The Archive

The Maer Cycle

by Dan Fitzgerald, Dani Finn

Love is love. Death is forever.

In Hollow Road (Maer Cycle book 1), three companions discovered the monsters of legend were all too real…

Rumors among the Maer tell of an underground library called the Archive, which houses a wealth of knowledge and terrible magics that could be used to start the biggest war seen since the Great Betrayal. A mixed group of humans and Maer set off on an historic quest to find the Archive and protect it from those who would use it to destroy everything they hold dear. As the cold of winter bears down upon them, they trek through forbidding mountains beset by dangers they could have never imagined. They follow a set of ancient clues deep into the Silver Hills, forging surprising alliances and making new enemies.

The humans and Maer are linked by more than their quest to find the Archive and stop an insidious war. A mystical surrogacy may bridge the gap between two peoples, and many hearts entwine as their adventure hurtles toward its bloody conclusion.

This romantic adventure fantasy features feathered dragons, a diverse cast of LGBTQ characters and relationships, and an epic storyline that leaves no heart unscarred.

Author's note: This book contains explicit violence and sexual content and is intended for adult audiences.

Genres: Fantasy

329 pages, Unknown Binding

Published December 19, 2022

About the author

Fantasy and romance author of the Maer Cycle trilogy (low-magic fantasy) the Weirdwater Confluence duology (sword-free romantic fantasy), and the in-progress Time Before Trio (spicy romantic fantasy). The Time Before Trio will include The Delve (a smutty dungeon crawl, out now), Wings so Soft (an owl-themed fantasy romance, out now), and Cloti's Song (a poly fantasy romance, February 2024).

I also have a short romance: Unpainted (a queer arranged marriage fantasy romance, a standalone in the world of the Weirdwater Confluence) and another one coming, Jagged Shard (an enby/sapphic dungeon crawl fantasy romance coming early 2024, a standalone in the Time Before featuring characters from The Delve).

I write non-epic fantasy books, mostly romantic, in which you will find:

Mystery. Darkness. Wonder. Action. Romance. Otherness examined and deconstructed. Queer and straight characters living and fighting side by side. Imaginary creatures and magic with a realistic touch.

What you won’t find in my books:

Wholesale slaughter. Sexual assault. Unquestioned sexism or discrimination. Evil races. Irredeemable villains. Predestined heroes. An ancient darkness that threatens to overspread the land.

Catch me on Twitter or Instagram as danfitzwrites.

Reviews

[Nick Borrelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not often that you come across a book and series with the depth of character and story that Dan Fitzgerald has mustered with THE ARCHIVE and The Maer Cycle. To say that this story goes well beyond the usual fantasy tropes would be an understatement for there is a much deeper message here. In Hollow Road we were introduced to mysterious savage beasts known as the Maer. A marginalized group that was forced to hide in the rocky mountains surrounding the kingdom, superstitious tales were spread regarding them to scare children and keep the population fearful of what might happen if contact were ever made.

Fast forward to THE ARCHIVE and the Maer are very much still looked upon with a degree of fear and suspicion. They have established a tentative peace living alongside humans but it is difficult to know whether those who have initiated this detente are sincere or merely doing so for their own selfish motivations. Can the Maer truly trust their human neighbors, or will war break out soon making what happened during the time of the Great Betrayal look like child's play?

I really enjoyed this sequel a lot. There are so many different personal stories at play and what remains is the social message that Dan Fitzgerald has been so adept at delivering throughout this series. It is really what makes this series not just your standard everyday fantasy in my opinion and gives it an emotional added dimension. You can't help but pick out all of the parallels of real world unchecked colonialism and the oppression of indigenous peoples in this story. To have it delivered in a fantasy setting is quite original and very effective.

There is one scene in particular in this book that really shook me and brought my mind immediately to the dishonest "peace" negotiations by the early colonial settlers toward the Native Americans. It was hard to shed that image even as I kept reading with a pain in the pit of my stomach knowing what the eventual outcomes were of those fateful historic events. Would this fantasy story take a similar horrific turn, or would Dan Fitzgerald go in another direction entirely? I turned the pages with both a growing sense of dread and tense curiosity.

