Wood Between Worlds Acquires the Mysterion Series

Fans of “Spirited Away,” African folklore, and portal fantasy, this release is for you!

“The Neverending Story” meets Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” in this portal fantasy series set in a mythic version of the gorgeous Seychelles Islands.

This summer, enter a world of ruthless pirates, plucky young heroines, mythical creatures, seagoing dragons, monsters, and mermaids!

Wood Between Worlds Press has just signed Fr. Richard Rene’s Mysterion Series, Books 1-3. Fr. Richard’s poignant and thoughtful series addresses difficult subjects through a lens of child-like wonder, all influenced by the author’s childhood in Seychelles, Africa.

Tales from Mysterion is for anyone who needs to be reminded of the transformative power of stories and the real hope of overcoming broken relationships, injustice, and darkness through personal sacrifice and heroism. Mysterion is not just an alternate universe, but the real world, of which our experience is a dust-covered version. Fans of fantasy in the tradition of C.S. Lewis, get ready for your next non-stop action-adventure binge-read!

About The Mysterion Series

The Hidden Island: Tales from Mysterion Book 1

When Jonah’s father Francis goes missing, Jonah refuses to believe he is dead. With the help of a wise elder, Captain Aquille, he learns that Francis is a prisoner of the evil Djinn in Mysterion, a world long hidden from human eyes.

Using the power of a magic lamp, Jonah finds his way into Mysterion, where he meets Azrel, the many-winged, sharp-tongued Angelus. With Azrel’s help, Jonah must get past a man-eating giant and find the Hidden Island where his father is being held. Can he finally defeat the Djinn and save his father from slavery?

The Falls of Mysterion: Tales from Mysterion Book 2

A pirate girl. A deadly mission. A chance for redemption.

Isabella is lost, running from an abusive father and a broken home. Tempted by the Djinn, she’s drawn into the forgotten world of Mysterion, where she joins the pirates and reinvents herself as Bella Couteau.

When the pirate king commands her to assassinate his arch-enemy, the Elder of Mysterion, Bella seizes the opportunity to win glory and greatness as his chosen heir. But as she makes the perilous journey to Elder’s Island, she starts to question everything she’s come to believe. And when she finally confronts the Elder, he makes her an unexpected offer: a new life—if only she has the courage to grasp it.

The Ordeal of Windfire: Tales from Mysterion Book 3

A choice between loyalty to his master and the friend he loves. The fate of the world depends on it.

With his island besieged by the pirate armada, Jonah and his companions travel to the western deserts of Mysterion, seeking aid from the warlike Mezoramians. However, the fate of Jonah’s people depends on Disagree, the pirate king’s most steadfast servant. As the battle for Elder’s Island reaches its climax, Disagree is given a choice between absolute obedience to his master and love for his friends. In the final battle, he must decide where his heart really belongs—in the ruthless world of the pirates, or with the people who listen to the Wind. 

More Tales from Mysterion coming in 2026…

About the Author

Born in Seychelles and growing up in East and Southern Africa, Fr. Richard René is a convert to Orthodoxy and a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He lives in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada with his wife Jaime. They have three children. He works in Chaplaincy for Canada’s federal correctional system and is the director of St. Silas Orthodox Prison Ministry. He has a Ph.D. from St. Michael's College, University of Toronto.

What Readers Are Saying

“Very real characters in a plot that does not let you go till the last pages. I highly recommend this to all fantasy fans!”

“Great read in the spirit of Narnia, Tolkien, Harry... Supposed to be for the teen and young adult crowd but the kids will have a hard time getting the book back from Mom and Dad!”

“A warm, intelligent, engaging saga in a world full of wonder, peace, and danger. I have read all three books that have come out so far, and they have all made me laugh and cry. As a modern Christian, I love fairy tales and stories of the cosmic struggle. Morgan's tales preserve the wonder and glory of this tradition without ever falling into triteness or heavy-handedness. The rich cast of characters grapple with difficult decisions, make hard calls, stumble, fall, and (sometimes) find redemption. The story acknowledges that yes, life is complicated, some things are impossibly hard, people let us down, and the happy ending we have our hearts set on is not always what the Wind brings. And yet, with all of this, the messiness and tragedy of reality, the overall theme is one of invincible goodness, truth, and light. These books are some of the most powerfully uplifting fantasy I've read in a while.”

Publisher

Wood Between Worlds Press is an independent press that publishes adult and young adult speculative fiction in the tradition of the Inklings.

The Kickstarter campaign for our first book, Cantos of Arcadia by Nicholas Kotar, was launched in September 2024 and will be delivered in June. Our catalogue of books will be available for direct orders soon.

Release Date

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