The Immortal Philosophers series is an intricate dance of characters around the complex histories and monsters from history with a little bit of immortal magic keeping them alive. Sunset in the Valley of Now and Then centers around the newest member of the group founded by Marcus Aurelius, where Dylan Eaglegod escapes the nightmarish hold his toxic friends have over him. From NYU to Ocean City, NJ, Dylan doesn’t know how far he’ll have to go to get away, until he finds out that Joshua, the ringleader and most toxic of all his friends, is looking for him around the Jersey Shore island.
The strategy of Marcus Aurelius and Joshua Bailey, though, hangs around Dylan more than he could have ever imagined. The true desires and power of Joshua are a mystery that only Dylan has the power to attempt to find the answers to. Not even Aurelius or Antonio, Dylan’s hopeful love interest, are sure if their training will be enough to find answers before Joshua finds them.
Dylan’s story is a tale of self discovery, self mastery, and of everything it takes to live life as half of yourself before finally feeling free and out of the closet.
Dylan’s story, though, is a stark reminder that not even immortals can escape their pasts or limits. That even magic in its most mystic or scientific displays, is bound by the limits of the human imagination and, more importantly, human will. While all we’ll ever know is a mortal perspective, The Immortal Philosophers offers a reflection on the greatest thinkers and minds of humanity. It conjures history from the characters who seem made of the stories they tell, however old the stories are.
There’s a familiar pull between Dylan’s relationship with his desire for individuality and the falling in with the Immortal Philosophers that complicates Dylan’s relationship with Antonio, but also exposes the societal fears those in gay relationships often feel inside and outside the house. Sunset in the Valley of Now and Then is a crucial step into the contemporary fantasy and mythological genres for LGBTQ fiction, and an important start to the series that will illuminate fictional and fictionalized historical figures for the purposes of piquing interest of philosophy and ethics that enrich the urban fantasy storyline with deep meaning, purpose, and ethical turmoil.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: For all the parts of us longing for new beginnings.
Dylan’s story speaks to the power deep down in all of us, and how sometimes we’re so strong that we keep that power suppressed. Always for too long. Dylan’s story is about embracing the changes you want to see in your life and chasing after them until your dreams become your realities despite the chaos of the world around us. Dylan’s story is written with magic and the flourish of fantasy, but his struggles and triumphs are not beyond our capabilities when we embrace the bravest act of all and embrace who we are without fear of hate or disapproval from others’ oppressive belief systems. Dylan’s story reminds us that many of the mysteries of our lives can be explained by reflecting on the memories of the past, and how sometimes doing that is the only way for us to move forward.
Everyday we’re met with the feeling of waking up in a world that tells us we’re not worth as much as others, and we are confronted with people who genuinely hate us. Their hate makes them menaces against the joyful, and their words are only meant to steal from you the power you’ve built inside yourself in resilience to their influence.
Look to logic, truth, and to the philosophers, thinkers, and lovers of humanity throughout history. Arm your mind with the tools to maintain the morals, values, and ethics that are so innate in those who love fearlessly. We make the world go round despite the winds of hatred whipping against our faces as we step toward the promise of a world where we all have the power to make our mark. Book One of the Chronicles of Dylan Eaglegod is Dylan’s story of self discovery and the exploration of himself in a new life. It’s my hope that his story will help propel you to your promised land.
Enjoy, and until next time,
Alexander Anthony Casillas
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