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The First Fable
The First Fable, Book 1 of the National Bestselling series, Epic Tales in the Fable Realms, by K.R. Bourgoine
- His father’s a war hero, unfortunately its for the wrong side -
Macal Teel is a farm boy living with his uncle in the Kingdom of Elronia. His life is upended when his kingdom comes under attack by invading troll legions. His father is a war hero, or so he thought until he is accused of betraying the Dragoon army. When Macal begins a terrifying quest, uncovering secrets from generations past and confronting loathsome creatures and boundless dangers, he is determined to save Elronia and prove his father’s innocence—before it’s too late. From author K. R. Bourgoine comes the riveting young adult fantasy collection, The Fable series, starting with book one, The First Fable, an imaginative and emotional story woven with elements of mystery, danger, and magic.
Young Macal’s father is a revered and honored captain in the Dragoon army. A great warrior, Bertran Teel had seen many battles and fought many wars to keep the Kingdom of Elronia safe within the world of Aerlinth. Macal is proud of his war hero father and is anxiously awaiting his return to his village, along with other cavalry already arriving. But his father is not coming home, and Macal is devastated as he learns why from the soldier who readily took over Bertran’s command as Dragoon captain.
“As you can imagine,” the captain was saying, “it bodes ill for the Teel family. No longer does that name hold any honor.”
“What do you mean?” Macal had never heard such a sharp tone from Uncle Melkes.
“Your brother Bertran left the Dragoon some time ago,” informed the captain.
“What do you mean, left? He wouldn’t just leave. And if he had, he would have come home.”
Jengus’s response was icy. “We have reason to believe that Bertran Teel is betraying the army and the Kingdom of Elronia.”
It isn’t long before Macal is thrust from everything he’s ever known into a quest to save his kingdom, prove his father’s innocence, and uncover generations of dangerous secrets. As the Trolls of Marglamesh wage a devastating war against the teen’s kingdom, Macal must navigate a perilous world, more threatening and magical than the farm boy ever imagined.
"Macal could see a herd of massive creatures with long, crooked noses and thick olive skin covered in boils, warts, and scars stalking through the night, pouring out of the shadows of the northwest Rotelen woods...To his horror, he recognized these foul creatures. Although he had never actually seen anything so hideous and terrifying in all his life, he had heard enough about them to know that the trolls had come."
As Macal searches for his father on his treacherous journey, he must find victory before the wretched trolls take over his kingdom forever. In the process, Macal learns about the cost of sacrifice, the value of family, and himself.
The thrilling saga of Macal and The Kingdom of Elronia continues with the second and third volumes of this fascinating fantasy series, The Second Fable and The Third Fable. Worlds collide for young adult and adult readers who will love the fast-paced adventures, the chemistry between the characters, and the interplay of fantasy, legends, magic, and danger in The Fable series. Author K. R. Bourgoine expertly weaves stories that are both timeless and unique, perfect cross-market reads for those searching for the next enduring epic fantasy series.
Reviews:
"The First Fable has an amazing amount of adventure packed in its pages." James Ward, Author of many books & designer of the first science fiction RPG, Metamorphosis Alpha & designer of the first apocalypse RPG, Gamma World.
"Trolling for a roller coaster action adventure that is packed with swords and sorcery? Then this is your next meal! This story grabs you with a relentless hold that simply will not let go. A hero is born. Don't miss the event! Chris Clark, Founder and Author of Inner City Games
- His father’s a war hero, unfortunately its for the wrong side -
Macal Teel is a farm boy living with his uncle in the Kingdom of Elronia. His life is upended when his kingdom comes under attack by invading troll legions. His father is a war hero, or so he thought until he is accused of betraying the Dragoon army. When Macal begins a terrifying quest, uncovering secrets from generations past and confronting loathsome creatures and boundless dangers, he is determined to save Elronia and prove his father’s innocence—before it’s too late. From author K. R. Bourgoine comes the riveting young adult fantasy collection, The Fable series, starting with book one, The First Fable, an imaginative and emotional story woven with elements of mystery, danger, and magic.
Young Macal’s father is a revered and honored captain in the Dragoon army. A great warrior, Bertran Teel had seen many battles and fought many wars to keep the Kingdom of Elronia safe within the world of Aerlinth. Macal is proud of his war hero father and is anxiously awaiting his return to his village, along with other cavalry already arriving. But his father is not coming home, and Macal is devastated as he learns why from the soldier who readily took over Bertran’s command as Dragoon captain.
