This is the first in a 4-part series about the research that went into Taylor Davis and the Quest for the Immortal Blade, book three in the Taylor Davis trilogy.
Eight years ago, in 2013, I published Taylor Davis and the Flame of Findul. Book two, Taylor Davis and the Clash of Kingdoms followed the next year. Then I got sidetracked by my Civil War Ella Wood trilogy and my five-book sci-fi Recompense series. Fast forward to 2021…
Taylor Davis and the Quest for the Immortal Blade, the third and final book in the TD trilogy, comes out the first week of July!
This time around, Taylor’s adventures carried me into Kyrgyzstan, which I knew nothing about. I couldn’t even locate it on a map, let along spell it. The country is small and landlocked, located right smack in the middle of Asia. As it turns out, it’s absolutely breathtaking, with eighty percent of its landmass comprising the Tian Shan mountain range.
One of Kyrgyzstan’s most striking and unique features is Issyk-Kul, a massive alpine lake 113-miles long by 37-miles wide high in the northern mountains. Issyk-Kul is endorheic, which means it has many inlets but no outlets, and relies on evaporation to maintain a steady water level. As such, Issyk-Kul contains a high mineral content, making the water undrinkable, though it is often used medicinally. It also never freezes, partly because of its salinity, and partly because it is fed by hot springs. Hence the meaning of its name in Krygz: “hot lake”.
In medieval times, the Silk Road passed right by Issyk-Kul, making it an ideal location for a mission or a trading community. Its rich history also made a fantastic destination for a teenage hero who, along with his teammate Elena and their quirky guardian angels, must track down his power-hungry nemesis who keeps making trouble from the grave.
Even though the Taylor Davis series is a silly, fun mixture of sci-fi and fantasy, the (earthly) settings are factual, with a bit of real history blended in. Coming up, I’ll feature some of these cool Krygz places and events that feature in Taylor’s final quest. Tune in next week for the ancient monastery on the shores of Issyk-Kul rumored to hold the bones of St. Matthew!
Continue to the next post in the series: A Lost Armenian Monastery and the Bones of St. Matthew.