Alchemy of Secrets

by Stephanie Garber

During the filming of the Mirrorland sequel, Puppet Kingdom, Tierney and Saint cemented their fame by leaving their significant others (Victoria Monroe and Sebastian Friday) and eloping halfway through production. It was all anyone talked about, until Puppet Kingdom was released in late 1997 and became an even greater success than its predecessor. In 1999, the third film in the trilogy, Lostland, broke every box office record and spawned a universe of spinoffs. Although, in your opinion, none of the spinoffs are as good. Benjamin J. Tierney was a genius. There has never been another like him. After the original Mirrorland films, he signed on to write and direct another trilogy for Jericho Monroe Entertainment. The first two films, Price of Magic and Symphony of Death, were financially on par with the Mirrorland films. However, the productions were so fraught with misfortune, many believed the franchise was cursed. There were fires on set, multiple car accidents involving cast and crew members, several reports of amnesia, and one day, during outdoor filming, an entire flock of doves died midflight and fell from the sky. The third film, which was supposed to be released in early 2007, was initially delayed for a year. Tierney said he needed more time to research the script and finish writing, but no one has ever seen a single page. It has long been suspected that Tierney’s true reason for the delay was that he believed the Price of Magic trilogy was cursed, and he was afraid...