Besides the social message aspect, there was also something quite different in this book as opposed to the first and that is the mystery of the Archive. I enjoy a good mystery in my fantasy and this one was compelling indeed. The Archive supposedly houses all of the history and achievements of the Maer before they were betrayed, routed, and sent into hiding. Despite knowledge of its existence, no Maer alive knows its location. The journey to find the archive is truly what took my enjoyment of this book to another level. Not knowing whether they would find it or what would be contained within if they in fact did was some fantastic and suspenseful reading. If the rumors were true about a powerful magic being housed there, it could be a devastating tool for any with nefarious plans. Would the humans try to control it for themselves and wipe out the Maer for good? It all had a very Indiana Jones feel to it that kept me transfixed as I progressed through the book.

In the end I came away feeling as if I am experiencing an increasingly important series that needs to be more widely read and a second book that changes the game completely, setting up a potentially stunning final installment. It's almost as if I know how things are going to turn out, but I need to keep going regardless in the hopes that there will be some sort of salvation or redemption for these characters. This is not a feel good story, but it is one that engages the reader and compels you to examine what you are doing in your life to combat the prejudice and bigotry happening in today's society. And I'd say that is a very worthwhile result for any book to achieve on its reader. Oh and it's also one heck of a fine fantasy tale as well.

[S. Bavey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The Archive on the Kindle.

The Archive is the sequel to Hollow Road and the story continues with the three human friends we met in Hollow Road now living happily amongst the Maer they got to know at the end of the previous book. Finn is training with one of their magic users, Stouck, Sinnie is teaching Grisol to be an archer, and Carl is living with Ujenn who he was falling in love with at the end of the previous book. Language is being learnt by everyone with the young boy, Dulin as the main teacher.

The main story arc this time is a quest to find The Archive, a long lost library containing the entire history, culture and magic of the Maer. The location of The Archive has been long hidden and clues to its whereabouts spread out among the different tribes of the Maer. The worldbuilding in The Archive continues to be excellent.

The various tribes of the Maer, the Old Maer, the Wild/Free Maer, the Deer Maer and the Dragon Maer (yes there be dragons in this book!) were reminiscent of the different Native American tribes with their differing languages, weapons of choice and ways of decorating their bodies and clothing. The Dragon Maer decorate their clothing with colored feathers and the first Maer encountered by Carl, Finn and Sinnie had patterns on their clothing made from fish scales. The underlying message of this book is one of tolerance, both racial and sexual. The Maer come to the conclusion that the tribes are all fairly similar to one another and that they should not make judgements until they know each other. The humans who take the time to get to know the Maer grow to respect and love them as if they were humans. Many different forms of sexuality are explored among the Maer and everyone is extremely tolerant. One of the characters is non binary, which some of the other characters find confusing. All of this is described delicately, if somewhat graphically by the author.

The story this time is told much more from the perspective of the Maer with the point of view occasionally changing to Finn, Sinnie and much less frequently to Carl. In this way we learn more of the back story of the Maer and their culture.

The quest ends up amongst the Dragon Maer tribe and here they discover that the Shoza, a band of assassins and mages are coming to try to take over the Archive.

“...bearing down on them like thunderclouds sweeping across a plain.”

This episode is fraught with tension. The Shoza want to take over the archive in hopes of finding a document inside, which will teach them how to control the ka-lar, the scary Barrow Lords encountered in the previous book, and set them against the humans in a war. The resulting battle to defend The Archive is both exciting and tragic. You may find you need to wipe away a tear or two at this point.

The final book in this trilogy is out soon and I look forward to reading it!

[WS_BOOKCLUB · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Archive is a book like no other. Full of incredibly nuanced characters, it is both fascinating and thought provoking. After reading and loving Hollow Road, I was excited to continue on in the Maer Cycle. The Archive takes the series to a whole new level, one that had me utterly engrossed.

After the events of Hollow Road, we find an uneasy peace between the Maer and the humans, uneasy being the operative word. Is either “side” completely trustworthy? Is this peace sincere, or just a ploy? Adding to this dynamic is a faction of the Maer that do not trust the humans as far as they can throw them, instead wanting to launch an attack. This situation adds to the tense atmosphere found throughout the story.

An odd team made of both humans and Maer go in search of the Archive, a “maybe it exists” trove that is rumored to contain something of great importance, although no one is certain of what that is. Whether it helps the Maer or leads to their destruction rests on the shoulders of whomever gets to it first. I love a good quest!

Hollow Road focused a lot on the character development of a few characters, both within themselves and with relation to others. That continues on here, with the characters becoming astonishingly well-developed. Seeing more of the world, and learning more about the customs of its inhabitants was truly fascinating. The characters did not exist in a small vacuum: rather, the reader got to see how they grew and evolved based on their experiences, personalities, backgrounds, and relationships.

