C.B. McCullough's Blog, page 2
February 6, 2015
January 9, 2015
Top New Year’s Resolutions: Lose Weight, Quit Smoking, And Read More!
Not far behind “Lose Weight” and “Quit Smoking”, one of the most common—and most commonly broken—New Year’s resolutions is “Read More”…
October 21, 2014
New Book Trailer – “Dear Dad” The Fallen Odyssey
The newest of several book trailers for The Fallen Odyssey epic fantasy book series for young adults. I went a slightly different direction with this one. Check out my YouTube Channel for more.
What do you think?
October 1, 2014
The Oikoumene – Fantasy World Map
Originally blogged on TheFallenOdyssey.com: This new map, created by author C.B. McCullough, is based on the fantasy world of The Fallen Odyssey book series and features locations mentioned in Book 1: The Fallen Odyssey (2013), and Book 2: The Fallen Aeneid (2014), new fantasy books in the young adult fiction category.
The Oikoumene – The World Of The Fallen Odyssey Fantasy Book SeriesReaders cans attest to the fact that the Oikoumene is not like other fantasy worlds. Unlike most books of the fantasy genre, the protagonist of The Fallen Odyssey is a boy from Earth. As he struggles to find his way home from this strange, alternate dimension of swords, shields and twin moons, our hero braves otherworldly locales, unearthly creatures, and dark, demonic evil. If this is your first glimpse of The Fallen Odyssey, take your next step down the path less traveled. Download a free audiobook, read for free online, or shop for your own copy in paperback or ebook.
A Note From C.B. McCullough:
Greetings, TFO readers! Having received several requests for a map to go along with The Fallen Odyssey, I hope that this image provides a suitable frame of reference for the events of the weird stories that you graciously continue to tolerate. This image is meant to enhance the reading experience for fans of The Fallen Odyssey Series. It was not created by a professional fantasy map maker. Although there are numerous world generator programs (web-based and downloadable alike) on the market, this image was created without using any specialized world-building programs or map-making software. You are welcome to share and download this image for entertainment purposes. – CB
September 30, 2014
Free Audiobook Download
Originally blogged on TheFallenOdyssey.com:
A new release fantasy novel is now available as a free audiobook, read by the author himself. Listen for free to Chapter One of The Fallen Odyssey, the first novel in the epic young adult book series.
When a young man from Earth finds himself in an alternate world, his fate becomes entangled with a group of heroes fighting a rising tide of evil, that while threatening the peace of an entire world, may also hold the key to his gateway home.
This free audiobook downloads in two mp3 files, available below.
The Fallen Audiobook Part 1
The Fallen Audiobook Part 2
Or listen via a free streaming video here. Or read even more for free, and get lost in the adventure.
September 29, 2014
New Look, New Content – The New Edition Of The Fallen Odyssey!
Originally blogged on TheFallenOdyssey.com:
“Through wind and tide and squall and foe, may you ever journey on!” And now you can “journey on” in the introductory episode of this fantasy book series in a new, revised and expanded edition, featuring a new cover and never-before-seen content.
September 27, 2014
The Fallen Odyssey – Official Book Trailer
When 17-year-old Justin Holmes wakes up in a bizarre, unknown world, far from his rural Pennsylvania hometown, he goes from an ordinary high school student to a refugee, fighting for his very survival against dark, mysterious forces.
Lost in a world of swords, shields and twin moons, Justin’s fate becomes entangled with a group of freedom fighters wielding an energy force fueled by the human spirit. Can Justin overcome this savage realm? Will he find his way home? And at what cost?
An alternate dimension. An otherworldly odyssey. A demonic evil. And the power of the spirit.
The adventure begins in The Fallen Odyssey by C.B. McCullough.
“A thrilling epic fantasy book series suitable for young adults and experienced readers alike.”
This new release in the fantasy genre of young adult fiction has struck a chord with readers of all ages. Start your journey today. Read for free at thefallenodyssey.com and unleash the power within.
“From author C.B. McCullough comes an epic fantasy adventure. Get lost in the world of The Fallen Odyssey. How far would you go? How high would you climb? How much would you risk to find your way home? How deep would you search? Could you brave the darkness to find the light? An ancient evil. A world in peril. Heroes will rise to stand against evil. Unleash the power within. The Fallen Odyssey. Available now in ebook and paperback.”
September 18, 2014
“Progressive” Storytelling – The Music Of Rush
“I had heard the whispered tales of immortality, the deepest mystery. From an ancient book I took a clue. I scaled the frozen mountaintops of eastern lands unknown, time and man alone, searching for the lost Xanadu.”
When you think of rock music, a few key themes are bound to come to mind: girls, drugs, cars, and everything in between. What may not necessarily come to mind are the poems of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, dystopian science fiction, the novels of Ayn Rand, or lyrics like “to break my fast on honeydew and drink the milk of paradise”. The lines above may sound like something out of a fantasy novel, but they’re actually lyrics from Xanadu, track 2 off Farewell To Kings, the fifth studio album by the Canadian rock band, Rush. And as with many of their songs, Rush proves here that music can not only tell a story, but an epic story.
The lyrics of Xanadu, written by drummer Neil Peart, contain references to Kubla Khan, an 1816 Romantic poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge about the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. The title “Xanadu” refers to the ancient Chinese city, also known as Shangdu, that was Kublai Khan’s summer throne.
Musically, Xanadu is a progressive rock tour de force. The vocals come in only after a solid five minutes of technical and somewhat mind-boggling instrumentals, featuring a glockenspiel and tubular bells from Neil Peart, synth pedals played by Geddy Lee’s feet while he plays a double-neck bass/12-string guitar, and the clear, driving chords and riffs of Alex Lifeson’s 6-string/12-string double-neck Gibson.
The instrumentals set the tone for the lyrics: the tale of an adventurer who searches for a lost, mystical city, where it is said that one can attain immortality. There, he longs to “to stand within the Pleasure Dome, decreed by Kubla Khan, to taste anew the fruits of life,” and to “dine on honeydew and drink the milk of paradise”.
The narrator obtains his desires but, with the passage of eons, comes to regret his choice. “A thousand years have come and gone, but time has passed me by. Stars stopped in the sky, frozen in an everlasting view. Waiting for the world to end, weary of the night, praying for the light, prison of the lost Xanadu.”
Ages go by, and Geddy’s soaring tenor reveals the narrator’s ultimate sorrow. “Held within the Pleasure Dome, decreed by Kubla Khan. To taste my bitter triumph as a mad immortal man. Nevermore shall I return, escape these caves of ice. For I have dined on honeydew and drunk the milk of paradise!” Alex’s final, scorching guitar solo is a wailing lamentation of our hero’s eternal fate.
The tragic, epic fantasy of the immortal man’s destiny in Xanadu is one of many stories to come out of Rush and the progressive rock/metal genre. Follow me on Twitter or follow McCullough Writes for more Progressive Storytelling posts. Coming soon: conceptual band Coheed & Cambria, Mastodon‘s brutal tribute to Moby Dick, Rush‘s science fiction saga, 2112, and Symphony X‘s Homeric metal mayhem, The Odyssey.
Image credits: www.cygnus-x1.net (visit for more great Rush images and info on the band)
Thanks for reading, and congratulations to Geddy, Alex and Neil, currently celebrating their 40th year as RUSH! (Highly recommended in concert, by the way. I saw them in Pittsburgh during the Snakes & Arrows Tour, and they’re as awesome as ever.)
- CB
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Download A Free Novel by C.B. McCullough
