Masters of the Veil

March 27, 2023October 18, 2025 / F.T. McKinstry / 3 Comments

——— U P C O M I N G ———

Welcome to the official page for Masters of the Veil, Book Three in The Fylking. This novel is in the works. It’s big, bad and beautiful, and it will, barring some silly life catastrophe I’ll probably never tell you about, be out in 2026.

The War of the Veil, they called it, the last in the nine-millennium occupation of the Fylking, immortal overlords of the mortal realm of Dyrregin. Their ancient enemy, a fiendish warlock named Vaethir, wove an intricate spell that compromised the Veil between the worlds and flooded Dyrregin with armies of demons, dark elves and Niflsekt before stalwart mortals with reckless connections to the Otherworld called in some favors.

Scarred yet undaunted, the Fylking’s mortal allies, including seasoned warriors haunted by grief and trauma, an order of witches who serve the old gods, and powerful seers who tend the Fylking’s interests in the mortal world, have returned to their lives to rebuild the realm and bury their dead. And while the Fylking repaired the Veil as only they could, no one trusts the sanctity of liminal spaces as they had before the war.

As warriors know, the lingering effects of war often appear as nightmares, flashbacks and the resurrection of old fears. But distrust deepens when an outbreak of attacks from the Otherworld begins to spread, marked by encounters with dark, dangerous beings that seem to target those most deeply wounded and sensitive to the unseen.

Despite this, mortals and immortals alike take comfort in Vaethir’s demise, knowing the warlock will never again return to wreak his personal vengeance on the realm. But there is one thing they had not counted on, as they put the Fylking’s most redoubtable foe to a fiery sword.

His master.

Outpost, Book One in The Fylking.

A race of immortal warriors who live by the sword.
A gate between the worlds.
Warriors, royals, seers and warlocks living in uneasy peace on one side of the Veil.
Until now.

“The tone is excellent, reminiscent of some of the earliest examples of grim Norse fantasy.” – G.R. Matthews, Fantasy Faction
SPFBO Finalist
Read for free on Kindle Unlimited.

The Wolf Lords, Book Two in The Fylking.

A wounded immortal warlock bent on reprisal.
An ancient order of sorcerers hungry for power.
Warriors beset by armies of demons and immortals.
And a lonely hedge witch whose dark secrets could change everything.
…If only they could find her.

“This is a gem of a novel.” – Leslie Jones, Readers’ Favorite
Read for free on Kindle Unlimited.

The Wolf Lords

May 10, 2017November 7, 2025 / F.T. McKinstry / 1 Comment

Welcome to the official page for The Wolf Lords, Book Two in The Fylking, a fantasy series woven with Norse mythology, swords and sorcery.

The Destroyer of the Math Gate has not been idle in the sun’s turn since he nearly defeated the Fylking, his ancient enemies. Wounded, bitter and bent on reprisal, the immortal warlock has gathered an army. He has acquired a spell that will damage the veil between the worlds. And he is waiting.

The Fenrir Brotherhood is an ancient order of sorcerers who serve the Wolf Gods of the North. Haunted by a dark history, the brotherhood keeps to itself—or so it is generally believed. But the older something is, the more secrets it keeps, and the Wolf Lords have not only unleashed an army of demons across the land, but also let the Destroyer in.

When the Veil falls, war erupts and the realm is faced with legions of Otherworld beings, it is left to a sorcerer hunted by the Wolf Lords and a company of King’s Rangers broken by grief and trauma to find a hedge witch whose secrets could change everything.

Unfortunately, she is hiding between the worlds.

Novel, 502 pages
Second edition
Includes a map and a glossary.
Edited by Leslie Karen Lutz
Reviews
Add to Goodreads

“The sheer scope and linguistic brilliance of this novel make it a delight to get lost in; few authors can weave such an expansive work of fantasy into a tight, smart, and emotionally engaging tale.” – Self Publishing Review

Read for free on Kindle Unlimited.

Outpost, Book One in The Fylking.

A race of immortal warriors who live by the sword.
A gate between the worlds.
Warriors, royals, seers and warlocks living in uneasy peace on one side of the Veil.
Until now.

“The tone is excellent, reminiscent of some of the earliest examples of grim Norse fantasy.” – G.R. Matthews, Fantasy Faction
SPFBO Finalist
Read for free on Kindle Unlimited.

Goblins and Creepy Horses

December 16, 2015July 25, 2017 / F.T. McKinstry / 2 Comments

Lone Mountain Moon

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. ~ Albert Einstein

One of my favorite things about writing is bringing the stories into visual art. I find this every bit as challenging as I do writing; in either case, the final product, while possibly beautiful, never matches my imagination. A fantasy novel is a spectacular source of imagery, and all the more interesting to create because it’s made up. The real world has some references, but it can also limit things. There’s a weird sort of comfort in having more stories and paintings in my heart than I’ll ever bring into focus.

Here are some recent creations, inspired by my latest novel Outpost, Book One in The Fylking.

Goblins of Wyrvith Forest

Nasty, foul-mouthed, malevolent creatures, goblins. You would not want to cross their path, let alone offend them. Arcmael, the protagonist of Outpost, does both. He is a seer and a servant of the Fylking, immortal, unseen warlords who hold dominion over the realm. For love of a friend, Arcmael shatters his vows to his immortal masters. This puts him on the bad side of the Otherworld, where most beings revere the Fylking as gods. This includes goblins, who revere nothing.

Truss him up!
Drag him hither!
Bind his limbs!
Make him slither!

Poor Arcmael. The goblins capture him and he must make an even greater sacrifice to escape their palace. But I won’t spoil that.

Between the Worlds

Rose Moon

A while back, I drew a series of images to accompany verses that appear in the Chronicles of Ealiron. This collection is called “The Solar Breath,” and one of the images is called “Rose Moon.” The accompanying verse goes like this:

Rose Moon loves the ancient oak
Strewn with chamomile and light
Tall white horses thundering
O’er meadowsweet and rue.

Recently, while contemplating nothing in particular, this image came to mind, particularly the creepy little horses. Otherworldly, in fact. Aha. I grabbed them, put them into the “Lone Mountain” painting, tricked it out in magical storms and mists, and I got “Between the Worlds.”

No end to the trouble I can get into.

Outpost, Book One in The Fylking.

A race of immortal warriors who live by the sword.
A gate between the worlds.
Warriors, royals, seers and warlocks living in uneasy peace on one side of the Veil.
Until now.