Endless luxury, good food, and the freedom to create–it’s everything he ever wanted. But it comes with a price. He has to make a metal flask as a gift to the new ruler of his city. Seized by a strange inspiration, he instead creates an object of great power that can heal thousands… or lead to a war that would never end.

The Curse of the Raven is a epic fantasy novella sequel to The Song of the Sirin. Early readers have called it "The Lord of the Rings meets 1984." If you enjoy creative twists on mythology and classic fantasy, you'll love this edge-of-your seat adventure. 

Buy The Curse of the Raven to continue the journey today.

The Curse of the Raven: Raven Son, Book Two

In a world ruled by a demon, one man's choice can break the world… or save it.

Llun the smith is an artist at heart, content to make the most beautiful swords, nails, and horseshoes in his city. But when his smithy is visited by the grand inquisitor of the secret police, his peaceful life is at an end.

He is offered a perfect job–to be the exclusive smith of the new order. Endless luxury, good food, and the freedom to create–it’s everything he ever wanted. But it comes with a price. He has to make a metal flask as a gift to the new ruler of his city. Seized by a strange inspiration, he instead creates an object of great power that can heal thousands… or lead to a war that would never end.

The Curse of the Raven is a epic fantasy novella sequel to The Song of the Sirin. Early readers have called it "The Lord of the Rings meets 1984." If you enjoy creative twists on mythology and classic fantasy, you'll love this edge-of-your seat adventure.

The Curse of the Raven

A land destroyed by war. An army of giants on the rampage. Can a broken girl heal the world before it dies?

All 16-year-old Khaidu ever wanted was her own hunting eagle. Her ten brothers laugh at her. After all, the rule-bound world of the Gumiren nomads has no place for a girl hunter, much less a crippled one. But Khaidu has a secret. Mastering the ancient magic of eagle-binding, she captures the largest eagle her tribe has ever seen.

Except her eagle isn’t an eagle at all. She’s a dying queen under an enchantment. Khaidu’s binding unlocks an ancient curse of blood and loss. As the curse turns Khaidu’s people against each other, the bond between eagle and hunter shatters. Desperate to find her lost eagle, Khaidu will brave monstrous beasts, face an army of shape-shifting giants, and cross the known world…only to be faced with a terrible truth.

If Khaidu cannot save the queen in time, the world itself may die with her.

Inspired by the Russian fairy tale “Finist the Bright Falcon,” The Heart of the World features complex characters, gorgeous magical landscapes, and unexpected plot twists. If you like creative twists on myths and legends and classic fantasy, then you’ll love Nicholas Kotar’s sweeping tale.

Buy The Heart of the World to continue the journey today!

The Heart of the World

The sea swallowed her city. An enchantment stole her family. Now a dark god offers her salvation… for a terrible price.

Lebía lives in paradise. Her husband and four children are her pride and joy. Years of war and plague have finally given way to peace and prosperity. Except her paradise is nothing but a lie, created by a dark Power who makes false worlds for his own insidious purposes.

The World-maker gives Lebía one chance to save her family and her people. Thrust into a parallel world outside time, Lebía must find an ancient magic and unlock its power. But things are not as they seem in this strange world filled with walking nightmares and heroes from deepest legend. Whom can she trust? Who is her ally and who her hidden enemy?

Finally she is faced with an impossible choice. To unlock the god’s magic, she’ll have to choose between herself and the life of her family.

The Forge of the Covenant is the fourth book in the Raven Son epic fantasy series, a retelling of the dark Russian version of Sleeping Beauty and the ancient legend of Atlantis. If you like complex characters, gorgeous world-building, and creative twists on mythology, you’ll love The Forge of the Covenant.

The Forge of the Covenant

He thought he was the chosen one, a warrior of the gods. He had no idea that his god was a demon.

After twenty years, Voran has faced his deadly enemy. But instead of victory, Voran loses his home, his hope, and his love... With nothing left, he storms the country of the gods, demanding answers. But the only one who knows the way... is his greatest enemy, the Raven himself.

Sabíana returns to her beleaguered city, but finds nothing there but cowardice and vice. She can save her city, but is it even worth saving anymore?

Adelaida received the gift of life. But she is in the middle of a hell of war, and now all the beauty and goodness she has ever known is being destroyed. To make matters worse, warriors all around her are dying. And suspicion is falling on her...

Khaidu found her voice, but lost her purpose. Now, she will invade the land of the dead itself to find the last hope for the Three Lands. 

But at the end of all time, who will command the strength of the Powers? Who will sit in the Throne of the Gods?

The Throne of the Gods is the fifth and final volume in the Raven Son series of epic fantasy books inspired by Russian fairy tales. If you love creative retellings of ancient myths, gorgeous worldbuilding, and complex characters who never do what you expect, you'll love this series, described by readers as "The Lord of the Rings meets 1984". 

Embark on a journey into the magical and perilous world of The Throne of the Gods today!

Raven Son - The book series

Raven Son - The book series

Raven Son books in order

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