The Books of Umber

P. W. Catanese



- “Catanese dazzles in the first of the planned Books of Umber series by wittily subverting genre tropes. Happenstance, a boy with strange green eyes, wakes up in a cave with no memories of who he is or anything about the fantastic world in which he lives. He soon encounters Lord Umber, an adventurer who seems familiar with our world as well as his own, and his two companions — a brute cursed to be forever truthful and a one-handed artist and archer... As the group attempts to learn about his origins, they're forced to confront a supernatural assassin and secrets from Umber's own mysterious past. Catanese packs a lot into the book: rich characterizations, well-choreographed action sequences and genuinely surprising twists at the end. An auspicious start to the series.”
(Publishers Weekly - Starred review)

- Named to the BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2010 list by the Bank Street Children's Book Committee.

- A Horn Book recommended title for fantasy and science fiction.

- Named to the Master List for the Texas Bluebonnet Award.

- Nominated for the Pacific Northwest Library Association's Young Reader's Choice Award.
- Nominated for Indiana's Young Hoosier Book Award.

- Nominated for New Hampshire's Great Stone Face Book Award 2010, sponsored by the Children's Librarians of New Hampshire.

- Nominated for Hawai'i's 2010 Nēnē Award, given by the children of Hawai'i for the best children’s fiction book.

- "Readers, both young and old, will anxiously await future titles in the "Books of Umber" series.” - Children's Literature

“Catanese’s forte is in defining the features of the colorful imaginary world he creates, which is part steampunk, part fairy tale, and has a surprising contemporary twist. Merpeople, leviathans, and sorceresses mingle with Mozart, mirrors, and elevators in this unusual culture…a cinematic quality that will be enjoyed by a wide range of fantasy readers.”
(The Horn Book)

Happenstance Found



Dragon Games



The End of Time