“As you can imagine,” the captain was saying, “it bodes ill for the Teel family. No longer does that name hold any honor.”
“What do you mean?” Macal had never heard such a sharp tone from Uncle Melkes.
“Your brother Bertran left the Dragoon some time ago,” informed the captain.
“What do you mean, left? He wouldn’t just leave. And if he had, he would have come home.”
Jengus’s response was icy. “We have reason to believe that Bertran Teel is betraying the army and the Kingdom of Elronia.”
It isn’t long before Macal is thrust from everything he’s ever known into a quest to save his kingdom, prove his father’s innocence, and uncover generations of dangerous secrets. As the Trolls of Marglamesh wage a devastating war against the teen’s kingdom, Macal must navigate a perilous world, more threatening and magical than the farm boy ever imagined.
"Macal could see a herd of massive creatures with long, crooked noses and thick olive skin covered in boils, warts, and scars stalking through the night, pouring out of the shadows of the northwest Rotelen woods...To his horror, he recognized these foul creatures. Although he had never actually seen anything so hideous and terrifying in all his life, he had heard enough about them to know that the trolls had come."
As Macal searches for his father on his treacherous journey, he must find victory before the wretched trolls take over his kingdom forever. In the process, Macal learns about the cost of sacrifice, the value of family, and himself.
The thrilling saga of Macal and The Kingdom of Elronia continues with the second and third volumes of this fascinating fantasy series, The Second Fable and The Third Fable. Worlds collide for young adult and adult readers who will love the fast-paced adventures, the chemistry between the characters, and the interplay of fantasy, legends, magic, and danger in The Fable series. Author K. R. Bourgoine expertly weaves stories that are both timeless and unique, perfect cross-market reads for those searching for the next enduring epic fantasy series.
Reviews:
"The First Fable has an amazing amount of adventure packed in its pages." James Ward, Author of many books & designer of the first science fiction RPG, Metamorphosis Alpha & designer of the first apocalypse RPG, Gamma World.
"Trolling for a roller coaster action adventure that is packed with swords and sorcery? Then this is your next meal! This story grabs you with a relentless hold that simply will not let go. A hero is born. Don't miss the event! Chris Clark, Founder and Author of Inner City Games
366 pages, Paperback
Published June 27, 2017
7 people want to read
About the author
K.R. Bourgoine
6 booksNational bestselling children’s author K. R. Bourgoine began writing in 1999 as a creative outlet to add something new to the world. He is never at a loss for ideas, sometimes emerging from a single word or image that forms an entire story in his mind. With a list of one hundred story concepts, it’s just a matter of having the time to devote to developing some of them.
An interesting habit that K. R. has when writing his books is that he often listens to the same song on repeat while writing a whole novel. It’s like he's watching a movie in his head and trying to copy down what he’s imagining. The music puts him in an emotional place that K. R. believes adds heart to what he’s trying to capture.
K. R. believes that a good story is one that evokes strong emotions, and that is entertaining. He hopes that his young readers come away from reading his books with the message that, in the long run, people are what matters and your actions can affect them deeply.
K. R.’s writing journey provided an opportunity for him to meet Gary Gygax, the creator of “Dungeons and Dragons” and from that meeting the two became friends. Playing that game for thousands of hours trained K. R. in how to tell a story and keep people on the edge of their seats. He then went on to write stories for Gygax’s magazine, Lejends, including some featuring the legendary character “Gord the Rogue,” of whom K. R. was a huge fan growing up. He considers that his greatest achievement.
K. R. is the published writer of many fantasy magazine stories and books, and the creator of several board games. When he isn’t writing suspenseful epic fantasy stories for young adults, K. R. is creative in many ways. He enjoys painting, designing board games and computer games, drawing, and making full-size arcade machines. He also likes to spend time skateboarding and playing games. He lives in New York City.
An interesting habit that K. R. has when writing his books is that he often listens to the same song on repeat while writing a whole novel. It’s like he's watching a movie in his head and trying to copy down what he’s imagining. The music puts him in an emotional place that K. R. believes adds heart to what he’s trying to capture.
K. R. believes that a good story is one that evokes strong emotions, and that is entertaining. He hopes that his young readers come away from reading his books with the message that, in the long run, people are what matters and your actions can affect them deeply.
