Amaranthine Saga

Amaranthine Saga

Humanity is rocked by the Emergence of a people who call themselves the Amaranthine. They are our myths and legends come to life. Neither human nor animal, yet embracing qualities of both, the inhuman races inspire both awe and fear. This will be a 7-book series.

  • Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
  • Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal
  • Tamiko and the Two Janitors
  • Mikoto and the Reaver Village
  • Fumiko and the Finicky Nestmate
  • Pimiko and the Uncharted Island

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Songs of the Amaranthine

Before the Emergence, the clans were nothing more than whispers and mysteries and legends and lore. But every so often—in out-of-the-way places or shockingly close to home—an unsuspecting person stumbled into a fateful encounter with someone who was decidedly other. An eclectic collection, spanning continents and centuries. Tales of adventure, discovery, friendship, rescue, belonging, and love.

  • Marked by Stars
  • Followed by Thunder
  • Dragged through Hedgerows
  • Governed by Whimsy
  • Hemmed in Silver
  • Captured on Film
  • Bathed in Moonlight
  • Flattered by Flowers

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Amaranthine Interludes

Serialized stories set after the Emergence. While not part of the main Saga storyline, these tales slip between and overlap familiar events, offering insights and adding embellishment, making connections and reminding readers that every person’s story has value. [Once complete, these stories will be published in both print and digital formats.]

  • Lord Mettlebright’s Man (Amaranthine Interludes, #1)
    Jacques Smythe brazens his way into Stately House and shows no sign of departing. Like it or not, Lord Mettlebright has himself a butler. An Amaranthine Saga Serial. [Humor, Drama, Family] ONGOING. Begins here.
  • Kimiko and the Cycle of Moons (Amaranthine Interludes, #2)
    Loosely based on the old Amaranthine tale, “The Wolf and the Moon Maiden,” this serial will involve three sisters, twelve pledges, and the long-awaited stirring of a sleeping landmark. FORTHCOMING. I’ll begin posting chapters of this story to Patreon once I reach my community goal (400 patrons), making this my first ever subscription-based storyline (available to patrons, starting at $4/month). More about Patreon.

FAQ: Are your titles available as audio books?

Yes! The entire Amaranthine Saga (and the first four Songs of the Amaranthine) have been contracted by Tantor Audio/Recorded Books. You can find forthright’s titles on Audible (and all sorts of other places). Narrated by Travis Baldree.

FAQ: Will the Songs of the Amaranthine ever be available in print?

The Songs of the Amaranthine are short stories. At first, they will release digitally, but once I’ve collected four stories, I’ll gather them up and release them together in a print anthology. **As of May 2020, Governed by Whimsy: The Anthology is available. PRINT ONLY. Signed copies are in stock. Details here.

FAQ: Where is that timeline thingie you posted about the new calendar that marks events in relation to the Emergence?

Aha! I did a blog post about that when Lord Mettlebright’s Man made it’s first skip between books. “I’m using this opportunity to introduce the timeline terminology developed by the Amaranthine Council. It’s become the international standard for relative dates (similar to the usage of A.D. and B.C. by human historians) with the Emergence as its pivot. Both systems are in use, with the Integrated Dating System having secondary importance. It’s primarily used whenever people want to reckon time in direct relation to the Emergence.” You can read the rest of that post here.

  • Prelude – before the Emergence, noted as PR. (eg. Dragged through Hedgerows is set in PR. 5.)
  • New Saga – after the Emergence, noted as N.S. (eg. Tamiko and the Two Janitors is set in 5 N.S.)

FAQ: Is there any particular order I should read the books in?

The books in the Amaranthine Saga build on each other. Read those in order. Each of the short stories in the Songs of the Amaranthine collection stand alone, but they offer insights and details that will expand your understanding and appreciation of the main series. So while they’re entirely optional, they’re also … encouraged. I suggest reading everything in publication order:

  • Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox (Amaranthine Saga, #1)
  • Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal (Amaranthine Saga, #2)
  • Marked by Stars (Songs of the Amaranthine, #1)
  • Followed by Thunder (Songs of the Amaranthine, #2)
  • Tamiko and the Two Janitors (Amaranthine Saga, #3)
  • Dragged through Hedgerows (Songs of the Amaranthine, #3)
  • Lord Mettlebright’s Man (ongoing, posts here on the blog)
  • Governed by Whimsy (Songs of the Amaranthine, #4)
  • Mikoto and the Reaver Village (Amaranthine Saga, #4)
  • Hemmed in Silver (Songs of the Amaranthine, #5)
  • Captured on Film (Songs of the Amaranthine, #6)
  • Fumiko and the Finicky Nestmate (Amarantine Saga, #5)
  • Bathed in Moonlight (Songs of the Amaranthine, #7)
  • Flattered by Flowers (Songs of the Amaranthine, #8)
  • Pimiko and the Uncharted Island (Amaranthine Saga, #6)

**Does Lord Mettlebright’s Man also add insight to the Saga & Songs? Naturellement! READ ALONG!

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135 thoughts on “Amaranthine Saga”

  1. Tsumiko and her story is officially my favorite book. And any book lover knows how hard it is to choose just one. All the books of this series are beyond marvelous in the writing style, plot line and character development, but Tsumiko’s in particular really stood out. I like how you give the reader just enough context definitions to understand the story, without writing a dissertation on the customs, legalities and political drama of the world you’ve created. Eagerly awaiting the next installment!