What got me, though, was author Dan Fitzgerald’s ability to take a fantasy book and use it as a mirror to show truths about humanity as a whole. It was beautiful, sad, sometimes uncomfortable, and incredibly, incredibly well written. There were even a few parts that had me tearing up. It is rare for me to have such a visceral reaction to a fantasy book.

Hollow Road was a fantastic book. The Archive is incredible. I cannot recommend this series enough.

https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.hom...

[Jake is Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Archive is the flawless sequel to Hollow Road and the penultimate book in Dan Fitzgerald’s The Maer Cycle. It continues the story immediately after the rediscovery of the Maer, who are now faced with the challenge of re-establishing their society in a world now dominated by humans.

There are whispers of the Archive, a library built by the Ancient Maer in order to save their culture and history from being lost to the war with humanity. The leaders of Castle Maer believe that ancient documents contained in the Archive may be the key to long-lasting peace, so they organise a quest to find the long-lost facility. But there are also rumours of dark magic contained within the Archive that, in the wrong hands, could trigger an unwinnable war, and the final downfall of the Maer.

In this book, Fitzgerald has ramped up the action and scope of his story, without sacrificing any of the charm or engaging characterisation I loved so much in Hollow Road. While the pacing and Fitzgerald’s warm, ‘low fantasy’ writing style is pleasantly familiar, the stakes are raised much higher in the lead up to exciting scenes in the final chapters.

The Maer Cycle series so far has been absolute quality writing, and Fitzgerald has found a sweet spot writing about the familiar in a new way. It's a rare example of classic fantasy written for a more diverse audience, without shouting about how queer or feminist it is. It is simply fantasy, done better, which is no easy feat.

Check out the full review on jakeisreading.com!

[Cassidee Lanstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading Hollow Road by Dan Fitzgerald earlier this year and now I’ve read The Archive. It is set shortly after Hollow Road and has just as much heart, if not more. The Maer and the humans join together to delve into the hidden history of the Maer. It was nice to be greeted by our old friends. Carl, Sinnie, and Finn grew so much over the last book and their storylines continue to captivate in The Archive.

The pacing of this book was excellent. Fitzgerald shows that he can have his hand in many pots and not get burned. Fantasy on a large scale? Check. Romance that comes off as organic? Check. Sexual fluidity and breaking social constructs? Check. Dragons, and cognizant mythic beings? Check!!!! I enjoy the fact that Fitzgerald didn’t drag us through meaningless battles, something that often makes me glaze over. This was definitely plot oriented and he kept on target there. I will be the first to admit that I love a little bit of love in my books, and I also am a book masochist and love a little heartbreak in them, as well. I was not disappointed! I found the exploration of sexuality to be well written and quite tender in this novel.

Fitzgerald caters to the duality that occurs to any living, thinking being. Sometimes we are the advocates, the protagonists, the good guys. Other times we are the malicious, the cunning, the deceitful. We crave power and control while feeling justified in our actions. The Maer and the humans both fall prey to this duality. I thought it was interesting (and well done) that just as we become more endeared to the Maer, we are thrown for a loop. The format of how certain things were revealed in this installment was a touch of genius.

Dan writes the journey masterfully. He doesn’t become a victim of writing too much scenery and too little plot. You’ll be entertained the whole way through. You might even learn a thing or two from the threads of wisdom woven throughout. I definitely recommend digging into this series.

[Susan Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book in this cycle showed how enemies are individuals too: ways in which they are alike, ways in which they differ. The second book doesn’t disappoint as readers come to better know characters such as Ujenn, Grisol and Dunil, originally met in book 1, and also new characters, especially Ayal and the fabulous (in the fullest sense of the word) Tcheen. I’ve missed out so many - to them I apologise. Each new mind takes life and, as the cast of characters widens, so too can a reader's understanding of differing cultures and ways of being. It takes a special kind of writer to wield such a varied character list without any becoming ciphers along the way. The relationships that develop between unlikely and likely individuals are sympathetically handled and entirely believable.

[Rowena Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Archive continues a short while after the events in Hollow Road and takes up the mantle of breaking out of the constraints of the tropes and expectations for a traditional quest story. It also takes the world that we have been introduced to in book one, and expands it considerably, although it never loses sight of the characters which remain the heart of this series.

