[The Sons of Masguard 01] • The Mosque Hill Fortune

The first installment in a new series from Vivienne Mathews, this anthropomorphic tale is sure to strike a chord with fans of “Redwall,” “Watership Down,” and “Warriors.” Centered on a rivalry between two otter captains and the ancient threat that brings them together, it is an adventure-fantasy on the open sea, described by the author as “’Wind in the Willows’ with pirates.”

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A haunting mist has settled on the harbor beneath Secora Tor. Tasked with unlocking its mysteries is the stoic otter Captain Marshall, an accomplished military figure and heir to the greatest explorer in the kingdom’s history. As he sifts through myth and reality, his dangerous journey grows ever more complicated when he learns that McKinley the Marauder – pirate, nemesis, and general miscreant – has ambitions that could put his mission at risk.

Now, accompanied by a gypsy mercenary, a dishonored knight, and a family of thieves – and tailed by the evil wolf Baron Von Ulric, who has ambitions of his own – their paths converge in an uneasy alliance, becoming a race against time as they travel to the legendary island of Mosque Hill, each of them hoping to reach an ancient artifact before it is too late. Each of them desperate to stay ahead of the secrets that they keep.

What will they lose along the way?

And where will they turn when they realize that nothing is as it seems?