K. R.’s writing journey provided an opportunity for him to meet Gary Gygax, the creator of “Dungeons and Dragons” and from that meeting the two became friends. Playing that game for thousands of hours trained K. R. in how to tell a story and keep people on the edge of their seats. He then went on to write stories for Gygax’s magazine, Lejends, including some featuring the legendary character “Gord the Rogue,” of whom K. R. was a huge fan growing up. He considers that his greatest achievement.
K. R. is the published writer of many fantasy magazine stories and books, and the creator of several board games. When he isn’t writing suspenseful epic fantasy stories for young adults, K. R. is creative in many ways. He enjoys painting, designing board games and computer games, drawing, and making full-size arcade machines. He also likes to spend time skateboarding and playing games. He lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 24, 2021
I LOVED this book! I could not wait to read the next chapter! This book sparks your imagination and entrances you into its world. I cannot wait for the next book.
June 20, 2022
First lets start with this: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. If I could have given it 4.5 out of 5 stars, I would have.
Let's start with the good: An amazingly beautiful cover. A world map drawn by Darlene (you had me at Darlene!!). Characters you really come to love and identify with. Characters for whom you are heart-broken when they die. A wonderful 'Quest' story. Very good writing. I found myself really 'wanting' to read this book...I always enjoy reading, but even in times when I don't usually read, I found myself thinking 'I wonder if I can get a few more pages in'. It is a complete and satisfying story (I was worried that it wasn't going to be when I realized there was a sequel novel). The author is clearly a D&D player from way back - as I am too, this was a treat (there are many subtle D&Dish references: e.g. magic-users only have a certain number of spells they can know, a certain number they can cast each day and must rest to regain spells, etc). Wonderful flavor text throughout makes the world seem complete and real (i.e. a half a page was dedicated to a species of 3-tailed, transparent scorpions which sting with a toxin that desiccates and denatures muscles...it served no purpose in the storyline or plot, but was testament to the fullness of the world Mr. Bourgoine created).
All this noted, it is not a perfect book (thus my inability to give a 5-star review). Though well written, it could have used a good editor to tighten and clean up points that were repeated and it possessed a few too many typos for my taste (I didn't mean to count, but I remember about 8-9 typos which (for me at least) jar me away from being fully 'in' the story (These are nothing too crazy, a couple missing words, a couple incorrect words, a couple incorrect forms of words (to/too, etc), some comma situations. This is a long book! (while it clocks in at roughly 350 pages, it is a LARGE formatted book...thus, in my opinion, each page = roughly two trade paperback pages, so it equivalates out to roughly 700 pages) Perhaps a smidge too long...but it doesn't overstay its welcome.
Again, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will look for the sequel to continue the adventures of Macal.
Let's start with the good: An amazingly beautiful cover. A world map drawn by Darlene (you had me at Darlene!!). Characters you really come to love and identify with. Characters for whom you are heart-broken when they die. A wonderful 'Quest' story. Very good writing. I found myself really 'wanting' to read this book...I always enjoy reading, but even in times when I don't usually read, I found myself thinking 'I wonder if I can get a few more pages in'. It is a complete and satisfying story (I was worried that it wasn't going to be when I realized there was a sequel novel). The author is clearly a D&D player from way back - as I am too, this was a treat (there are many subtle D&Dish references: e.g. magic-users only have a certain number of spells they can know, a certain number they can cast each day and must rest to regain spells, etc). Wonderful flavor text throughout makes the world seem complete and real (i.e. a half a page was dedicated to a species of 3-tailed, transparent scorpions which sting with a toxin that desiccates and denatures muscles...it served no purpose in the storyline or plot, but was testament to the fullness of the world Mr. Bourgoine created).
All this noted, it is not a perfect book (thus my inability to give a 5-star review). Though well written, it could have used a good editor to tighten and clean up points that were repeated and it possessed a few too many typos for my taste (I didn't mean to count, but I remember about 8-9 typos which (for me at least) jar me away from being fully 'in' the story (These are nothing too crazy, a couple missing words, a couple incorrect words, a couple incorrect forms of words (to/too, etc), some comma situations. This is a long book! (while it clocks in at roughly 350 pages, it is a LARGE formatted book...thus, in my opinion, each page = roughly two trade paperback pages, so it equivalates out to roughly 700 pages) Perhaps a smidge too long...but it doesn't overstay its welcome.
Again, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will look for the sequel to continue the adventures of Macal.
