A big thank you to Jeff for letting us help reveal the cover for Mystic Reborn (The Archive of Evelium, Book #2).
Following on from his debut, Paladin Unbound, which gained a lot of well-deserved praise from readers and reviewers (and us!) Jeff’s second release sees us return to the world of Evelium and we can’t wait.
Keep reading to see Jeff talk about his latest book but first …
Just. Look. At. That. Cover!
Title: Mystic Reborn
Series: The Archive of Evelium, Book 2
Author: Jeffrey Speight
Genre: Fantasy
Release date: April 1st, 2023
Cover art: Omer Burak Onal
Goodreads
Blurb
Some paths are meant to be walked alone.
Mystic Reborn is the continuation of Paladin Unbound, the award-winning start of the Archives of Evelium.
After embracing his destiny as the last of the Paladins, Umhra the Peacebreaker is granted ancient powers by the gods. When he returns to the ruins of Antiikin to fulfill a promise, he embarks on a journey that will push the limits of his abilities.
As the Grey Queen’s arrival heralds the fulfillment of a prophecy that could mean the end of humanity, the kingdom of Evelium desperately needs a hero. Can Umhra once more rise to the challenge and save mankind from annihilation?
Pre-orders: Mystic Reborn: An Archives of Evelium Tale eBook : Speight, Jeffrey: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
Author Interview
Hey Jeff! Tell us more about this second novel set in Evelium: Mystic Reborn. What can your readers expect from this next story?
Hi Tom! Thanks so much for helping with the cover reveal of Mystic Reborn and for inviting me to share a little bit about the book.
Mystic Reborn is a more ambitious story than Paladin Unbound. It builds upon the characters and the world introduced in Paladin Unbound while upping the stakes for the characters, who travel the broader world and confront new and greater evils. Readers are going to learn more about Umhra, more about Tyveriel and the gods that created it, and more about Evelium’s sordid past. It’s a wild ride.
Your first novel followed the epic quest of Umhra the Peacebreaker and the Barrow’sPact. After battles with vampires, the undead and even gods in the first book, what’s in store for our favourite Half-Orc paladin this time around?
Mystic Reborn takes place about two years after the events of Paladin Unbound. Since we last saw him, Umhra has completed his Rhodium Suffusion which, in the magic system, elevates him to what is known as a Mystic by the gods who grant such powers. The only problem is, there haven’t been Mystics on Tyveriel for two millenia, so he has no idea what this means. When he returns to the ruins of Antiikin to fulfill a promise he made in Paladin Unbound, he learns more about what the gods may have in store for him and sets off on a new quest of self-discovery that will draw him beyond the borders of Evelium for the first time. In the meantime, the arrival of the Grey Queen fulfills an age-old prophecy that could mean the end of civilization and the Barrow’s Pact find themselves in over their heads. Evelium is in need of a hero once more.
What has writing Mystic Reborn been like?
Writing Mystic Reborn was tremendous fun but also an extraordinary challenge. I wrote Paladin Unbound with no expectations whatsoever. With Mystic Reborn, there were expectations…both self-imposed and externally. It definitely changed the experience for me. There are some new characters that I really enjoyed writing and I loved having the opportunity to dive deeper into the characters we met in Paladin Unbound.
I love the cover design. The cover for Paladin Unbound showed an important scene in the story. Without spoilers, what can you tell us about MR’s cover?
Yes. Omer Burak Onal delivered yet again! The cover of Paladin Unbound shows Umhra at a low point before the vampire, Manteis, when he chooses to call upon the god he had forsaken in a bid to save himself and hopefully his friends. It’s literally the moment when the paladin is unbound in both a metaphorical and physical sense. The scene on the cover of Mystic Reborn places Umhra in a moment of strength before what looks a whole lot like a dragon. It’s a moment of great conflict in the book. And, you might have noticed that Umhra has wings … can’t get much cooler than that. I couldn’t be happier with the cover. I think Omer’s covers have a way of giving a prospective reader a real sense for what to expect from the book within.
Twitter: @jeffspeight
Instagram: @jeffsp8
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