A Man of Our Kind: The Swithen Book One

by Scott Telek

Overview

The birth of Merlin.
The betrayal of Britain.
Two threads intertwine. The Swithen begins.

Are you ready to embark on a reading journey unlike any other? The longest, most cohesive interpretation of real Arthurian legend—faithful to the Medieval sources of the years 1136 to 1485—begins here.

The devil wants a man on earth to lure people into temptation. He chooses an innocent woman to bring his child into the world. That woman, Adhan, soon finds her life turned into a nightmare as a demon picks off her family one by one, drawing ever closer to her. Soon the demon’s work is done—in a time when an illegitimate child incurs the punishment of death—and she is desperate to save her own life while thwarting the devil’s plans for her child. But the demon who attacked her didn't count on her indomitable strength—or the unique gifts of her incredible son... a child that will become Merlin, the greatest wizard of all time.

Elsewhere, evil mastermind Vortigern treacherously twists the natural succession to install himself as king, sending young heirs Pendragon and Uther (King Arthur’s future father) into hiding. When armies of Saxons arrive seeking to settle and slowly conquer Britain, Vortigern allows them in, even marrying the daughter of their leader. As the tyrant king kills this person and betrays that one, it becomes not a matter of when he will be overthrown, but which of his rapidly-multiplying enemies will do it.

This new novel is a completely rewritten version of “Our Man on Earth,” the former Swithen Book One, and includes the Vortigern story for the first time while completely transforming the previous book’s contents, including changing Merlin’s mother’s name from Meylinde to Adhan, a name located in an obscure Arthurian source.

Combining elements of horror, fantasy, action and unexpected humor, this novel contrasts an intimate tale of faith and mother-son tenderness with the violent story of a tyrant king running Britain asunder in his quest for power. It brings the world of Britain in the year 450, when magic was as real as the air we breathe, to life for the present day—and offers fresh insights into the characters and stories we thought we knew so well.

Faithful to the Arthurian literature of the Medieval age, this is the starting point of an unprecedented 25-novel interpretation of the real legend of King Arthur (the first five available now). The Swithen retains the weirdness, mystery and entrancing beauty of the original Medieval tales while filling in the character development and connecting material they are missing. Join the saga as it begins and discover why this story has endured for a thousand years.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940166103840
Publisher:	Scott Telek
Publication date:	08/31/2023
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	401 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Scott Telek is a writer, artist and filmmaker. He has been writing professionally for over 20 years, while also writing fiction, film reviews, doing oil painting and creating films. He has always been interested in legend and folklore, which led to his obsession with the lore of King Arthur.

Telek takes a different approach to epic fantasy, which usually invents new stories taking place in the Arthurian world. Telek's interest is in honoring the ancient tales by retaining the plot, story, and weirdness of the original legends from nearly a thousand years ago, but filling in the character and psychology in ways that are compelling to modern readers, but missing from the Middle English sources. That way, readers get to know the real King Arthur of lore, with all the grandeur, magic and romance that modern, made-up stories simply cannot match.

You may think you know all about King Arthur--but you don't. Sure there's swordfights, honor and romance. But there's also a lot of magic, psychological intrigue, supernatural occurrences and unexplained phenomena that make this much more "Twilight Zone" than "Camelot." And the entire, decades-spanning plot, with multiple interlocking storylines, was completed over a thousand years ago--so it's all going somewhere, and it's all been thought through, right to the very end. No making up as we go along!

Enter The Swithen at book one, which details the real origin story of Merlin--laid down 800 years ago! Book two finds Merlin preparing Britain for the coming of Arthur, and at the end of book three, Arthur is born. Get on for the ride as we see Arthur rise, unite Britain, marry Guinevere, form the Knights of the Round Table, be betrayed by Lancelot, and be there are the whole thing comes crashing down, in the most monumental, epic, intricate and moving tale of a civilization's rise and fall ever set down.