Colin Taber – författare

Book One Of The Red Sub-SeriesThe year is 2037AD.Red: Mars is being colonized by the communist Chinese.White: The Moon is Russian, but now, just like great swathes of the Siberian steppe, no longer loyal to the Putinists in Moscow.And Blue: The US is leading a new western renaissance, free finally from the draining trials of the Third Gulf War and decades of economic malaise. The nation, optimistic and resurgent, plans to return to space.  But it seems that space is not as empty as we have been led to believe. When the sky begins to burn, and not just on one world, we have to face the truth that our only possible allies are our all too human enemies.

"e;Taber delivers a dark, riveting read"e; - Megg Jensen"e;Really well realised female lead"e; & "e;Great take on a magic/religious system"e; - Trudi Canavan "e;I stayed up all night"e; - Sara Douglass "e;A dark fantasy world that will suck you in"e; - The Newcastle Herald "e;Brave... Innovative... Bold..."e; & "e;Recommended for readers of Robin Hobb, Sara Douglass & Fiona McIntosh"e; - Stefen Brazulaitis, columnist, Australian Bookseller and Publisher MagazineOssard is falling... The world is dying, a victim of a divine war few mortals are aware of, let alone understand. The rival gods of Life and Death have set the scene for this great unravelling, leaving the world unbalanced and crumbling. One by one, peoples and nations fall into ash and ruin. The wealthy city-state of Ossard is about to become a casualty of this ages long battle. A chain of unsolved kidnappings is but the first symptom of its impending fall. The powers that be seem unable to stem the diabolical crimes, but one woman, coming of age and awakening to magic, will stand up for the innocent and flare as a last spark of hope. Juvela is different...  The very currents of the celestial are open to her, and that includes the truths they hide. As she investigates the mysterious kidnappings she'll face cultists, the bloody agents of the Inquisition, and the gods themselves. Can she overcome forces both human and divine, while she wrestles with her own emerging powers that threaten to turn her into something unrecognizable? This boxed set includes the first 3 books of this saga: The Fall of Ossard (book 1), Ossard's Hope (book 2) and Ossard's Shadow (book 3). Ossard Rising (book 4) and Lae Ossard: One White Rose (book 5) are out now and sold separately. Lae Ossard: Two Souls Grae and Lae Ossard: Three Fates Red will release in 2022 to conclude the series.

Welcome to Norse America!In this collection you will find the first four instalments of a grand retelling of history. The beginnings of a glorious saga befitting the Viking age!The Norse settled Greenland in 985AD and reached continental North America not long after - almost five centuries before Columbus - but left.What if they had stayed?Imagine what may have happened, how the world we know might be different…Would the British still have built their great empire? What of the Spanish, Portuguese and French imperial expansions? What about the two catastrophic world wars our timeline has endured?Would there still have been some kind of American Revolution and Civil War? In such an alternate history, might the American Bible Belt celebrate the All-Father Odin, Freya and Thor instead of Jesus Christ? Indeed, what kind of America could have arisen?We begin with The Landing as the Norse arrive on the shores of what we know as Canada's Labrador. From there we will watch the first of them explore, live, love and in some cases fall. In time they will raise halls and found their first settlements as their colonies spread. They will meet other peoples and face great challenges. Bitter winters will come, but they will be followed by hope-filled springs. And all the while the Norse Gods will look upon the work of their mortal followers as a new civilisation grows.Join me as we explore this amazing alternate history!This boxed set includes:United States of Vinland #1: The Landing A Short Tale From Norse America #1: Young Ravens & Hidden BladesUnited States of Vinland #2: Red Winter United States of Vinland #3: Loki's Rage Over 1300 pages of Viking exploration and adventure!United States of Vinland #4: Odin's Hall will release in 2022.

What if?What if the descendants of the Vikings who settled Greenland and went on to reach North America around the end of the first millennium had stayed?Five hundred years later, would Christopher Columbus have arrived to the south of an eastern seaboard dotted with centuries old settlements and towns hosting devotees to Thor and Odin?Might the Norse have gone on to build a nation as dominant as the United States of our own world?A thousand years after reaching Greenland, Vinland and Markland, would we still have had two world wars? What might the world look like? Where might the political and religious divides be drawn?This is the New World.***At the turn of the first millennium:Eskil, orphaned in war, but now a man, is leading his followers to found a settlement dedicated to Asgard's gods in the newly discovered lands in the west. There, after tests, adventures and challenges, he will leave a legacy that will grow to become the strongest nation the world has ever seen.The Landing is the first book in The United States of Vinland series and is an alternate history that begins the saga with the establishment of the first Markland halls.Welcome to Norse America.

