The Legends of Karik Series

The Isle of Vrania is cut off, isolated by the vicious waters of the Black Isles which sink any ship which comes near them. To make matters worse, famine and starvation are sinking their teeth deeper with each passing year. As Karik's brother succumbs to starvation, he fears they will all meet a similar fate if he does not seek help. So when their jarl declares they need to reduce the number of mouths to feed, Karik and several of his friends set out to see if they can find new hunting and a way to break free of the cycle of famine and hunger. With his small group of fellow exiles stumbling onto a tiny settlement, Karik accepts an invitation to stay and work. But he isn't there long before sensing the jarl is keeping deadly secrets… including dark dealings with a dragon. Joining with the Huntress Ylmi, they prepare to take their chances, and risk battle for the chance of a better life. Behind it all lurks the legends of Vranr, their mythical forefather, and twisted prophesies of death and doom... The Isle of Vrania is cut off, isolated by the vicious waters of the Black Isles which sink any ship which comes near them. To make matters worse, famine and starvation are sinking their teeth deeper with each passing year. As Karik's brother succumbs to starvation, he fears they will all meet a similar fate if he does not seek help. So when their jarl declares they need to reduce the number of mouths to feed, Karik and several of his friends set out to see if they can find new hunting and a way to break free of the cycle of famine and hunger. With his small group of fellow exiles stumbling onto a tiny settlement, Karik accepts an invitation to stay and work. But he isn't there long before sensing the jarl is keeping deadly secrets… including dark dealings with a dragon. Joining with the Huntress Ylmi, they prepare to take their chances, and risk battle for the chance of a better life. Behind it all lurks the legends of Vranr, their mythical forefather, and twisted prophesies of death and doom...

Raised in the storm-swept mountains in the north of Vrania, Ylmi and her parents are forced to live beyond the protection of their village.. She longs to escape the constant fear of starvation that hounds her family, so with the friendship of the old hunter Dranri and the huntress Thora, she forges herself into a fearsome hunter and becomes a valued friend of the nearby village. But the greed of jarls and kings raises new challenges with each passing year, even as the land grows more unforgiving. But when Karik and his companions arrive in the village, Ylmi is ready to seize the first opportunity to better her families' fortunes. Together with Karik, she is ready to attempt the impossible to save her family and their people. Assaulting a dragon is only the beginning, and they rapidly find that each victory begets new challenges as Ylmi refuses to accept the fate writ for her by others. Return to the land of Vrania for an action-packed adventure! Watch Ylmi grow into a fearsome huntress, and join the dragon slayers as they battle the elements and their own greedy kinsmen. Through sea and storm, blood and stone, rises the legend of Ylmi One-eye.

"Your every victory will turn to defeat, your triumphs to tragedies, your conquests to calamities." The way through the Black Isles is open, and Karik is eager to take full advantage of their victory. His hope to end the starvation in Vrania is almost within reach. But Karik and Ylmi quickly discover that they have stumbled into a chaotic web of wars, alliances, and old hatreds. But even as they try to navigate these new challenges, Ylmi is forced once again to reckon with the greed of King Jarhost, and the power that he still wield. Above it hall hangs the curse of the dragon, and the words of the seer which fill Karik and Ylmi with doubt. Vortimer has been king only a short time, but he knows that his luck is beginning to run out. He's won a civil war, escaped assassinations, and begun to build some bit of peace. But the Cirithulian Empire with its endless legions is beginning to press against his kingdom, and prince Heinvar from the north is growing restless as well. And to make matters worse, mysterious raiders have appeared from the sea, and they are rumored to be led by the mythical Vranr, come to extract his vengeance.

With two battles behind them, and the matter of Unhost settled, Ylmi & Karik are finally able to turn their attention to building a ship that stands a chance of surviving the treacherous seas of the Black Isles. The peace in Vrania is fragile however, and the two young warriors swiftly discover that success attracts attention, and with it the grasping hands of their king. But even as the king makes his demands, the winters of Vrania have not grown less harsh. Karik and Ylmi must prepare to withstand it even as they struggle to build their ship and guard their settlement. If they can keep starvation at bay long enough, they may be able to complete their ship, and attempt to cross the Isles. But even if all goes according to plan, and it rarely does in Vrania, there is still the question of what they will find if they make it through the Isles, or who they will find..

Out of ice and famine, the descendants of a half-forgotten myth begin their return from exile. Karik had always wondered what lay beyond the jagged black rocks and turbulent seas surrounding his homeland. But after famine set in, claiming his brother and driving his village to starvation, Karik vows to find a way off their island. Ylmi is a huntress, living with her parents on the mountainside, and filled with a growing rage at those who have taken advantage of them all. With a few close friends she hunts and plans for a revenge it seems will never arrive. When Karik & Ylmi join together with their friends, they are young, hungry, and inexperienced, but they soon find that success brings attention, little of it good. With each step, they find their challenges more daunting and their enemies more powerful. Above it all hangs the question of how to escape their desolate island, and what they will find if they do? Rise of the Dragonslayers contains the novels Karik's First Battle, Ylmi's Saga, and Vranr's Curse in addition to the short story The Hunting of the Outlaw Minri