Fantasy series - Floreskand 1: WINGS

 

FLORESKAND 1: WINGS by Morton Faulkner

This is quite clearly the first volume of what is intended to be an entire sequence of stories about the world of Floreskand, a very cultivated creation – BFS Review

The sky above the city of Lornwater darkens as thousands of red tellars, the magnificent birds of the Overlord, wing their way towards Arisa.

Ulran discovers he must get to Arisa within seventy days and unlock the secret of the scheduled rites. He is joined in his quest by the ascetic Cobrora Fhord, who harbours a secret or two, and also the mighty warrior Courdour Alomar, who has his own reasons for going to Arisa. They learn more about each other – whether it’s the strange link Ulran has with the red tellar Scalrin, the lost love of Alomar, or the superstitious heart of Cobrora.

Plagued by assassins, forces of nature and magic, they cross the plains of Floreskand, combat Baronculer hordes, scale snow-clad Sonalume Mountains and penetrate the dark heart of Arisa. Here they uncover truth, evil and find pain and death.

 

Amazon UK - https://tinyurl.com/zafp24cb

Amazon US - https://tinyurl.com/4ufsaj2p

 

The author Morton Faulkner is the pen name of the writing team of Nik Morton and Gordon Faulkner. Nik hails from Whitley Bay, North Tyneside and joined the Royal Navy as a writer. He has travelled all over the world both privately and with the Navy. He gained his Open University BA Degree in 1987 and, on leaving the RN, he began a civilian career in computing. Nik has sold articles and numerous genre short stories espionage, science fiction, fantasy, horror, love, adventure and ghost, and has had 32 books published. Gordon was born and raised in the West Riding of Yorkshire. During an extended stay in hospital in his youth, he developed what turned out to be a life-long passion for Oriental culture, especially Chinese, after reading the travels of Marco Polo. He started training in Oriental martial arts in the late 1960s and after joining the Royal Air Force in the early 1970s started to specialise in Chinese martial arts and Daoist philosophy. During his 22 year career in the RAF, he was one of the founders and General Secretary of the RAF Martial Arts Federation, a post he held until his retirement from military service, when he became a full-time Daoist Arts teacher. This resulted in extensive travel within Europe and North America where he was invited to run seminars and give lectures.

Wings reviews

1.      A beautiful and atmospheric tale. The author has skilfully developed the characters in a way that you feel you are right there with them on their quest. I can say that I have read many fantasy stories I have truly enjoyed, but only a few have left that lingering haunting feeling within me. Can't wait for the next instalment.

Started reading this genre like most people with Tolkien moving on to Feist and Eddings. Grand in scale, well written and certainly the start of the next series on my bookshelf. A gripping read and well worth the wait, congrats Gordon & Nik. Gordon’s vivid imagination has been brought to life by Nik.

3.      It took a chapter or so to get into the world of Floreskand and process the characters, language and sense of place, then I was off! Great story-telling which carried me through quickly to its conclusion, making me impatient for the next book in the series. Well drawn characters with enough mystery about their back story to keep you interested. Well-written too... I could see this as a film - now you just need Vigo Mortensen for the hero and you are set.

A  A fabulous fantasy world so well described that it is easy to see oneself in it, well developed and realistic characters, an exciting plot which does not slow down throughout and makes the reader eager to read on.

A great fantasy adventure with an amazing imagination. You get totally involved in the story from beginning to end. Highly recommend.

This book will keep you turning the pages as it draws you in to the fantastic world of Floreskand

7.    Wings was a great piece of fantasy fiction which I really enjoyed.

8.      Wings is a very good read and one that I'd happily recommend to anyone. It's clear that this is just an introductory, small slice of a well thought out, detailed and interesting world called Floreskand. I'm very much looking forward to future volumes in order to find out more about this world and its people. This time around we meet Ulran, a more than competent inn-keeper, and his two companions on a mysterious quest. The quest resolves itself nicely with a very interesting twist however enough doors are left open to make the wait for the next volume a bit difficult.

