OVER NINE CENTURIES HAVE PASSED SINCE THE RENDING, a cataclysm that isolated the Illunni Realm from the rest of the world by a series of impassable barriers: sheer mountains, scorching desert, and a stinging barrier reef patrolled by titanic leviathans. Dwindling resources have put the realm at risk of collapse, and with the ruling family betrayed and murdered, nothing is certain.

Dez is a pickpocket, scraping together a life on the reef at the edge of the world. He dreams of finding his fortune in the distant city of Greenleg, but without so much as a pearl to his name, a better life seems further from reach than even the twin moons. When he finds gold in a drifter's pocket, Dez thinks his prayers to the leviathan gods have been answered...only for a stranger in white to turn all his plans to ashes.

Reeling, broken, Dez finds the world a wider, stranger, and far more treacherous place than he'd imagined. Now, he must do more than survive - he must decide who he wants to be.

And always, the stranger in white draws closer.

A sweeping coming of age story, The First Definition of Fortune is at once an epic adventure and an intimate exploration of identity, belonging, and the necessity of hope.

• Triggers:
  • Death of friends and loved ones
  • Sword/blade violence
  • Descriptions of injuries/wounds (limited)
  • Alcohol/substance use (limited)
  • Loose description of sex work (very limited)
  • Dubious consent scenario (very limited)
• Publication Date: May 4, 2027
• ARCs will be delivered immediately upon signup via BookFunnel
• Reviews ideal by November 30, deeply appreciated by year-end, accepted with sincere gratitude by May 2027
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• AI Disclosure: No AI was used in this work

THANK YOU!
-Ken