Once, Heroes walked this land. Larger-than-life warriors from another world, the Heroes kept people safe. After they vanished, however, monsters ran rampant, steadily overtaking cities and making the roads impassable. Now, the village of Toriath is slowly dying. Castor would do anything to save his family and neighbours, but as the smallest and youngest townsperson, he simply isn't strong enough to do much other than run errands. When he hears a rumour that could mean the town's salvation, his chance has finally come to save Toriath and to prove his worth. However, it means venturing, alone, into the monster-infested wilds. Castor may be the town's last hope—but only if he can survive the forest. An avid reader, D. Holden Kennon, born in Orlando, Florida, always knew he would become an author. He even started writing his first book at age ten (although it was suspiciously similar to one of his favorite novels at the time). He adores crafting immersive worlds, complete with intricate magic systems and rich histories, and has spent years developing this series, The New Heroes of Kairodor, before finally putting pen to paper at the start of the pandemic. Holden believes that, even in fantasy worlds, humans are still human, and he hopes to facilitate discussions concerning real life, human issues he is passionate about, including mental health, systematic oppression and inequality, gender and misuse of power.