Once I had familiarised myself with the world of Floreskand the characters, language etc I soon became engrossed in the story eager to find out what happens next. Great imagination. I loved the characters especially Ulran. Once I had finished the book I was eager to read the next volume in the series. I would thoroughly recommend this book it’s a great fantasy adventure. I could see this as a film.

10. A fast-paced fantasy adventure as an innkeeper, a city dweller full of surprises, and a long-lived warrior, join forces in a race against time. Their quest is to save the red tellars, the giant birds, which are the wings of the overlord. Along the way even the weather becomes a powerful adversary and the three are tested almost beyond endurance. Tensions and evocative language keep the reader turning the pages to the very end! 

  1. An expansive and well thought story, a must-read for lovers of magic and military fantasy.

 

Works in progress (2) - Floreskand: Prophecy

For many years the mythical land of Floreskand has been developed and expanded upon by its creator, Gordon Faulkner. He began during an extended stay in hospital, markedly influenced by Oriental culture, especially Chinese. In the late 1960s he started training in Oriental martial arts and after joining the RAF in the early 1970s, during his off-duty time he specialised in Chinese martial arts and Daoist philosophy. During his 22 year career in the RAF, he was one of the founders and General Secretary of the RAF Martial Arts Federation, a post he held until his retirement from military service, when he became a full-time Daoist Arts teacher. This resulted in extensive travel within Europe and North America where he was invited to run seminars and give lectures.

                                                                             Gordon

Gordon met me in Malta, where I was based with the Royal Navy. We both were involved in martial arts training, though Gordon was considerably more advanced than me! 

Me martial arts training in Malta, 1975

 

When he mentioned his mythical Floreskand, its characters, coinage, history, geology, religion and myths, I became intrigued.  So, in 1974 we decided to work on a series of novels set in this colourfully imagined land, and we settled on the pen-name Morton Faulkner. Not long afterwards, Gordon was re-posted back to UK.

These were the pre-computer days. I typed out the story on a portable Remington, with a carbon copy. We communicated by post. I’d write the story and Gordon would supply hand-written (and sometimes typed) background information. Out of this grew a 106,000-word fantasy novel, Wings of the Overlord, which had a few near-misses with a handful of publishers over the years...

Finally, in 2014 we found a publisher willing to take on the series, The Chronicles of Floreskand. Sadly, although we supplied the second installment on time, there were delays and problems in getting it published, so we amicably severed our ties. At this point, both by now getting a little long in the tooth, we determined to go it alone and self-publish. The first volume was revised and published as Floreskand: Wings and we promptly followed it with Floreskand:King, both in 2017.  This year, we completed the third book, Floreskand:Madurava and published it in May (in Floreskand, a madurava is a compass though it possesses arcane qualities too). We are now working on the fourth installment, Floreskand: Prophecy.

There are a number of recurring characters in the series. There’s Ulran, the mystical innman, Ranell his son, the despot King Saurosen, the Underpeople, also known as the Ratava, the wormlike schwarm, good and bad wizards and mages, ordinary soldiers, workers, tradesmen, generals, Aurelan Crossis, a soldier on a quest of vengeance, queens and powerful women, including Lorar, the kidnapped girlfriend of Ranell, destined for subjugation and humiliation at the hands of her tormentor, Epal Danorr… And of course there are maps – plenty of maps – and comprehensive glossaries.

Wings - Three disparate adventurers set out from Lornwater on a quest, Ulran, Courdour Alomar and Cobrora Fhord. Plagued by assassins, forces of nature and magic, they cross the plains of Floreskand, combat Baronculer hordes, scale snow-clad Sonalume Mountains and penetrate the dark heart of Arisa. Here they uncover truth, evil and find pain and death.

King - Lornwater city was ripe for rebellion against King Saurosen. Subterfuge, betrayal, conspiracy, greed, revenge and thirst for power motivate rich and poor alike. Muddying the fight are the Sardan mystics. At stake is the Black Sword, the powerful symbol that entitles the holder to take the throne of Lornwater.