Two Norse boys, a raft, and some unbroken rules to test.Join Ulfarr and Brandr in the new Norse settlements west of Greenland, as they do what adventurous boys do best; push boundaries.Welcome to the early years of Norse America!***Young Ravens and Hidden Blades is a standalone short story that reads as a boys adventure tale.If you have already discovered Colin Taber's alternate history setting, The United States of Vinland (USV), this short takes place in Markland (what we know as Labrador, around 1000 years ago), and is placed in that timeline midway between USV#1: The Landing and USV#2: Loki's Rage.Familiarity with the broader USV series and characters is not required.This short story is approximately 30 pages long and is a standalone ebook. For paperback readers of USV, this tale will be included in the front of USV#2: Loki's Rage as bonus material.

Ossard has fallen.The wealthy city state of Ossard has fallen amidst blood, rioting and flames. Through the chaotic aftermath, Juvela leads the hopeful to safety within a set of mysterious ruins, but are they already claimed?Whilst leading them, the divine addiction is taking root within her, something she's triggered in her flight from doomed Ossard. The deep hunger of soul feeding has overwhelmed and enslaved every god it has touched; how can she, only newly into her own godhood, possibly beat it? And if she can't, what of the divine war she was born to trigger?Yet hope remains...Ossard's Hope follows the unique tale first begun in The Fall of Ossard.

Over a thousand years ago the Norse reached the Americas, but never stayed.What if they had?Following on from The United States Of Vinland: The Landing comes Red Winter.Eskil's dream of settling the newly discovered lands of the west to honour the Gods is under way. Godsland and Lakeland are no longer alone, as new villages grow and prosper in a world of fjords, valleys, forests and mountains, all of it claimed in the name of Odin.For over twenty years factional rivalries have remained, but the Hall of Wolves and the Hall of Ravens must face a challenge that comes heralded by crying war horns and a horizon stained with smoke.Can the young settlements survive the challenge?But this is not the only trial the Norse of Markland will face. Back across the sea in their peoples ancient homelands there are those who are jealous of the prosperity they see in the west.War is coming to Markland.Red Winter is the second book in the United States Of Vinland series.

Following on from the third Ossard book, Ossard's Shadow:Juvela and the Prince have reached Ba Er Kaan, a ruined ogre city of the dead, where her truth will be revealed.But they are not alone.Meanwhile, far to the west, Sef and Anton have reached the borders of the Dagruan heartland in Kalraith.Yet they are pursued.And back in the Northcountry, the cultist controlled city of Ossard finally begins to rise anew.

What people are saying about The Ossard Series:"e;I stayed up all night"e; - Sara Douglass"e;A dark fantasy world that will suck you in"e; - The Newcastle Herald"e;Brave... Innovative... Bold..."e; & "e;Recommended for readers of Robin Hobb, Sara Douglass & Fiona McIntosh"e; - Stefen Brazulaitis, reviewer and columnist, Australian Bookseller and Publisher MagazineOssard's Shadow is the third book in the Ossard Series and continues on from Ossard's Hope.

Lae Ossard: One White RoseCan what is fallen rise again?All who have tried to take Ossard from the cultists who claimed the city have failed, but no nation is capable of launching the awesome military campaign the Fifth and Final Dominion of Lae Wair-Rae can.In Yamere, the Horn of Ansilsae has been sounded and the Lae Velsanans are ready to sail to war. They are so certain of victory, they have already declared the name of what will be their newest colony.Lae Ossard.Yet other forces are in play. Regardless of who triumphs the world will never be the same again.Lae Ossard: One White Rose follows Ossard Rising and is the fifth instalment of The Ossard Series. Lae Ossard: Two Souls Grae will continues the tale.

