Circumstantial Fortune, Volume 1

Circumstantial Fortune is an exploration of the state of the world at its end. All the land on earth has slid beneath the ever-rising sea except two island nations, as disparate in size as they were in fortune and population: Lacuna and Meraki. The giant Lacuna and its southern brother Meraki were protected from the rest of civilization by Others, the magical beings who feature so heavily in this story. What kept Meraki and Lacuna safe through separation from the outside world also kept destruction at bay when it came in full force for the rest of humanity. Those in power, those who possessed land in the unfathomably important Meraki - responsible for sustaining all life on both islands in more than one way - were comprised of powerful Others referred to as the Chosen Few. The Chosen Few produced children all considered to be some of the most powerful Others the world had ever seen. Circumstantial Fortune is an intimate, disjointed look at Joseph Inganno, the General, one of these children. It examines his entire life, from his traumatic childhood riddled with loss and pain, to his hedonistic adolescence, to his early adulthood, made immediately serious and sober by events that would destroy certain parts of himself and his life seemingly forever. But what took away also gave, and at the beginning of Circumstantial Fortune, readers will find Joseph in a relatively comfortable way of life, running and administering a boarding school, enormous and the only one of its kind, standing in the center of Meraki. He has a school to look after, a fallen leader's son to raise, and so much unsettled business from his dark, insidious past to look after or look out for that Joseph entered his forties certain he'd been so wicked he would never rest. As he consigns himself to a life of ever-growing obsolescence and boredom, he meets Derek Parks at the same time readers meet him. Circumstantial Fortune is also an examination of what drives humans to the unique behaviors exhibited in the face of extinction, while still attempting to maintain some semblance of the lives they once knew. Each Other uses their distinct powers to contribute to the welfare of all, and to look out for their own self-interests. Joseph goes through life torn by the men he loves, damaged by his own decisions and haunted by his memories of kidnappings and exile and forcible enlistment. But meeting Derek changes Joseph's life forever even though he knows from the start that it's to be short-lived at best. Two years into their genuine love affair, Derek's long-lost twin is recovered, and an enormous inheritance and position of power is made known to Derek. As Joseph is coming to the realization that their time together is coming to an end, a series of catastrophic events, some new, some linked to those Joseph wronged decades in the past, brings about circumstances that both tests what is between them and what their future could be. Joseph's experiences are unique, but he is a perfect example of the lives of many in both Meraki and Lacuna, those bred to fight who were then handed positions of power and told to maintain the peace. Despite his early life of wealth and plenty, followed by years of voluntary debauchery and unspeakable acts, then the years of building a school and running it, Joseph faces each new threat with an unshakable desire to see himself happy. Circumstantial Fortune is the first in a series, and it sets up the world as Joseph, as a native of Meraki, has always known it, offering an unwavering, gritty look his life while seeking to expose the underlying bonds between them all.