Strabane author Luke Kavanagh unveils epic fantasy debut

Celebrating the release of his first book ‘The Chronicles of Sir Roderick’ – the first instalment in the ‘Gods and Men’ series – Strabane based author Luke Kavanagh has spoken of his passion for his craft and what readers can expect in the future.

Luke is a fantasy author with a lifelong passion for tales of epic battles, legendary heroes, and dark, mysterious realms.

Growing up immersed in stories of myth and adventure, the 25-year-old Strabane man knew early on that he wanted to create worlds of his own where courage, loyalty and daring play out on grand stages.

“Writing allows me to explore complex characters and dive deep into the struggles that come with power, honour, and destiny,” said Luke.

“My stories focus on the choices people make when faced with the unknown, and I aim to blend action with heart to keep readers turning the pages.”

‘The Chronicles of Sir Roderick’ tells the story of Roderick who, in a kingdom teetering on the brink of darkness, is determined to save the realm after a bitter dispute with his brother, the king.

With allies and old enemies by his side, Roderick fights to protect his people, but as shadows loom there is only one question to be asked…

Can he resist the unseen manipulations of Zareth the Shadow, or will his efforts lead to the very downfall he seeks to prevent?

“For Roderick, it’s not all that it seems,” Luke explained. “Sometimes he believes he is making the right decision, but from an outside perspective, it might seem like he is going against everything that he had planned to do.”

NEW INSTALLMENTS

Following the success of his debut book, Luke is currently working on its follow up and said that it certainly won’t be the last installment of his epic fantasy tales.

“The second book will take place 20 years after the first one,” he said. “It focuses on a different character and shows how things have changed after the events of the first.

“Some characters from the first book will return and have their own chapters, but the focus will be on a new main character – a woman who is on the run but doesn’t exactly know why. But by the end of the book she learns all of what has happened and more about her path.”

Luke has recently completed the first draft of his second book but the ambitious writer is showing no signs of concluding his ‘Gods and Men’ series just yet.

“At the minute, I have plans for five books,” he said.

“But I might consider condensing it down a little and making a trilogy out of it.”

Citing his two biggest influences as Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings, the Strabane man said he was originally inspired to write following a creative writing assignment when he was studying for his GCSEs at Holy Cross College.

“I wrote a short fantasy story back then about a group of school kids who were in detention,” he explained.

“They accidentally release an ancient Indian curse and had to face it and deal with it within a short period of time in the detention room.”

THE KRAKEN

Luke’s passion for writing continued as, while studying history and politics at the Open University, he wrote another short story.

“That was a much shorter story,” he said.

“It was about a character called Sam who was part of a crew on a pirate ship who come across a storm at sea.

“He sees flashes amongst the storm and something in the shadows gradually moving closer.

“The story ends when their ship is attacked by the Kraken.”

Luke said that when he is not writing, you will often find him diving into classic and modern fantasy literature, recharging in nature, or dreaming up the next plot twist. The Strabane man also has a passion for gaming and is a familiar face around the town to many through his day job as a trolley porter in Asda.

‘The Chronicles of Sir Roderick (Gods and Men Book 1)’ is available to purchase now via Amazon.