Whisperlights is the story of a girl and her friends on a quest to find the mythic Gates of the Morning, to demand that the gods explain to them why life is so unfair.

Athena Kildare was twelve years old when the army conscripted her family to work in a wilderness camp. Seven years later, prompted by an ancient legend, she and her friends escape and hire a ship to search for the fabled Gates of the Morning, to demand an explanation from the gods for why the world is so unfair. The journey takes her from the rebels in Port Vivaldi, to the fairy-tale dangers of The Scatterlands, with a crew she is never quite sure she can trust. All the while, a team of mercenaries follow close behind, determined to claim the bounties on their heads.

No more kings. No more jealous gods.

Summerland belongs to all!

It’s an early-modern swashbuckling fantasy adventure novel, for young-adult readers all ages. Want to be notified when it becomes available? Subscribe to Brendan’s newsletter on Substack!

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Whisperlights benefitted from a successful fundraising campaign on Kickstarter from December 2024 to January 2025. The author and publisher thanks the 55 backers for helping make the first paperback print-run possible.