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  2. Any updates on when “Mikoto and the Reaver Village” will be released? Please? Pretty please with sugar and a cherry on top? 😉

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  3. I randomly bought your first book on Amazon last year and have read it over and over. I am so excited to see where these stories go. Thank you for sharing them!

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  4. I love them! There is so much sweetness, and so many interesting beings! I especially love the variety and scope of the cultures!

    On a side note: is there any chance of getting some family trees? I’m starting to loose track of who the minor characters are, and how they are related….

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  5. I have loved your series and pretty much all your stories except the dark haunted ones but I was disappointed on the last one were you you wove Bible quotes into your story. I am guessing you wanted to hint at a sense of sacredness but to take something that is sacred to millions of people and place it in a story like that is so very very disrespectful and indicates you place the Bible as no more than interesting fiction. If this is where you are headed for the future I will have to stop reading your books.

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  7. Re-reading Mikoto and wondering if Tzefira is the south wind that Kimiko released from the bottle? Timing and distance would be about right ~

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  8. So in listening to the newest book (again) Will you list the type of reavers classifications so we can understand exactly what they are? I am unsure about:

    Pinion
    Cosset
    Ambuscade
    Fellow

    We are already familiar with
    Beacon
    Battler

    Are there more?

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    • I’m sometimes asked to provide a list. Yes, there *are* more than you’ve listed here, because other classifications are mentioned in passing. General classes, specializations, etc. They’re described (or demonstrated) within the stories as they become important. Eventually, I’ll publish a more comprehensive glossary, but it isn’t likely to happen until after the Saga is complete.

      I did do a blog post about pinions at some point, I think. Yes, here. I found the link > https://forthwrites.com/2021/01/02/every-word-matters-6/

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  9. I absolutely love all of your works (fanfiction and Amaranthine alike), and I’d have to say that Kimiko’s tale is by far my favourite, which is hard to say since I love Tsumiko’s, Tamiko’s, Mikoto’s and Fumiko’s stories, too! I’m very eager for “Kimiko and the Cycle of Moons”, and while I know it hasn’t begun its serialization on Patreon yet, I was wondering if you have future thoughts of publishing it in print down the road? I’d love to add it to my Amaranthine collection one day (if it’s your intention to publish it, of course), and I’ve just added “Flattered by Flowers” to my bookshelf and can’t wait to dive into the anthology this summer 🙂

    As always, I look forward to reading more of your creative works! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. I’ve got two questions, after re-reading the novellas and last 3 novels. [Gently edited to spare passersby from spoilers.]

    I hope it’s okay to ask this here. If these will be addressed in the next book I’ll just chew my fingernails until Oct. 22nd. 🙂

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    • I prefer to keep spoiler-y questions on the Release Day squee posts so the comments have a spoiler warning attached, so I’ll gently edit your comment/question after I answer it.

      1) Time will tell, for I shall not!
      2) His motive (as stated in the scene) is related to his duty as a tribute.

      Book 6 will make many things clearer! ::twinkle::

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  11. Hi Forthy,
    Is there a planned number of songs novellas? I know the main series is planned to be 7 books, just curious about the songs.

    Just finished Pimiko and I loved it! So many things coming together (like I literally kept saying out loud, “Ohhh!” “So that’s!…” and “Ah ha!” To the point that my husband was like 😒) if only this series could be 1639243 books long and we could live in your world 🥰

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    • There will be at least four more stories in the Songs of the Amaranthine collection. Perhaps more if there’s interest (yours and mine) in more stories set in the Amaranthine universe. However, I *will* be moving on to a new series, a trilogy this time. And I want to leave room in my writing schedule for Kimi2 (Kimiko and the Cycle of Moons). ::twinkle::

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      • I can’t wait for Kimi2! Her story is arguably my favorite (though it’s so darn hard to pick just one, I love them all!).

        So happy there are more Songs planned! 😃

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  12. I just finished Tsumiko and and the Cursed Fox on Audible. (Listened to it in one day, couldn’t stop!) I’m starting Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal and I have quick question.

    Maybe I missed it or maybe it gets fleshed out later, but can you explain the significance of being the Tenth Child? And a “tribute”?

    If it get’s fleshed out later, just tell me to be patient, lol.

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  13. Hey 🙂 I was looking forward to reading Suuzu’s story, but the e-book does’t show up in the Kobo catalogue yet. Is that just a technical glitch and will that get sorted out eventually (they can be painfully slow fixing things, especially for indie publishers…) or was that a deliberate choice? If the latter, I know I can stop checking periodically 😉

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  14. I have now reread the entire collection, Saga and Songs, for the 4th time, this time in publishing order. I am SO ready for the next book. I know all things come in their own time, but I am the teensiest bit impatient. Lol. I love your stories, and they’ve been a great comfort to me during a really hard time. Your writing style is exactly to my tastes and its been a wonderful adventure, each time I’ve read your stories. I pick up on new details every time. Much love, and I hope you’re well.

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  15. Your books were mentioned in a recent review I received, so I had to come and check you out. (I picked up Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox.) Looking forward to reading this.

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