Madurava - Lornwater's Madurava House signifies a change in the alignment of the sacred compass – pointing to the dunsaron. Also heading in that direction are the Ratava, the schwarm, Lord Tanellor, the daughter of Arqitor, Charja Nev, First-commander Nimentan Pellas, and almaturge Rait Falo, all destined for conflict... And we meet again Ulran, Ranell, Lorar, Epal Danorr and Watchman Dep.

The blurb for Prophecy reads:

As the events in Madurava unfold, Lornwater’s Madurava House undergoes a significant alteration in the alignment of its spirit statues, signifying the prophet is coming! Though it is not clear from which direction…

If there is any truth in the prophecy, then many of the city kingdoms of Floreskand will be shaken to their core.

Barely recovered from his ordeal in King, Aurelan Crossis sets out on a journey of vengeance against the deposed king Saurosen, which takes him into the midst of pilgrims heading for the Sacred Hills, where he will be sorely tested.

Bindar, a survivor of the strife in Wings, now trains mountain troops in Arion. In the Vale of Belet he comes into contact with the Haram Sect as well as a powerful fugitive from his past.

The ordeal for Lorar worsens as she is taken by her tormentor Danorr to Arisa…

The emperor of Tarakanda is faced with heightened political and religious tensions that threaten to destabilise the empire.

And Lornwater is still recovering from the civil strife, where factions of Remainers continue to threaten the life of the rightful king. Watchman Welde Dep finds his investigations bring him closer to Queen Tantian, risking the jealousy and enmity of the king.

The saga of Floreskand continues…

***

We hope to complete Prophecy this year (2018) and even move on to its successor, tentatively entitled Tarakanda.

Maybe writers who have hit proverbial brick walls with their works will be consoled by our experience. Many traits are required of a writer – and among them are perseverance and self-belief. Never give up!

***

More about Gordon:

He is a member of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding and a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. In 1990 he had the first of what was to eventually become annual trips to China. These trips take students to study at the Beijing University of Physical Education (BUPE) and visit various research establishments, hospitals, temples, markets, bars, etc. He is the Principal Instructor of the Chanquanshu School of Daoist Arts which he founded in 1983; it now has in excess of 300 registered students. At a ceremony held at BUPE he became Ru Shi Dizi (an outstanding and close disciple) of Professor Zhang Guangde, the creator of Daoyin Yangsheng Gong which is a part of the Chinese National Fitness Program. And at a Ba Shi ceremony in a temple on Mount Wudang, Central China, he was initiated as a 15^th generation Wudang Boxing disciple of Daoist Master You Xuande. He is the author of Managing Stress with Qigong. Gordon and his wife, Maria have two children and six grandchildren and live in the Scottish Highlands.

Reminiscences - where did those 49 years go?

On 19 October 1965 I joined the Royal Navy; 49 years today. I was seventeen.

The journey to join HMS Raleigh as a recruit has been covered in the blog here

Part of page 2 of my Service Certificate

 

I finally left the navy 2 August 1989, having served almost twenty-four years.

In that time I was fortunate not to be at sea for a lot of my career. I sailed in three frigates: in the Cod War our ship was holed below the waterline; skirting the edge of typhoons in the China Sea and hurricanes in the Caribbean, the ship superstructure was buckled. I’ve participated in realistic landing and insurrection exercises in Portland including nuclear and biological attacks and undergone advanced first-aid classes. I’ve been inside communications centres and on the ships’ bridges - the nerve-centres - and bounced around in Gemini assault craft.

I’ve sailed in a conventional submarine and the hunter-killer HMS CONQUEROR and also toured the ‘nuclear forests’ of a Polaris submarine. On South Georgia I walked inside a glacier and slept overnight at Leith's ghostly deserted whaling station. I’ve flown in Wasp helicopters and been winched onto a ship's deck. Having flown from Karachi to Islamabad, Pakistan, I drove up the Khyber Pass where I met some Pathans, quite forbidding characters draped with ammunition-belts; from here I looked out over the Plain of Kabul. (See this blog here ). I snorkelled in the Red Sea, trekked the mosquito-riddled jungle of Belize and stood atop the Mayan pyramid of Altun Ha.

