Gripped and enthralled by the fantasy world of Merralya, at times dreaming about the characters and the settings, I fully understand James Maxwell’s byline, ‘Exploring this world while dreaming of others.’

The first book, ‘Enchantress,’ was self-published, but eighteen months later all four books in the saga were published by 47North, the Science Fiction and Fantasy imprint of Amazon Publishing and have now sold a quarter of a million copies worldwide.

Each region of Merralya has different magic or lore. As the series develops we encounter a society where enchantment is not used. James Maxwell has created a world I didn’t want to leave.

There are resonances with my fantasy book, The Whirlstone. The idea for the story began after visiting the ruins of Tulum in Mexico. My story has Cultivators, Healers, Firemakers, and Spellcasters and explores the consequences of an isolated society coming into contact with the outside world. I’ve been researching submissions procedures and realise that at 62,000 words, my novel is too short for mainstream fantasy.The Evermen Saga has inspired me to work on increasing the complexity of the plots and subplots in my book.

Thank you Mr Maxwell. A worthwhile summer’s reading.