One Thousand years ago Norse explorers reached North America during the Viking Age. What if they had stayed? Join the adventure as we begin rewriting one thousand years of history!*Loki's Rage will continue the Markland Settlement Series first begun in The Landing as rival colonies and bloodlines go head to head. Will Godsland continue to prosper? What of Lakeland, weakened not just by the Uprising, but division by way of Trion the Wild?And what of Ineke the Icelander as she heads west? Here will be set the foundations for all that comes after!*The Markland Settlement Saga series (including separately published short stories) reading order is:The United States Of Vinland (USV#1): The LandingA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#1): Young Ravens & Hidden BladesThe United States Of Vinland (USV#2): Red WinterA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#2): Old Gods (written with permission by L.E. Sheppard)The United States Of Vinland (USV#3): Loki's RageA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#3): Hunted (written with permission by L.E. Sheppard)And coming in 2022 and early 2023:A Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#4): A Valkyrie of VinlandThe United States Of Vinland (USV#4): Odin's HallA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#5): A Wolf's CallThe United States Of Vinland (USV#5): Markland AflameA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#6): Blood of BearsThis open-ended alternate history series will continue with future installments chronicling the eventual founding and rise of one of the greatest nations the world has ever seen.

Lae Ossard: Two Souls GraeCan what is fallen rise again?All who have tried to take Ossard from the cultists who claimed the city have failed, but no nation is capable of launching the awesome military campaign the Fifth and Final Dominion of Lae Wair-Rae can.In Yamere, the Horn of Ansilsae has been sounded and the Lae Velsanans are ready to sail to war. They are so certain of victory, they have already declared the name of what will be their newest colony.Lae Ossard.Yet other forces are also in play.Regardless of who triumphs the world will never be the same again.Lae Ossard: Two Souls Grae follows on from Lae Ossard: One White Rose and is the sixth instalment of The Ossard Series.

A Valkyrie of Vinland.Gylla, Bjorn and her crew are marooned on new shores as an early winter closes in fast and fierce.There are friends, foes, and a mysterious treasure, and that's all before the gods intervene!Welcome to the early years of Norse America!***A Valkyrie of Vinland is a standalone short story.If you have already discovered Colin Taber's alternate history setting, The United States of Vinland (USV), this tale is placed in that timeline midway between USV#3: Loki's Rage and USV#4: Odin's Hall. Familiarity with the broader USV series and characters is not required. This short story is approximately 30 pages long and is a standalone tale.***The Markland Settlement Saga series (including separately published short stories) reading order is:The United States Of Vinland (USV#1): The LandingA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#1): Young Ravens & Hidden BladesThe United States Of Vinland (USV#2): Red WinterA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#2): Old Gods (written with permission by L.E. Sheppard)The United States Of Vinland (USV#3): Loki's RageA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#3): Hunted (written with permission by L.E. Sheppard)And coming in 2022 and early 2023:A Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#4): A Valkyrie of VinlandThe United States Of Vinland (USV#4): Odin's HallA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#5): A Wolf's CallThe United States Of Vinland (USV#5): Markland AflameA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#6): Blood of BearsThis open-ended alternate history series will continue with future installments chronicling the eventual founding and rise of one of the greatest nations the world has ever seen.

One Thousand years ago Norse explorers reached North America during the Viking Age.What if they had stayed?Join the adventure as we rewrite history!***Odin's Hall continues the Markland Settlement Saga first begun in The Landing as rival colonies and Norse bloodlines go head to head.Raven versus Wolf!Will the Godsland Ravens under Eskil continue to prosper?What of Lakeland's Wolves, riven by bloody division caused by Trion the Wild and newly arrived Ineke from Iceland?To the south, in Vinland, will Gylla and Bjorn, stranded, survive the winter or perish?And what of Seta's Bears?***The Markland Settlement Saga series (including separately published short stories) reading order is:The United States Of Vinland (USV#1): The LandingA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#1): Young Ravens & Hidden BladesThe United States Of Vinland (USV#2): Red WinterA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#2): Old Gods (written with permission by L.E. Sheppard)The United States Of Vinland (USV#3): Loki's RageA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#3): Hunted (written with permission by L.E. Sheppard)A Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#4): A Valkyrie of VinlandAnd coming in 2026:The United States Of Vinland (USV#4): Odin's HallA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#5): Blood on the SnowThe United States Of Vinland (USV#5): Markland AflameA Short Tale From Norse America (ASTFNA#6): The White RoadThis open-ended alternate history series will continue with future installments chronicling the eventual founding and rise of one of the greatest nations the world has ever seen.

Welcome to a drowning world.Long ago, the world offered prosperity and hope for all, but not now. In a new age, after the end of the Dragon Wars, the world is instead scarred and slowly dying. The storms above roll with greater fury, the forests wither, and the seas are ever-rising.Where once great ports sat by the sea, waves now wash over their submerged towers and walls. Once green farms that reliably delivered bounty are now more and more swamped and stolen away year after year by the flooding waters.Trade is fading, kingdoms are falling, and people are dying as the ties that have bound their societies together fray and unravel, all under the pressures unleashed by the rising waters of the Dragon Tide.  ***Dragon Tide is an ebook serial of monthly short fiction releases.

