Author:
Corey McCullough is an independent copy editor, proofreader, ghostwriter, and author. He lives in western Pennsylvania with his amazing wife Vanessa and their two beautiful daughters. His favorite pastimes are reading, writing, playing video games, spending time with his best friend (Vanessa), and, most of all, being a dad.

A teenager’s wish to escape his stressful life just came true — with otherworldly consequences.

Nothing is going right for Justin Holmes. Like many seventeen-year-olds, he sometimes wishes he could just run away and leave everything behind. But he gets more than he bargained for when he storms out of the house after an argument with his father and accidentally steps into a parallel universe of swords, shields, magic, and monsters.

Suddenly, Justin is desperate to find a way back to his ordinary life in small-town America. His search for answers takes an unexpected turn when a strange old man and a powerful mercenary recruit him to rescue a kidnapped princess. But their rescue mission quickly takes a disastrous turn and becomes a life-or-death flight deep into the unknown wilds. Justin and his unlikely allies are on the run from dark forces wielding deadly, arcane power — demonic beings that seem to have suddenly arrived from somewhere beyond this world . . . just like Justin.

Justin may not be a fighter, but he is intelligent and strong-willed. He soon realizes that nothing in this world is what it seems. Even his allies’ mission may have all been a ruse . . . to get to him.

Ancient secrets are revealed that could shake the foundations of this alternate world . . . and might unlock Justin’s portal home.

The Fallen Odyssey is a contemporary portal fantasy novel for college and “new adult” audiences. It is the first of a trilogy but can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel. If you like epic, serious fantasy about dangerous quests in magical worlds, check out The Fallen Odyssey.

The Fallen Odyssey

"Zechariah is ruthless," Leah said, watching the old man put the young man through his paces.


Across the fire, Olorus laughed. "Not ruthless enough," he said.


Half an hour after it had begun, Justin's training had changed from an attack-and-defend session to an agility exercise.


"Left! Right! Back! Right! Left! Forward!" called Zechariah.


Justin, holding his sword in a defensive position, did his best to obey. He was panting and drenched in sweat. Blood ran from scrapes and minor wounds. Every so often, Zechariah lashed out without warning, prompting Justin to dodge or parry.


"No, not nearly ruthless enough," Olorus reiterated. "The boy is clumsy. He is slow and weak, and he has no stamina. Up to me, I would have him training in the regimen of the Hell Jays. Then he would know the meaning of the word work!"


Chapter 48: Descent (Part 3)