I learned Chinese kung fu (quanshu) in Malta where I teamed up with Gordon Faulkner to write the first of a fantasy series set in mythical Floreskand – Wings of the Overlord (see below). I’ve fired automatic pistols, rifles and machine guns, though not in combat, and carried the bodybags of airplane crash victims and viewed corpses post-autopsy. I’ve manned and loaded ship's guns and my memory can still smell the cordite. All useful material, I guess, for a writer.

Before I joined the navy, I dreamed of being a writer, and had written two spy novels (unpublished). While following my career as, appropriately, a Writer in the RN, I still pursued that goal in various guises – editor of ships’ magazines, selling short stories and articles, and sending out many a manuscript that would fail. The navy taught me many things, not least to be persistent and never to give up. Finally, I started getting novels accepted in 2007 and thereafter; an ‘overnight success’ that has taken roughly fifty years.

Never give up.

[This is written from the perspective of a writer. Great joy also came with marriage, the birth of our daughter and our grandchildren].

 

* * *

WINGS OF THE OVERLORD by Morton Faulkner

 

Available from Amazon UK here

Available from Amazon COM here

Available post-free worldwide from the book depository here

 

 

Blurb:
So begins their great quest that tests the trio to the limit. Exciting obstacles include raging torrents, snakes, feuding warrior hordes, lethal fireballs, terrifying electric storms, treacherous mountains, avalanche, betrayal and torture. The travellers start out barely able to tolerate each other but, gradually, as their problems are overcome, they grow closer. The strength of comradeship is evoked and also selfless sacrifice. Their story is rich in history and threatening events that beset them on their quest.

 

 

'Shadows over Lornwater'

Sorry, there's no blog today. Ostensibly a day of rest...

I'm currently working on a long short story, 'Shadows over Lornwater' for our publisher Knox Robinson - it will be available at or before the time of publication of Wings of the Overlord. It is a kind of prequel to Wings and its sequel To Be King.

It all takes place in a fantasy land created by my friend Gordon Faulkner. There's magic, witches, intrigue and death - but no dwarves, elves, unicorns, vampires, werewolves or zombies (I'm saving those for my next western...!)

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Overlord-Chronicles-Floreskand-Morton-Faulkner/dp/1908483857/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407085867&sr=1-1&keywords=morton+Faulkner

 

http://www.amazon.com/Overlord-Chronicles-Floreskand-Morton-Faulkner/dp/1908483857/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407085908&sr=1-1&keywords=morton+faulkner

Stress the point

I’ve known Gordon Faulkner since 1975. We both trained in martial arts while stationed in Malta – he in the RAF, me in the RN. Gordon was already an experienced Martial Arts practitioner. It was at this time when we first mooted the idea of writing a novel together, the first in a projected series.

Gordon

For many years Gordon had been creating a world, Floreskand. He’d developed the history, characters, flora, fauna, religion, weights and measures etc. But he needed someone to put flesh on the bones. I was enthusiastic and we began our collaboration.

Why are thousands of red tellars, the magnificent birds of the Overlord, winging their way towards dark Arisa? It’s a race against time. Magical rites will start on the auspicious day. Then it will be too late for the wings of the Overlord.

What kind of link does the mysterious Ulran have with the red tellars?

The ascetic Cobrora Fhord conceals a secret, but what is it?

Their chance meeting at the dread inn with the mighty warrior Courdour Alomar forges an unlikely alliance on a dire quest to Arisa.

Plagued by assassins, forces of nature and magic, the ill-matched threesome must follow their fate across the plains of Floreskand, scaling the snow-clad Sonalume Mountains and penetrating the dark heart of Arisa. Only here will they uncover the truth about the rites. Here too they will find pain and death in their struggle against the evil Yip-nef Dom.

