Book excerpt: THE MAGARISSE may at first seem like any ordinary fantasy novel: in another world, the Magarisse, a brotherhood of magicians and generals, once fought to defeat the power-hungry Sharadar. Their leader is dead. His son has gone in search of help from someone who was left behind long ago... This much should sound familiar to any experienced reader of the fantasy genre. But the avid reader gets something new, unexpected as he delves further into the pages of THE MAGARISSE: the source of magical energy in the world is being quickly drained, creating a sense of desperation and instigating a search for a new magical source. This sub-plot is, of course, inspired by the current situation of natural resources on Earth. Again THE MAGARISSE strays off the beaten path of literature in regards to its villain. The growth of the villain can be tracked alongside that of the heroes, flipping the classic ´coming-of-age´ novel on its head. The level of detail in this novel makes you feel like you are in each scene, standing alongside the characters that fight their way through the end of one war... and into the beginning of another. THE MAGARISSE will engage you with adventure, humor, romance, suspense, magic, and surprises. It is the result of a three-year project by a high school student who moves the fantasy genre in a new direction by veering away from many widely accepted tropes while still maintaining a recognizable fantasy feeling.