The Union Saga is the culmination of many years spent imagining, designing, and building a complex world filled with unique creatures, places, and events.
Take a look at the creative process that brought this series to life and explore the details beyond the pages.
The two slide shows below highlight the illustrations created for the final printed books as well as the conceptual design sketches used for writing the stories.
Appendix 1
Twin Earths and the Ending of the World.
In Catalyst, the idea is postulated that there
exists a “sister” Earth, lying in a dimension outside of our own. It is a concept not outside the confines of
scientific possibility, given our understanding of the universe. However, the creation of such a separation in
both space and matter asserts, in this case, that there was a higher
intelligence who orchestrated the creation and replication of this planet for a
purposeful design. The specific
definition of who or what this intelligence is does not have relevance to the
story at this time. Additionally, the
intended outcome of this creative endeavor will be explored in more detail over
the course of later stories. However,
for the sake of introduction, the creator’s intent is stated to be the bringing
forth of higher forms of life.
Through a long and extensive process, the
Creator organized the raw matter into a physical planet. This foundational construction contained
pivotal steps and iterative stages to ensure the ideal conditions for the
sustaining of life. In time, life began,
and over the course of millions of years, it was nurtured and developed, such
that countless species were created.
From this diverse global biome, the Creator realized the emergence of
two extraordinary potentials. The first
propagated from the biological line of bipedal dinosaurs. These creatures were highly intelligent and intrinsically
social. The long-term potential for
sentient and advanced beings was certain and magnificent. The familiar second line arose from mammalian
decent and would eventually create the race of human beings. However, upon the study of both potentials,
it was undeniable that the advancement of the two lines were not
compatible. One would always overtake
the other and prevent the two from coming into being. Unwilling to lose the glorious potential of
both, the earth was split dimensionally into two distinct worlds.
On the world of men, we know the prehistoric
record. What was presumed to be an
extinction event, marked the end of the dinosaurs on our planet and gave rise
to the dominance of mammals. Through a
meticulous, orchestrated evolution, the human species came into being. However, on the other Earth, the select
lineage of the dinosaurs endured and evolved over countless generations into
several races of sentient beings known generally as Dyers.
The term Dyer encompasses three distinct species. The first evolved from the offshoots of the
Troodontidae family of theropod dinosaurs from the late Cretaceous era, not
found in our fossil record. Known simply
as Dyers, they are characterized as bipedal beings without wings. The second evolved from the Unenlagiidae
family; another lineage of primitively winged theropod dinosaurs originating
from the Cretaceous era. They evolved
into Daeyers. Daeyers are described as
large flying beings, closely resembling dragons from human legend. However, Daeyers have only wings and two
legs, they are not quadrupedal. The
third species of dyers, known as Taempas, are not descended from any creature
known by mankind. It developed on
landmasses which were taken amidst the division of the two worlds and all
evidence of their existence was thereby lost.
More detail and background on this unique species will be provided in
the last two books of this story.
With this background covered, the Union Saga is
not a story about the grand history and events of the dyer realm, though that
will be covered in the third book.
Rather, it begins at the ending of their world, as well as ours. The checkered history of mankind is well
documented, studied, and taught.
However, the lessons of the past have not slowed the steady decline of
the human species. As populations rise
and technology continually redefines life, the light and nobility of our race
fails. The entropy of our world builds
to a critical mass and the Creator’s original purpose for elevated life slips
away. Once again, the precious potential
must be salvaged through dramatic correction.
The human species required exposure to the
conflicts of the dyers, for man had grown callous to the inherent powers of
life. The defining nature of light and
dark had faded from human awareness.
Whereas in the dyer races, their internal powers were ever present and
accessible, be them good or evil. This
potent dichotomy fostered terrible fractures within their societies and
resulted in ongoing and all-encompassing wars that ravaged their world. Without extreme correction, the race of Dyers
would soon face extinction.
What the dyers had in
tangible access to their spiritual power, they lacked in the purifying humility
of love and faith. These critical traits
were perfected in the hearts of a small few amongst the human race. The potential was there, though perilously
small, that from the two propagations of life, a light would rise. The great law of agency, endowed to all
sentient beings, would now dictate the final definition of this new earth and
all that remained upon it. From this
final conflict to achieve definition, there remained the smallest of hope for
the divinity of life to be realized. The
outcome is documented in the pages of Union Saga.