We left Malta and went our separate ways but continued to communicate, building up the first novel and planning subsequent books in the series. I started the long and heart-breaking process of finding a publisher. There were some close calls, but in the end nobody was willing to go that extra mile with Floreskand. I always believed in the project and never gave up on it. Maybe because the few individuals who actually read the manuscript raved about it; a sub lieutenant aboard my frigate actually took it onto the bridge during his Officer of the Watch duty in order to finish it! The manuscript was taken up twice by small publishers who didn’t survive long enough to get it printed, so we retained the rights.

Finally, after a remarkably long hiatus, we are in the throes of not only seeing the first book Wings of the Overlord published in hardback and paperback by Knox Robinson in June 2014, but we’re some way through the second book (To Be King) in the series, Chronicles of Floreskand.

Gordon is a quite remarkable and unique individual. So far his life has had three distinct parts. The first was being born and raised in Yorkshire where the seeds of the future were planted.

The second was 22 years as an engineer in the Royal Air Force where the martial arts seed blossomed and he trained with, was trained by, and ultimately trained members of all branches the British Armed Forces. He was a founder member and General Secretary of the Royal Air Force Martial Arts Federation until retirement from military service.

The current third part is as Director and Principal Instructor of the Chanquanshu School of Daoist Arts, a school that teaches yangsheng (nourishing the vital principle) practices that cover martial, medical and meditational arts.

Recognised for his outstanding abilities in these fields in both the West and inside China he was invited to study the Daoyin Yangsheng Gong system with Professor Zhang Guangde of the Beijing University of Physical Education. Later be became one of the first Westerners to be qualified as a Senior International Judge certified by the China Daoyin Yangsheng Gong Association and the China Wushu Society. Later still Professor Zhang accepted him as a closed door disciple (Ru Shi Di Zi) and made him a successor to the Daoyin Yangsheng Gong lineage.

Under the name of ‘You Lisu’ he is a 15^th generation disciple of You Xuande, Grandmaster of the Daoist Wudang boxing.

     
He is also President for Scotland & Wales in the European Daoyin Yangsheng Gong Federation and is the Specialist Advisor to the UK Qigong Teachers Association and has taught throughout Europe and the USA.
        
On the therapeutic side Gordon is a practitioner and teacher of Chinese Therapeutic Massage.

For several years now he has been working with the Maggie’s Cancer Care Centres where he has been using qigong from his award winning book Managing Stress with Qigong (Bronze Medal in the 2011 Living Now Book Awards), especially the stress prevention exercises, to great effect. His sessions there have become one of the most popular activities and have consistently shown their effectiveness.

           
Gordon concludes, ‘Woven throughout those three parts was my hobby of creating the mythical world of Floreskand which my martial arts friend Nik decided needed to be brought to book.’

Managing Stress with Qigong

 

The ancient Chinese health system of Qigong combines physical postures with breathing techniques to promote harmony between the body and the mind. It is quickly gaining popularity in the West as a natural yet powerful way of combating stress and its related effects.

This step-by-step guide to managing stress using Qigong begins by looking at our response to stress from both an Eastern and a Western perspective. It then presents a program of specially-designed stress relief exercises, followed by a series of gentler stress prevention exercises, many of which can be carried out either seated or standing.

The author provides easy-to-follow instructions for each of the steps, and the postures and movements are explained with the aid of photographs.

Designed specifically to fit in around a busy lifestyle, the Qigong program set out in this book will help to reduce stress, decrease anxiety, and restore energy.

 
This practical book will help anyone who is prone to stress, regardless of their level of ability or experience of Qigong. It will also be a useful resource for Taijiquan and Qigong instructors, alternative therapists, and other professionals working with clients who are affected by stress.

Small selection of reviews

A truly knowledgeable book that's both easy to read and easy to understand. Excellent. I'd be interested to know the name of any western teacher that has an equal or greater knowledge of the subject, I don't think there is one!!

A technically excellent and very well written book. The exercises are easy to follow and learn from the clear text and photographs

UK Kindle can be downloaded from here

Amazon com Kindle can be downloaded from here

Paperback can be purchased post-free worldwide from here