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In dark times, humanity survives on its legends…
Mythic tales have sustained countless generations on every continent. Inspiring wisdom, nobility, courage. Raising hope in the face of despair. Preserving the human spirit across the ages.
But what of the larger-than-life characters who inhabit these stories?
Are folklore's heroes and villains merely faceless archetypes? Or are they something more…?
Book 1: Echoes of Legend
American scientist Steven Rayne lost his wife and unborn child to Armageddon. Mad with grief and marooned in war-torn Britain, he threw himself into the sea at Land's End. Instead of oblivion, he found Sanctuary.
Thirteen years later, a madman still, he is trying to recreate a legend fundamental to Western Civilization. He calls himself Merlin. He's looking for King Arthur…
The Writer
M. E. Mendrygal lived in Los Angeles for more than three decades and sold an option on his first screenplay. While awaiting lightning’s second strike, he tended bar, drove cabs, managed a high-end restaurant, and did consumer testing and internal marketing for a global mega-bank… all the while, writing other spec scripts and developing his narrative for a science fiction/fantasy set in a terrifying near-future.
After moving to the Atlanta area in 2012, he self-published two ebooks (of a planned six): A Darkness Past Midnight and Shadows of Light and Sound. Now completely revised—in part, to stay ahead of runaway world events—those prior works contribute a spine and subtitles to Echoes of Legend, the first book in the writer’s forthcoming trilogy, The Merlin Protocol.
Based on the single-most enduring legend in Western culture, the tale draws from the author’s abiding love of music, mythology, art, and science. Inspired by the works of Tolkien, Zelazny, and Stross, it illuminates a murky corner of the spec-fiction multiverse, where Mad Max pulls Excalibur from The Matrix. The story’s near-future setting could not be more relevant to our time.
After moving to the Atlanta area in 2012, he self-published two ebooks (of a planned six): A Darkness Past Midnight and Shadows of Light and Sound. Now completely revised—in part, to stay ahead of runaway world events—those prior works contribute a spine and subtitles to Echoes of Legend, the first book in the writer’s forthcoming trilogy, The Merlin Protocol.
Based on the single-most enduring legend in Western culture, the tale draws from the author’s abiding love of music, mythology, art, and science. Inspired by the works of Tolkien, Zelazny, and Stross, it illuminates a murky corner of the spec-fiction multiverse, where Mad Max pulls Excalibur from The Matrix. The story’s near-future setting could not be more relevant to our time.
Book Trailer
Gallery
Below are some 2- and 3D visualizations I created for characters and settings for The Merlin Protocol. They're handy references, and because they capture the spirit of my story, I used many in the book trailer linked above.
.jpg "Ruined Cityscape")
.jpg "The Camelot Hotel In Wales")
.jpg "ARV-10 Warcycle (aka Landshark)")
.jpg "Special Policeman with his ARV-1")
.jpg "Warcycles At Play")
.jpg "Merlin Playing a Timesong")
Coming Soon
I'm still querying literary agents, but I want to explore crowd-funded alternatives like Kickstarter and Patreon...
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I planning a Kickstarter project to support the book launch for The Merlin Protocol v1: Echoes of Legend.
Following a kickoff for volume 1 of the trilogy, I hope readers will join me on Patreon to help support the completion of volume 2: Here Be Dragons.
information
To find out more about The Merlin Protocol and be alerted to publication dates and other news, please leave a message or drop me an email.
I will not violate your privacy by selling or otherwise sharing your address.
Credits
I create images and animations with Photoshop, ZBrush, and Poser, but I jumpstart my work with digital assets from providers like Xurge 3D, Renderosity, and Daz 3D. Many thanks all.
