The Black Crown by John A. Douglas

SPFBO10

It is the dying days of the Age of Adventures and the Orc Wars have ended. The Crown Pantheon, authoritarian rulers of Allspire, slaughtered the marauding Orcs by the tens of thousands and returned peace to the continent of Evergrad. But among the many half-orc bastards left in the wake of the war, one was Prince Ragoth Brightsorn, son of the notorious Warlord Thorgoth and Seranna, Queen of Namaria, the sole human-ruled kingdom. After seventeen years of isolation, Ragoth is cruelly forced out of his life of luxurious comfort and into exile on the eve of his royal Crowning before he can receive his gilded mark, the magic sigil that proves his royal birth. Unable to prove who he is or return home, he embarks on a quest to reach his father’s tribe, the Sunderfang, in the lawless wilds of Dreadmour. But his venture is not taken alone. He earns the company of Cortland Lowhelm, a pugilistic human farmboy hellbent on finding a legend to fill, and Denith, a compassionate, if helpless, elvish goodwill worker. To ensure safe passage, they acquire the services of Val’Mora, a world-weary veteran adventurer down on her luck. Together, they cross the kingdoms of the Crown Pantheon with nefarious forces seemingly at every step. The Black Crown is a coming-of-age epic fantasy packed to the brim with action & adventure, political intrigue, found family, vengeful dragons, dark abominations, and, most of all….ORCS!

Young Adult • Fantasy/Sword and Sorcery • Fantasy/Epic and High