December 16, 2024
First Fable by K.R. Bourgoine is an enchanting gateway into the world of fantasy. The writing flows effortlessly, blending vivid imagery with an accessible and warm storytelling style. While the tone leans a bit youthful, it works beautifully as an entry point for new fantasy readers or those craving something light and magical.
Told from the viewpoint of Macal, a young farm boy, the story teaches readers about the world, its residents, factions, and magic as he learns about them. Though the world-building is not as complex as that of more mature fantasy works, it is immersive enough to spark the imagination, and the characters are endearing and relatable. The cast includes a quirky mix, including a snarky cloak with an attitude that adds both humor and heart. The plot unfolds steadily, moving through epic adventures and quests without ever feeling overwhelmed.
Macal is a young man who grapples with guilt throughout his journey, leading him to doubt his place and worth in this vast, magical world. His struggles make his growth both relatable and meaningful, and his journey isn’t just about saving the world—it’s about understanding himself.
Final Verdict:
First Fable is a fun, fast-paced fantasy adventure that appeals to young readers and adults. Macal's journey is one of self-discovery in a larger-than-life world full of magic, danger, and unexpected allies. Will he prove his father’s honor? Will he stop the trolls from invading Eloronia? And will he ever stop fighting with the cloak?
If you want to dip your toes into a fantastical world without diving headfirst into epic complexities, First Fable delivers the perfect balance of charm and adventure. It’s a delightful introduction to fantasy, leaving you eager for more.
Told from the viewpoint of Macal, a young farm boy, the story teaches readers about the world, its residents, factions, and magic as he learns about them. Though the world-building is not as complex as that of more mature fantasy works, it is immersive enough to spark the imagination, and the characters are endearing and relatable. The cast includes a quirky mix, including a snarky cloak with an attitude that adds both humor and heart. The plot unfolds steadily, moving through epic adventures and quests without ever feeling overwhelmed.
Macal is a young man who grapples with guilt throughout his journey, leading him to doubt his place and worth in this vast, magical world. His struggles make his growth both relatable and meaningful, and his journey isn’t just about saving the world—it’s about understanding himself.
Final Verdict:
First Fable is a fun, fast-paced fantasy adventure that appeals to young readers and adults. Macal's journey is one of self-discovery in a larger-than-life world full of magic, danger, and unexpected allies. Will he prove his father’s honor? Will he stop the trolls from invading Eloronia? And will he ever stop fighting with the cloak?
If you want to dip your toes into a fantastical world without diving headfirst into epic complexities, First Fable delivers the perfect balance of charm and adventure. It’s a delightful introduction to fantasy, leaving you eager for more.
May 2, 2022
What I liked:
The First Fable is a fun, fast-paced fantasy adventure that fans of the genre will enjoy. Told from the viewpoint of young, wide-eyed Macal, the book also teaches you about the world and its residents, factions, and magic as he learns about them. Their a great cast of quirky characters, one of which is a snarky cloak with an attitude. The story moves along as an epic adventure with a quest or two that must be achieved. Macal is a young man who suffers from guilt as the adventure plays out, making him doubt his place and worth.
Final Verdict:
A story both young people and adults can relate to will have more adventures. Macal is just a simple farm boy who must navigate a more threatening and magical world than he realized. It is a big wide world, and you never know who will be your friend or what.
Will Macal be able to prove his Farther is the honorable man he believes him to be? Will he save the world from the angry trolls invading Eloronia, and will he and the cloak ever stop being enemies? Find out when you pick up First Fable.
The First Fable is a fun, fast-paced fantasy adventure that fans of the genre will enjoy. Told from the viewpoint of young, wide-eyed Macal, the book also teaches you about the world and its residents, factions, and magic as he learns about them. Their a great cast of quirky characters, one of which is a snarky cloak with an attitude. The story moves along as an epic adventure with a quest or two that must be achieved. Macal is a young man who suffers from guilt as the adventure plays out, making him doubt his place and worth.
Final Verdict:
A story both young people and adults can relate to will have more adventures. Macal is just a simple farm boy who must navigate a more threatening and magical world than he realized. It is a big wide world, and you never know who will be your friend or what.
Will Macal be able to prove his Farther is the honorable man he believes him to be? Will he save the world from the angry trolls invading Eloronia, and will he and the cloak ever stop being enemies? Find out when you pick up First Fable.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews