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Legends of Overtwixt
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Tie-in books, incl. Picture Book and Chapter Book
 

In the words of the Guide, "Overtwixt is the world of bridges, where all parallel universes intersect." It is a place of wonder, where strange bridges link floating islands that are populated by bizarre peoples. In Overtwixt, adventure and excitement abound... along with sword fights, magic, witty banter, and positive moral messages.

After arriving in Overtwixt for the first time, each visitor is offered his or her choice of three roles, then given a quest. And though this is a magical place, where the impossible becomes possible, certain rules still apply — including the Five Fundamental Laws, which govern everything:

  1. Every Life is Unique and Precious
  2. No one Race is Greater than any other
  3. Time marches Forward independent of constraint
  4. All must Choose one Master
  5. Once only may any man Live, and after, to know Reality

 

The Overtwixt universe currently consists of NINE books by R.L. Akers, but it is not a single series which must be read in a particular order. Seven of these books are written at a "YA" (Young Adult) reading level, while the chapter book and picture book are intended as standalone tie-ins for younger children. All volumes include beautiful sketches throughout, artfully crafted by illustrators Jesse Lewis and Charlotte Bauman.

Overtwixt: The World of Bridges and Escape from Overtwixt relate the modern-day story of four siblings' arrival in Overtwixt, after they step through the wrong gate at the airport. They must overcome challenges and prejudice to unite the realm and overthrow an evil dictator. Both books are YA novels, around 65,000 words. (Read excerpt here.)
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Circus of Dagmør, Heroes of Centhule, and King of Caymerlot comprise the Golden Age trilogy of prequel novels, set in Overtwixt about 3,000 years before the modern age. These books tell the tale of a troupe of circus performers and their friends who get caught up in larger events when an army of giant barbarians attack — which provides fun historical backstory to some of the situations in the modern-day books. All three prequel books are YA novels, 75-105,000 words. (Read excerpt here.)
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The Knight & his Friends is a children's picture book focusing on the youngest modern-day character, the 5-year-old Knight. It summarizes the events of both Overtwixt and Escape as experienced from that one perspective. The book is written for the understanding of very young children, fully illustrated in color, and is roughly 50 pages in length. (Read excerpt here.)
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The Princess & her Throne is a chapter book showcasing the "middle child" of the modern-day sibling characters, the 8-year-old Princess. It relates the events of Overtwixt from her perspective, focusing on her struggle to see just how special she really is. This book is written at an elementary reading level, illustrated in color, and is roughly 200 pages in length (split into 20 chapters). (Read excerpt here.)
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Perilous Flight and Scavenger Hunt each focus on one of the modern-day teenaged characters, the Empress and Loremaster, exploring substories that occur during the events of the novels. Specifically, the former bridges the gap between Overtwixt and Escape, telling of the Empress's harrowing escape from an army of evil minions; the latter expands upon chapter 16 of Overtwixt, telling more of the Loremaster's library-wide hunt for answers, with all the extra details only a true Loremaster would appreciate. Both books are YA novellas, 10-20,000 words.
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Although most young adults will read the Overtwixt series just for fun, there are numerous important lessons woven throughout the stories, on topics such as:

  • Humility
  • Servant Leadership
  • Self-Esteem / Self-Respect
  • Forgiveness
  • Thinking Before Acting
  • Discretion & Discernment
  • Combating Prejudice
  • Unity
  • Fear and Bravery
  • Fame, Fortune, and Power
 
 
The four main characters of Overtwixt's modern-day books were inspired by the author's four children, and they choose the roles of Knight (5-year-old Ewan), Princess (8-year-old Cécilie), Empress (12-year-old Amélie), and Loremaster (15-year-old Nachton). Together, they are tasked with overcoming prejudice, uniting the peoples of the realm, and defeating an evil tyrant known as the Vizier. For some reason, they are in a unique position to accomplish this... but that doesn't make them the only heroes of the story. In fact, they are surprised to discover that their new roles do not make them more "special" than anyone else.
The Golden Age prequel novels feature an entirely different cast of non-human teenage characters, including the gnomaid Inventor (Pyrsie), the mermage Wizard (Hembrose), and a pair of dagmen with no idea what their roles should be (Arth and Morth). Their adventures traveling the world of bridges with the Circus of Dagmør seem tame enough at first, but everything changes when a race of giant barbarians begins conquering and enslaving one land after another.

Each full-length Overtwixt novel contains roughly 40 original charcoal sketch illustrations within the pages of the narrative, not counting chapter header images, full-page charts, detailed pictorial maps, and Nachton's reference book in the appendix. All of this art was lovingly crafted by illustrators Jesse Lewis and Charlotte Bauman as well as the author, in order to bring Overtwixt fully to life.

The two novellas are illustrated in similar fashion (though more sparsely), while the chapter book and picture book are illustrated in full color.

"A huge, colorful cast gives this superb fantasy kickoff a hearty boost." — Kirkus Reviews (full review here)

"OVERTWIXT boasts a well-imagined world rendered by both clever language and evocative illustrations (including maps of the interconnected landmasses and their bridges)... The worldbuilding is rich but never overwhelming. ...these components help the novel punch above its weight as successful didactic literature." ~ IndieReader professional review (full review here)

"I am so impressed by the plot, strong characterization, and detailed world you've built here! The characters are so wonderfully familiar, and I love seeing them wrestle with challenges and grow as people." ~Whitney, adult advance reader (and high school English teacher!), about the first Overtwixt

"I like that no one actually 'dies.' It's perfect for younger readers but still feels high stakes." And: "What a FANTASTIC ending! This tied everything up perfectly." ~Faith, adult advance reader, about Escape from Overtwixt

"I loved the artwork... The morals and themes of family and choosing good friends is done very well is not forced like in other books I have read. Overall, the books were fantastic and were fun to read." ~Ben, teen advance reader of Circus of Dagmør and Heroes of Centhule

"I liked the ending. It made me want to jump into the next book." ~K.M., young teen advance reader of Circus of Dagmør and Heroes of Centhule

"I really didn’t expect to like it because I generally don’t get excited about the genre. To my surprise I loved it." ~Lois, adult advance reader of the Golden Age trilogy (Circus, Heroes, and King)

"You’ve so subtly shown what bigotry is — what the caste system looks like — and how mistrustful we can be of 'the other'. Some good life lessons here for young adults (and old adults)." ~Ruth, adult advance reader of all 5 novels

 

Author R.L. Akers began creating Overtwixt in 2018 as a gift for his four children, on whom he based his main characters. That year he completed a first draft which spanned the events of what are now Overtwixt: Welcome to the World of Bridges and Escape from Overtwixt, leaving the story under the Christmas tree for his children to discover.

Fast-forward to 2024, and the Overtwixt universe had grown to include an ancient history trilogy as well as several tie-in stories, all of them meticulously edited and illustrated. In order to make a fun initial splash, Akers chose to launch the first nine books of Overtwixt all at once via Kickstarter (a crowd-funding platform which connects investors with authors, inventors, and other creatives, to help those creators bring their projects to life). Funds raised allowed for a big First Printing of the books, with excess going toward special rewards like vinyl sticker decals, bookmarks, and map packs. Amazingly, this campaign reached its minimum viable funding goal of $5,000 in less than two days!

But that is hardly the end! Even now, more stories are planned, and audiobook editions are on the way. Keep checking back for the latest news and updates!


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