A Long Journey Begins - Book One of Age of Arthur: The Companions

Today, I get to say something I’ve dreamed of saying for years: Book One of Age of Arthur: The Companions is officially released!

This story has lived in my mind far longer than I ever expected it would. It has followed me through late-night writing sessions, stacks of research books, rewrites, and more rewrites.

What if we stripped the Arthurian legend of its medieval shine and looked for the man who might have lived beneath it? Not the king in a golden crown, not the knight in glimmering armor, not the wielder of magic—but a real human being, living in a Britain that was fractured, starving, abandoned, and terrified. What kind of courage does it take to choose hope in a world like that? What kind of people would follow a man who bears no title, no prophecy, and no divine right—only grit, loyalty, and vision?

That question became the heart of this book.

Arturius, Cerdic, Caradoc, Brigid, Petrus, and the people who surround them aren’t myths. They aren’t meant to be perfect. They’re broken in all the ways real humans are broken—through loss, through trauma, through faith, through doubt—but what they choose to do with their brokenness is where the story lives. Each of them represents a different path through the ruins of a fallen world: duty, loyalty, idealism, belief, resilience, and the stubborn will to build something better.

This book forced me to dig deep into history. Digging into obscure battles, and the messy archaeology that rarely gives tidy answers. But more than that, it pushed me to explore themes I care deeply about: identity, justice, community, and the responsibility we have to each other. It even made me rethink the values of our modern world. In some ways, the Britain of the 5th century feels uncomfortably familiar: fractured communities, competing truths, a world caught between collapse and rebirth. Maybe that’s why this story didn’t let go of me.

And so today, I’m thrilled, nervous, proud, and humbled to offer this book to you. Whether you’re a lifelong lover of Arthurian lore or someone who simply wants an epic story about people trying to hold onto hope, I think there’s something in these pages for you.

This is just the beginning.

Book One introduces the world, the Companions, and the stakes—but the journey is far from over. The road ahead—for me as an author, and for these characters I’ve come to love—is long, dangerous, and full of revelations. Book Two is already underway, and I can’t wait to share where the story goes next.

To everyone who reads, shares, reviews, or even just cheers from the sidelines: thank you. Stories don’t become real until someone else reads them, and today, because of you, Age of Arthur becomes real.

Here’s to the journey.

Here’s to hope in dark places.

Here’s to the Companions.

Purchase your paperback version of The Companions or read the Kindle Unlimited version here.

— John Fitz