The DRAGON'S FAMILIAR

About the Book

BOY OF THE PROPHECY

Twelve-year-old Cory Avalon was just another kid lost in Brooklyn's childcare system. He had no idea he was born with the gift of magic until the day he stood too close to that demonic mirror in an abandoned building, and fell through the shadowy veil into the enchanted world of Abydonne. Recognized as a rare magus, Cory is quickly apprenticed to the king's royal wizard, Math the Ancient, to learn how to control his natural talents before they overwhelm him.

However, Cory's power grows too quickly for even his master to contend with. In three short months, the boy learns how to hurl magical lightning, erect shields, turn invisible, and even how to fly. After Cory summons a young golden dragon for his familiar, Math confides in his brother wizard Ilmarinen, and in a shaking voice, whispers the words "archwizard" and "boy of the prophecy."

Why does Master Math think Cory can defeat the evil Asmodeus in his stronghold of Abyollydd, and why is he being sent to learn from the mysterious enchanter Vainamoinen, who lives in an enchanted fortress, floating in the clouds?

Based upon rich Welsh and Finnish mythology, the author weaves a complex and beautifully crafted tale which can only be called the Fifth Branch of the Mabinogion.

About the Author

All writers craft stories from their own life experience, and this epic tale is no exception. In the tales are hints of summer vacations to the Catskill Mountains; long days spent swimming in crystal clear lakes and playing amongst the tall pine, oak and maple trees. The oaks were of course an enchanted forest, the bird high in the green boughs Merlin?s own owl, Archimedes. For Larry grew up in New York City with a healthy, overactive imagination. At the age of five, the boy?s great-aunt Dorothy presented him with a copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. This was followed by A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin, and trips to the movies with his dad to see Fantasia, The Sword in the Stone, and Escape To Witch Mountain. By the time little Larry was ten, he was playing Dungeons and Dragons, and the World of Abydonne was taking form in his mind. Told by his mother to stop daydreaming in class and write his stories down, Larry opened a fresh spiral-bound notebook and began his career.

Larry has penned the following manuscripts, which with Hashem?s help, will soon see print: Dragon?s Orb, the sequel to The Dragon?s Familiar; The Sword of Arakron trilogy; Wizard?s Crusade, a time travel story; Castle Ravenwood in the World of Calydon; and Odyssey, a Star Trek novel, among others.

The cover art, entitled ?On a Dare,? oils over acrylics, was painted by the author.