One World. Many Stories.
Welcome to the world of Varkas, an expansive fantasy setting from the mind of Deck Matthews. Experience the adventure through an ever-expanding collection of stories featuring memorable characters, fantastic settings and powerful magic.
The Varkas Chronicles is a collection of unique and independent stories, all set in a common fantasy universe.
Inspired by iconic franchises like Dragonlance or Star Wars and the collected works of Terry Brooks’ Shannara and Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere, Deck Matthews set out to create something vast and expansive—a world in which he could tell a diverse range of different stories.
The result was The Varkas Chronicles.
Seven years of false starts, drafting, world-building and extensive revision went into the first phase stories, beginning with the short stories "In the Tower of the Witching Tree" and "The Melding Thief." Soon after came the release of The First of Shadows, the first volume of The Riven Realm series (and a semi-finalist in the SPFBO 5 contest).
Additional books in The Riven Realm are already available, and further instalments are in production. With dozens of new novels and stories planned for the future, The Varkas Chronicles is poised to provide plenty of thrilling fantasy adventure for years to come!
Join the Adventure
If you're just starting out with The Varkas Chronciles, the best place to start is with The First of Shadows. Join Caleb Rusk as he struggles to hold together the life that is crumbling around him, and Palawen Ty as she follows the trail of a strange, dark magic. Join Corporal Avendor Tarcoth as he works to uncover the truth behind unexplained deaths, and the old sage, Tiberius Alaran as he fights to protect a more dangerous truth.
An Ever-Expanding Universe
For those who enjoy digging deeper and learning more about the fantasy worlds that you love to explore, be sure to check out the supplemental stories, such as those in the Varkas Tales series.
While these stories can be read entirely on their own, they provide different insights into the world of Varkas, and astute readers will find various connections to the larger body of work. Can you find them?
About the Author - Deck Matthews
Deck Matthews is a pseudonym for one particular Matthew Ward. He is a life-long reader who fell in love with writing and fantasy in middle school. He remains an avid reader, a casual gamer and a dabbler in the visual arts. He has worked as a designer and currently spends his days neck-deep in code as a front-end web developer.
He also holds a Master’s degree in English Literature and currently resides in Ottawa, Canada with his wife, two daughters and one little fluff ball of a dog named Wicket.
You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter, GoodReads and Facebook.
