Home

The Dawn Cycle

The Dawn Cycle is a new four-book, science fantasy series from Herb J. Smith II. Book One, Keepers of the Dawn, begins the Cycle, with Book Two, Giver of the Dawn, and Book Three, Shadows of the Dawn, expanding on the tale. Book Four, Takers of the Dawn, concludes the series.

Cover of Keepers of the Dawn.The Dawn Cycle is best characterized as a mix of high fantasy, science fantasy, and literary fantasy, with each novel telling a complete story. No cliffhanger endings to leave the reader guessing. Or frustrated. Although each novel of the Cycle tells a complete tale, each also contains seeds for the next book. In this way, the epic moves ever forward in a continual story arc.

The first book of the Cycle, Keepers of the Dawn, totals some 232,000 words. (That’s roughly 660 paperback pages.) You can read more about Keepers at www.KeepersOfTheDawn.com. To read a description of the novel, click here.

 For two thousand years the Teeth have stood, three immense barriers of divine light rising high into the heavens, encircling the world, dividing it from Paradise. Like others of the Penitent world, Dreen and his telepathically impaired son, Bartu, cling to a dream. A dream that one day a savior will arrive to fell the imprisoning Teeth. Unlike others, however, their dream rests on more than mere faith. It rests on the promise of an artifact that came to their family centuries ago. A holy relic that is key to a future savior’s success.

To keep the relic safe, Dreen and Bartu must keep it secret. A task not easily accomplished in this world of telepaths. Making the task even more difficult is an obscure prophecy that foretells of the sacred artifact. A prophecy that Rue-A-Kai, the Destroyer, knows well. With the strength of a hundred wizards, the reincarnated savior of the Vile hordes imperils not only the Penitent kingdoms he now threatens to overrun, but also the promised arrival of a true future savior. Were the demonic Rue-A-Kai to acquire the holy relic, his perverse interpretation of prophecy would transform the relic from a device of deliverance to one of damnation, ensuring that the Teeth never fell, that the world never saw Paradise.

Yet the relic remains safely hidden, as it has for centuries. And there is no reason to believe it will not continue to remain so for centuries to come. No reason at all, that is, until the accident. . . .

Giver of the Dawn, Book Two of the Dawn Cycle, is expected to be released in late 2019. Shadows of the Dawn and Takers of the Dawn will follow sometime later. All three novels are in various stages of development, with “Giver” the nearest to completion. Interestingly, the author has actually written the final paragraph of the final book. So when the author says the Dawn Cycle will be a four-book series, you can take him at his word.

To begin your introduction to the Dawn Cycle, the author invites you to download a free sample of Book One, Keepers of the Dawn. You’ll find download links to the sample both in the menu bar at the top of the screen and in the sidebar at the right of the screen. The menu and sidebar also contain a link that will open the sample right in your browser.