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Explore life as a mage in a world much like our own by starting with a fan favorite scene from the novel. Share insights into who are involved and what they encounter through multiple quotes found below. Memes and related artwork give a fun and fascinating way to delve into this reality of magic and myth. Explore the history behind the creation of this book and insight into the series. Lastly, you can learn of hidden treasures and secrets throughout the book in the Easter Eggs section of this page. Your journey has just begun!
“Sometimes in life we are forced to step forward into an unknown world without the safety of a guide to protect our steps.” – Clive
Fan Favorite
A scene selected from the book.
Mage versus mage, magic versus magic, can be a lot of fun to read about. Mystical energy can be used to summon beings to fight on behalf of the magic user. Since they are creations of energy taking physical form, there isn't loss of life and what is conjured is without limitations as to what can be involved. Elements found in nature conjured to be unleashed upon their opponent such as intense wind and blasts of fire. When Geoffrey breaks into a facility that is a vault for powerful artifacts and valuable items, he is confronted by four mages. Each of them has different approaches to defending the location and the confrontation eventually leads to the summoning of dragons! A perfect ending to the battle.
“I’m about three seconds away from having a brain explosion or a heart going clatter clack boom. If I knew the technical medical terms for all of that, I would use it, but I don’t, so there you have it.” – Nick
Relevant Images
“Never doubt the power within you and never think that anything is impossible.” – Myrddin
Origin Story:
An Old Idea
The author had been playing around with the idea of the last descendant of Merlin ever since he saw the made for television series: Merlin. He loved the concept they presented and the idea that those events took place in our history was one of many elements that went into creating what eventually became the Human Born series.
An older version, not related to this series, involved the basic concepts of the ancestor of Merlin and his shape shifting Jinn. The plot was that his family was murdered and a group dedicated to using them for their own dark purposes was pursuing him. Much of the original elements from it was never used. The cult that worshiped the ancient goddess in the opening of the book is a reflection from this other book idea.
Much of the Human Born series was written years before coming back to it. A fifth book was began but it never went beyond the first hundred pages before the series came to an end. The author was able to salvage much of the original ideas. Although most of the first drafts were completely re-written or dramatically changed, this novel remained relatively the same with some minor alterations keeping several scenes. Acolytes became Blood Oath. Prodigal Son developed into Arcane Inheritance. Children of Gaia was renamed to Garden of Gaia. The unfinished book idea was transformed into Replicating Life.
It was during this novel that larger world building took place. The Greek Empire reflecting the author's interest in Greek Mythology.
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Origin Story:
Past and Present
Although most of the narrative remained the same, a large portion of text was removed involving a secondary story concerning the politics of the Greek Empire. There was a dozen of so characters, beginning with the geomancer who reacted to the lion illusion in an early scene in the final draft. Eventually Clive leaves to be a part of that story that essentially added nothing to the main plot. Removing it didn't affect anything other than having to move Clive to follow the group of mercenaries rather than being involved in the Greek Empire arc.
Another major change to the original was the ending. The first draft was heavy handed wish fulfillment where Geoffrey fights an army of magically formed creatures by himself. At one point, he summons the Lady of the Lake who gives what was then the leader of the castle, Ritter, Excalibur to defeat Mordred. It was so horribly cringe worthy that the author felt the need to remove it completely and try again.
Originally, Geoffrey breaks the curse of David's staff and in doing so, unlocks his godlike magical abilities. The strangest part is how Jinx became mortal. She just did. No explanation given. Making Geoffrey's reaction to the potential threat to his life leading Jinx to do so on his behalf, was an ideal way to explain how she became human as well as providing a more realistic response to this potential threat to his life.
The ending had Revedac taking Morgan prisoner to some unknown fate. The revision allowed Murberec to return to the series.
“Come on, we got things to do, dead people to see...” – Jinx
Easter Eggs and Inspiration
The final phrasing at the end of the book is a play on something the author have included in several books. “Somewhere, sometime, and on some dimension of existence, anything that is fantasy to us, is real to someone else.” He liked the concept of teasing the audience with the existence of the Mattiverse. This is all building up to something much larger. But… As they say, that’s a story for another day.
“The greatest adventures happen when someone is lost and uncertain of where to go next.” - Melody
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