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Folktellers Series

Folktellers: Excerpts from an Unknown Guidebook

By Josef Bastian

Book One: Phases of the Moon

“. . . a polished, thoroughly engaging fantasy for tweens and young adults.”
Foreword Reviews

Welcome to the Folktellers Universe . . . There’s a story in the story, like a wheel within the wheel, spiraling forever, through the world we see and feel. There’s a tale within the fable, like a gear within the gear, marking time forever, until the secret is revealed.

In every age, across time and space, there have been Folktellers. These are the select few who have been chosen to collect and share the stories that must be told. Aaron is an average midwestern teen—or so he thinks. When his grandfather disappears under strange circumstances, Aaron’s ordinary existence changes forever. He will soon discover a mysterious world where stories are powerful and dangerous, and dark, deadly enemies lurk just out of sight. Accompanied by his friend Jake and an odd girl from another dimension, Aaron must save his grandfather from the gathering darkness, and the shadowy creatures that thrive within.

In time, Aaron will learn that whoever holds the story wields the power, and that the choices he makes will change the destiny of the entire universe.

As seen at Motor City Comic Con!

Book Two: Cave in the Rock

Some things should never be opened . . . ever.

You have been warned. In Book I: Phases of the Moon, we discovered that Folktellers are travelers of time and space, sharing the stories people need to hear. Much has been revealed since Aaron, Wendy and Jake first uncovered Pap’s secret and learned the importance of the phases of the moon.

But their adventures are far from over. In Book II: Cave in the Rock, Aaron continues to learn what it means to be a Folkteller, while Wendy makes new friends and discovers that stories can be just as powerful and dangerous in her own dimension. Elsewhere in the Folktellers Universe, an ancient evil continues to fester, as more phantoms try to claw their way out of the Shadow Realm in pursuit of the mysterious Guidebooks.

In a tale where three worlds collide, Aaron, Wendy, Jake and Eddie Little Bear must come to grips with the fact that their troubles are growing, their lives are intertwined, and an even greater horror waits for them—just inside the Cave in the Rock.

Book Three: Shadows on the Silver Strings

Out of the shadows, a leader will rise… It was inevitable. As more and more shadows infiltrate their world, Aaron, Wendy, Jake, and Eddie learn that what was once just silhouette and smoke has become something much more terrible, tangible, and horrifying. In Book II: Cave in the Rock, we saw the interdimensional portal torn open, releasing a flood of darkness upon the world. Now, our intrepid teens must find a way to close it again, before it’s too late. Their job won’t be easy either, as the Shadow People have found a way to manifest as creatures from myth and legend, wreaking havoc everywhere they go behind their new leader, Apscind. This may be the best time—or the worst—for Aaron to rise up as a full-fledged Folkteller. He’ll need a lot of help from friends and strangers to stop the spreading evil and seal the portal that should never have been open in the first place. In Book III: Shadows on the Silver Strings, there’s music in the air, and the sound our heroes hear may be the hopeful melody of a brand new day, or a death knell tolling—a harbinger of their impending doom.

Book Four: The Great American Fairy Hoax

Out in October 2023


Book Five: The Child That Never Was

Out in October 2024


Book Six: A Clockwork Thief

Out in October 2025


Book Seven: The Matryoshka Doll

Out in October 2026

Click here for trade information.