Heroes of Time Legends: Murdoch's Shadow

AVAILABLE NOW in paperback, hardcover, & ebook!

Captain Zale "the Gale" Murdoch made his choice.  Now he must face the consequences. 

Following their quest for the mythical Grimstone, Zale, his daughter Starlina, and the entire crew find their home town of Warvonia in a dire state. Once a major sea hub, the harbor is in ruin, covered in life-threatening darkfrost. High Count Vidimir Tefu, Zale's former client, will stop at nothing to restore the full might of Void, what he views as the kingdom's salvation. Ancient forces and sorcery from the Shadow Age itself are rallied against Zale, his crew, and his home.

Meanwhile, as Starlina Murdoch witnesses both her father and her fiance, Jensen fall to the Shadow's devices, she must find strength within herself she never knew existed to take up her father's quest for the Eye of Shi'kha, all the while wondering if she will ever see Jensen or her father again.

Can Zale, Starlina, and the motley crew of Murdoch's Mates recover the darkest, once-concealed powers of Void and Shadow and hope to control them before it's too late?

Murdoch's Shadow is approximately twice the length of Murdoch's Choice, and takes the adventure—and the stakes—to a whole new level! 

Artwork for Murdoch's Shadow

Starlina Murdoch

Jensen Karrack

Vidimir Tefu

Mazek

Enshuzu

Dolion Schurke

Mysterious Traveler

Eliorinian Clock

Cover Artwork

Murdoch's Shadow Reveal

The title and cover art was revealed in this exciting trailer!

Zale Murdoch's Real-Life Inspiration

Zale is a character very near and dear to my heart.  His larger-than-life personality, mannerisms, and overall way of speaking are based on a bygone friend, colleague, and member of the family named Daniel "Skip" Person.  Skip and I had a ton of fun traveling the world together and sharing life with the family.  He was a goofy and loving "Pop-Pop" to my kids.  He passed of a rare lung disease in December 2018 at the far-too-young age of 61.

I actually intended to create a character in the "Heroes of Time" world based on Skip a while before he passed.  Starting a little over a year before the disease took him, we actively brainstormed this character together.  It was Skip who came up with the idea that he should be captain of his own crew.  Skip came up with the name Zale "the Gale" Murdoch, offering Augustus Macpherson as an alternative.  Somewhere in the course of that, we conjured up a fiesty red-panda sidekick.  I so dearly wish he could be here today to see the results.  I'm sure that now, from the Ethereal Realm, he looks down upon it with a riotous grin.

Zale, of course, develops as his own character, but this real-life inspiration is very much present within, from the loving Pop-Pop to the rascally scallawag.  So, raise your ale in tribute to the man, the scourge, the legend!  Skip, living on vicariously as Zale Murdoch.