Welcome to FirstWorld. I’m your host Kris. They call me Kris the Bard and I come from a place called Karo in the dimension of FirstWorld a very long time ago. How I came to be living in your dimension in your time is a very long and complicated story. On the way, I got involved with a Hero with a powerful sword, wizards (both good and bad), elves, dwarves, men and Gods. The Hero was involved in a quest to serve The Balance and prevent either Law or Chaos achieving supremacy. It was my job to chronicle the Hero’s struggles and although it was long ago and very far away I believe that the things we learnt are just as important in your world today.
This web site offers you the chance to buy my books (the first one is available free) and provides you with a great deal of background information and free stuff that will help you to get a better understanding of FirstWorld, its history and its future. You can also read my blog, like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.
Acknowledgements
Fictional universes or multiverses have long offered alternative realities that may seem preferable to our own lives. Growing up, I escaped from a troubled childhood into J.R.R. Tolkien’s magnificent creation of Middle Earth and was inspired by Elves, Dwarves, and Wizards. Later, I discovered the Sword and Sorcery of writers like Michael Moorcock. Moorcock wrote about the various manifestations of the Eternal Champion and his companion roving the Multiverse in an endless battle between Law and Chaos. I was always intrigued by the possibility of time travel and the paradoxes that it threw up. Many writers, from H.G. Wells forward have explored these and I have enjoyed them all.
It was always my hope that one day I could create my own multiverse to escape into and I have done so in FirstWorld. If you perceive echoes of Tolkien or Moorcock in my work, you are correct. They were my inspiration and I thank them and honour them. You’ll find others there too, from Arthurian legend through TS Eliot to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. My multiverse is big enough to contain them all. Is it infinite? That’s the $64,000 question.
I would also like to thank a small group of fantastic people, without whom I would never have completed this work.
- My beta readers who provided encouragement with their valuable feedback and criticism. Thanks Marg and Liz!
- My editor who did so much more than copy editing and had great influence on the story and how it developed. Thank you Gail!
- My artist who interpreted my work so well and produced the fantastic artwork that you see on the site and on the book covers. He has a great future ahead of him. Way to go, Nat!
- My good friend who turned my hand-drawn scribbles into great-looking maps. Thanks so much, Kevin!
- The Friday Writers’ Group in Melbourne who gave me encouragement when at my lowest ebb and ready to throw it all away. Thanks guys!
- My partner who has been prepared to put up with my bohemian lifestyle while I have written these books and has been responsible for creating these web pages. I love you!
Books