Welcome to a Drowning World​Long ago, the world offered prosperity and hope for all, but not now. In a new age, after the end of the Dragon Wars, the world is instead scarred and slowly dying. The storms above roll with greater fury, the forests wither, and the seas are ever-rising.  Where once great ports sat by the sea, waves now wash over their submerged towers and walls. Once green farms that reliably delivered bounty, are now more and more swamped and stolen away year after year by the flooding waters.Trade is fading, kingdoms are falling, and people are dying as the ties that have bound their societies together fray and unravel, all under the pressures unleashed by the rising waters of the Dragon Tide.     *** Dragon Tide is an ebook serial told in short monthly instalments.This instalment is a short intro of 1500 words or 5-6 pages. The following instalments will be between 6500-10000 words or 25-40 pages.

The Dying Lights is the opening short story in a series of occasional short tales.*The world we know has passed, yet there are survivors. In the ruins, in tunnels under the streets, what is left of mankind tries to survive. Amidst the slumped towers, the streets are overrun with packs of wild dogs and other feral vermin, but the true danger is above. In the sky are not just clouds, nor stars and constellations, but the flyers who came here and brought doom. The world is overrun, yet there is hope and the seeds of life. Amidst the struggle to survive, mankind tries to rise again and retake our world.

Welcome to a drowning world.Long ago, the world offered prosperity and hope for all, but not now. In a new age, after the end of the Dragon Wars, the world is instead scarred and slowly dying. The storms above roll with greater fury, the forests wither, and the seas are ever-rising. Where once great ports sat by the sea, waves now wash over their submerged towers and walls. Once green farms that reliably delivered bounty are now more and more swamped and stolen away year after year by the flooding waters.Trade is fading, kingdoms are falling, and people are dying as the ties that have bound their societies together fray and unravel, all under the pressures unleashed by the rising waters of the Dragon Tide.    *** Dragon Tide is an ebook serial of monthly short fiction releases.The first instalment, The Rising, is a short intro of 1500 words or 5-6 pages. This and following instalments will be between 6500-10000 words or 25-40 pages.

Welcome to a drowning world.Long ago, the world offered prosperity and hope for all, but not now. In a new age, after the end of the Dragon Wars, the world is instead scarred and slowly dying. The storms above roll with greater fury, the forests wither, and the seas are ever-rising. Where once great ports sat by the sea, waves now wash over their submerged towers and walls. Once green farms that reliably delivered bounty are now more and more swamped and stolen away year after year by the flooding waters.Trade is fading, kingdoms are falling, and people are dying as the ties that have bound their societies together fray and unravel, all under the pressures unleashed by the rising waters of the Dragon Tide. ***In this release, Kalia and Spader find themselves entangled in a brutal conflict atop the enigmatic Dragon's Mountain while their father, Ruck, embarks on a perilous journey on the open road. All Ruck knows is that his children have been ensnared in a web of slavery. He will venture into a struggling world where tumultuous rivers feed rising seas, all fed by the Dragon Tide curse.        *** Dragon Tide is an ebook serial of monthly short fiction releases.The first instalment, The Rising, is a short intro of 1500 words or 5-6 pages. This and following instalments will be between 6500-10000 words or 25-40 pages.

Welcome to a drowning world.Long ago, the world offered prosperity and hope for all, but not now. In a new age, after the end of the Dragon Wars, the world is instead scarred and slowly dying. The storms above roll with greater fury, the forests wither, and the seas are ever-rising. Where once great ports sat by the sea, waves now wash over their submerged towers and walls. Once green farms that reliably delivered bounty are now more and more swamped and stolen away year after year by the flooding waters.Trade is fading, kingdoms are falling, and people are dying as the ties that have bound their societies together fray and unravel, all under the pressures unleashed by the rising waters of the Dragon Tide. ***In this release, Kalia and Spader find themselves entangled in a brutal conflict atop the enigmatic Dragon's Mountain while their father, Ruck, embarks on a perilous journey on the open road. All Ruck knows is that his children have been ensnared in a web of slavery. He will venture into a struggling world where tumultuous rivers feed rising seas, all fed by the Dragon Tide curse.        *** Dragon Tide is an ebook serial of monthly short fiction releases.The first instalment, The Rising, is a short intro of 1500 words or 5-6 pages. This and following instalments will be between 6500-10000 words or 25-40 pages.