Of projects undertaken during my adolescent and teenage years, Tovar’s Enchantment was the most intellectually formative. More than a labor of love, it was a gateway to a universe that was mine to build and shape—a place to concretize and dramatize my budding understanding of the real world. It also provided my greatest education in writing and language. The experience taught me that writing is not about leaving ink marks on a page. It is about thinking. To write a sentence is to put one’s brain on paper. To write is to think.
When I was six, my mother, father, and grandmother introduced me to the wonders of Europe. Our destinations included Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, the Hallein Salt Mine near Salzburg, Neuschwanstein Castle in southwest Bavaria, Furka Pass through the Swiss Alps, and other fantastic sites that fired my imagination. During that trip, I drew my first fantasy map. At eight, I wrote one chapter per day of a story that took place in the world of that map. The story was called Wizards, Wayfarers, and Water Nymphs. It featured the kidnap of a benevolent king and the pilgrimage of a group of forest creatures who travel to rescue him.
The pilgrimage to rescue a good king became the premise of both Tovar’s Enchantment books. I wrote the first manuscript between the ages of ten and twelve. Upon completion of The First Chronicle, I decided I had learned so much about writing that I must rewrite the story and expand its scope. While the name of the main hero and the essence of his quest remained the same, the second book followed a new cast of characters along a new journey through a new land. The rewrite took four years. I finished The Hunt for the King at sixteen.
Here's a brief synopsis of The Hunt for the King.
The kingdom of Aldronan has flourished under King Tovar’s rule. But that rule comes to an abrupt halt when Tovar disappears without a trace, leaving the throne to his warlike brother, Zadrac of Shadar.
In a small village down south, a young hunter named Egzodus discovers Tovar to be alive but in grave danger, his soul preserved within an enchanted gemstone. Accompanied by a band of loyalists to the true king, Egzodus resolves to protect his homeland by unraveling the mystery of this spell. Among his companions are a skilled swordsman, an archer, a dwarf, a dark-haired beauty from the mountains, and a frail wizard . . . all of whom help Egzodus discover a special gift he inherited at birth.
Zadrac’s power grows as his Demonhide forces march onward, making the journey through Aldronan ever more treacherous. Soon the team must split up and form brave new alliances to stay alive. What’s worse, there may be a traitor among them.
Through his hunt for the king, Egzodus must learn to tame dangerous beasts, harness ancient magic, and discover love in his heart before Zadrac shatters his homeland forever.
Please check out the map of Aldronan below, illustrated by the talented Jared Blando.
Other Books
Nonfiction (Math/Philosophy/Physics)
Post-WW2 Spy Thriller
Adventure Thriller
Nonfiction (Business)
Sleight of Mind
Good Little Marauder
Sabotage
The Startup Star
BY Matt Cook
BY Matt Cook
BY Matt Cook
BY Matt Cook & Jon Zhang
Fiction
Fiction
Nonfiction (Math/Philosophy/Physics)
Nonfiction (Math/Philosophy/Physics)
Braveship
Mr. 2
Sleight of Mind
Sleight of Mind
Japanese Edition in Two Parts
Russian Edition
BY Matt Cook (Forthcoming)
BY Matt Cook (Forthcoming)
BY Matt Cook
BY Matt Cook
Early Novel
Early Nonfiction
The First Chronicle
Fearless
Tovar's Enchantment
BY Matt Cook
BY Matt Cook
Blog
Contact
Dear readers, comments and questions are welcome. I look forward to hearing from you and will try my hardest to personally answer all emails.
For composer and general artistic inquiries, please contact Matt's artistic manager, Katherine Womer Benjamin and visit Arts28. For film inquiries, please contact entertainment attorney Scott Schwimer. With literary questions, please contact Victoria Skurnick at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency. For corporate speaking engagements, book club discussions, and bookstore/other events, please use the contact form here. Thank you for writing.
