A Cumbrian photographer has self-published his first novel.
Mark Regan, part of the Cumbria Crack team, has written The Last Mage, a fantasy novel rooted in Cumbria’s history and landscape.
It introduces readers to a reluctant local hero who would much rather be fixing engines than confronting things buried beneath the coast.
It is the first book in The Warder series, a contemporary fantasy saga set across Carlisle, Maryport and the wider north.
The story follows Jack Daniels, a Carlisle mechanic with a talent for repairing almost anything and an unfortunate inability to walk past trouble.
A routine Sunday call-out to an archaeological excavation near Maryport quickly becomes something far stranger when the ground collapses, revealing a chamber older than the Roman remains above it.
Although the novel deals with serious themes of duty, sacrifice, grief and belonging, it retains a distinctly northern sense of humour, Mark said.
There are arguments over coffee, unreliable weather, a motorcycle built from assorted parts and Jack’s closest friend, Nutty, who is best described as a large beard with access to heavy machinery.
Mark said: “I wanted to write a modern fantasy story that felt rooted in the North rather than simply relocating a London-style adventure.
“Cumbria has layers of history everywhere, from Roman forts and old roads to local legends, industrial heritage and communities that have been shaped by the landscape.
“Jack is not a polished hero. He is a mechanic who likes practical problems, proper coffee and being left alone. Unfortunately, the world keeps presenting him with problems that cannot be fixed using a socket set.”
Mark, whose day job is a health and safety adviser, drew on his interest in northern history, folklore, machinery and landscape while creating the novel.
The Last Mage is available in paperback and as a Kindle edition via Amazon.
