The New York Times best-selling author of the beloved Fablehaven series is back with the highly anticipated sequel series Dragonwatch! We recently talked with Brandon Mull to get a sneak peek into the new series and find out how he shares his LDS faith.
In 2006, Brandon Mull made splash in the fantasy genre with the release of his first novel, Fablehaven. Enchanting readers with his world of magical creatures, the five-book series became a New York Times best seller, debuting at #6 on the Children’s Series list in 2012.
Since then, Mull has written several more best sellers, and to date, his stories have been translated into more than 30 languages. Now the author is back with Dragonwatch—a new sequel series to the beloved Fablehaven series.
The first book, Dragonwatch, picks up where the Fablehaven series left off, and now sister and brother Kendra and Seth now find themselves fighting a dragon uprising.
“I’m so excited to return to one of my very favorite casts of characters and their environment of secret wildlife parks for magical creatures,” Mull says. “New readers can discover Fablehaven through Dragonwatch, and returning readers will be rewarded with a big new adventure involving characters they already care about.”
While some may wonder if Mull found success as a writer in spite of his LDS faith, he says his success, in large part, is because of it.
“So far, being a Mormon has only seemed to benefit my career,” he says. “I write family-friendly fantasy in the tradition of Harry Potter, so my publishers encourage me to keep the content clean. And my membership in the LDS Church has given me personal insights into principles that I can incorporate in my stories.”
In fact, Mormon readers will recognize many spiritual themes in Mull’s novels.
“As conscientious characters face difficult choices, themes will naturally arise,” he says. “In Fablehaven, an obvious theme is choice and consequence. In the new sequel series, Dragonwatch, I explore how people can endure hardships by rising to the occasion in challenging circumstances. I love to investigate heroism. I love to explore issues surrounding trustworthiness. In book four of my Five Kingdoms series, some of the characters visit a fantasy version of the afterlife, which is different than anything I have attempted and certainly had spiritual overtones.”
Though Mull’s novels are not aimed specifically at the LDS audience, he is happy to share his beliefs when asked. “I have felt the Savior's help in my life and in my career in real ways, and am not shy about sharing that I believe He really can help and save us.”
Save 15% when you preorder your copy of Dragonwatch by March 13th, plus receive the entire Fablehaven audiobook collection for free! A $135 value!
