Year One Compendium

Of Metal and Magic

by J.M. Williams, Richie Billing, E.A. Robins

Forged from the abyss by the elder gods, the history of Soria spans over 10,000 years. In this time, the people of the world have seen bloody wars, the rise and fall of divine empires, and pitched struggles between dragons and unicorns—the very children of the gods who created men. Though the seed of civilization was planted on the continent of Elitor, people crossed the wide oceans to other lands, and to divergent evolutions. Today the world revolves around two great Telsemar in the east, and Drumnaught in the west. It is from the dusty volumes in the duty halls of these cities' grand depositories, that we look back on the tumultuous history of Soria and the tales of Metal and Magic. This collection features the opening chapters (or episodes, as we call them) of the upcoming 2021 CORE novels. Not only will this give you a sense of the wide narrative range our CORE stories offer, but will allow you to pick out and follow your favorite OMAM author. Included in this volume are the opening episodes • Call of the Guardian, a novel by JM Williams • Pariah’s Lament, a novel by Richie Billing • Scion of the Oracle, a novel by E.A. Robins • To Wield the Stars, a novel by Douglas W. T. Smith • The Mad Reign, a novel by Chris Brock • The Fierce, a novel by JM Williams We expect to start releasing these books, one a month in the order listed above, starting in February 2021. All CORE stories take place in the same epic fantasy universe, and are penned by dozens of authors, whose tales of adventure and intrigue overlap, reference, and influence each other. All official CORE narratives are part of a single unified canon. Though each book is an independent project, designed to be a stand-alone work that can be enjoyed all by itself, the real magic comes from reading multiple series and discovering the many points of intersection and convergence that our many authors have created. Of Metal and Magic is epic fantasy at its finest. Come dive into one of our expansive fantasy worlds!

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 11, 2020

About the author

JM Williams is the Editor-in-Chief for Of Metal and Magic Publishing and the author of In the Valley of Magic, Call of the Guardian, and other works.

Born in Minnesota, he has been writing since childhood. The dull ordinariness of small-town life was likely what prodded him to start daydreaming and creating stories in his head. Much like electric cattle prods must create new villains in the heads of cows. And like cows, Williams ate grass from time to time, and ants. He was a disgusting child. As a child, he was inspired by fantasy and hero stories and Star Wars. Everyone loves Star Wars.

Williams has a B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota and an M.A. in History from Pittsburg State University, where he won the Distinguish Thesis Award for writing about dead people.

In addition to his own books, Williams had shorter works published in anthologies by Transmundane Press, Bards and Sages, Left Hand Publishers, and Fantasia Divinity, and many other venues.

Williams serves as the Editor-in-Chief for Of Metal and Magic Publishing, an indie publisher that specializes in collaborative fantasy. He currently lives in South Korea with his wife and an unmentionable number of cats.