Traces of Magic in a Harsh and Bloody Land. This item is unavailable.Traces of Magic in a Harsh and Bloody Land

Traces of Magic explores the pre-history of Kentucky, a land strangely uninhabited when Europeans came across the Appalachian Mountains, in ways parallel to how epic tales like the “Lord of the Rings” series unlocked the imagination of the British Isles residents to their pre-history. The story follows the struggles of a group of young adults who get caught up in defending the wonders of their land against an assassins’ guild bent on power and profit regardless of the cost. Knights and bards, clergy and users of magic, as well as many ordinary good people all help defend against the diabolic powers working with that guild to enslave the valley by controlling the weather.

As both a chemist and a Catholic army chaplain, Fr. Patrick Dolan didn’t always fit into normal stereotypes; but he did find time, often while waiting for helicopter transport in combat zones, to write about his beloved valley in the middle of Kentucky. Adopted as an infant, he found that writing this story gave him the roots he never had. Though a number of real-life people, from National Guard buddies to chemistry lab partners to families from his parishes, inspired his fictional characters, the story just came to him, almost as if it was waiting in the valley, wanting to be told. So just as General Lou Wallace wrote “Ben Hur” after his experiences in the American Civil War, Fr. Pat felt today’s generation deserved their own epic story from another general – and their own American homeland.