Whereas before we were unravelling the truth of the Maer, now we get to experience them living alongside humans and the tensions and conflicts that arise from societies living under the umbrella of a tentative peace and trying to learn how to work together. Here again, we see Fitzgerald’s grasp on humanity and culture, and everything that involves, and The Archive really delves into that, and it is difficult not to see aspects of the real world mirrored within this story. There are lessons to be learned here, and they are woven through the characters and stories and done in such a way that while they are unmissable, they are not rammed down your throat but rather an integral, organic part of this world. You can feel the suspicions and wariness on both sides of this peace, and the characters and different cultures are so well-written that it is impossible not to see and understand both sides, and it adds another layer to the emotion and impact of this series. And you find yourself unable to stop reading as events unfold because there is that delicate line between expectation based on what we think we know about how these relationships will unfold, dread and hope, and a dozen feelings in between.

Again, there is a journey at the centre of this story, and this time it is the search for The Archive – a long lost library containing the history, culture and magic of the Maer. It is known to exist, but no living Maer knows its location, and I liked this variation on the search for answers in Hollow Road, where the Maer were more legend than anything in the beginning. The search added another layer of suspense to the story – would it be found? Just what would be inside it? Would it make or break the relationship between the Maer and the humans? And I really enjoyed that aspect of the book, and I felt that it raised a lot of questions about the value of knowledge and truth, and the dangers it can pose in certain circumstances.

The Archive really takes everything from Hollow Road and expands on it. We get to learn so much more about the Maer, and their various tribes, and I loved how Fitzgerald built up the differing cultures and traditions between them, but also the similarities. And within the differences and tensions and conflicts, this is also a story about learning tolerance and understanding, and not just between the human and Maer, but within each of them and within the individuals themselves.

We return to the fantastic characters from book one – and oh god I was not prepared for one bit, which hit harder than I expected and is a testament to how much we are pulled into the lives of these characters, caring for what becomes of them. However, we also get new points of view particularly from the Maer, and the bonds and relationships that had started to grow in Hollow Road, continue to do so, in some cases blossoming almost beyond recognition, and yet it all feels so natural. Fitzgerald understands his characters on every level, and it is truly a delight to see where he takes them, which when combined with diversity and representation that is just part of this story, makes for compelling and emotive reading.

The Archive is everything you could want for a sequel to the Hollow Road and more and has firmly cemented Dan Fitzgerald as an author to watch. The Maer Cycle continues to impress and scratch that journey/D&D-esque itch while giving so much more. A must-read for anyone who wants an emotive, character-driven fantasy.

[C.K. Sorens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hollow Road, book one of the trilogy, was good. The Archive made me cry. Twice. Where I had to put the book down to finish so I could see the words again.

The Archive picks up not long after Hollow Road ends. The humans and the Maer have discovered one another again after the Maer had fallen into human legend (Hollow Road). In The Archive, the Maer and their human allies hope to discover where the Maer ancestors burried their history before they went into hiding after a great conflict with the humans. They aren't certain of what they'll find, but they hope it will help the relations between the two peoples before a rival sect of Maer find it and use it for more war.

The tag line for this book is Love is love and death is forever. A battle approaches and emotions run high, entangling people in ways they might not have expected, and bringing forth the inevitable end for some. Hearts connect and others are broken, and the reader will mend and break right along with the characters in this story.

The fighting itself is saved for one big battle in this second installment, where Hollow Road was more balanced with action. Yet, The Archive brings us the different conflict of personal relationships and relationships of state that drive us emotionally toward the third book of the trilogy.

As the pacing of this book differed from the first, and it took me a moment to get into the grove of the story. Sexuality and relationships were explored in ways I didn't expect, but weren't unwelcome, and I enjoyed the diversity Dan brought to his pages. By the end, I was thoroughly destroyed and I absolutely cannot wait for the third book.

With all that said, this is 5/5 for me, because I truly enjoyed it, and I'm excited to recommend it to other lovers of fantasy reading.

[L.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Fitzgerald does it again!

Another incredible volume in The Maer Cycle, The Archive is a perfect continuation of a fantastic story. This book saw the cast of characters grow in ways unimaginable, face foes unthinkable, and come to grips with, well...HE KNOWS WHAT HE DID. ;) The ending of the book leaves the reader with questions that we can't wait to have answered!

Kudos on another great book, can't wait to read the next installment.