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third literary agency queried

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Not having had a response from the second literary agency I reached out to in early December, I've now written to a third about my novel manuscript. The story goes:

CATACLYSM is the story of Jianci, a young soldier in the war with alien invaders. Sent by his ambitious family to a famous warrior's guild in mankind’s largest city, he undertakes a perilous journey through crumbling kingdoms and wild lands. He arrives at last only to be beaten and robbed by the dissolute veterans that have over-run the guild - and the city.

Disfigured and despairing, Jianci realizes that he cannot go back to his family empty-handed. He attempts to make a life in the increasingly violent and desperate city, and to protect those around him. The city’s constant warfare is turning him into something he doesn’t like when he receives warnings that the gangs have noticed his meddling and his life is in danger.

When a witch comes to town claiming that magic has led him to Jianci, the young man accepts an offer of employment. He joins the witch on a voyage to stop the rise of a terrible necromancer that may be behind the region's troubles.

But the fight reveals more than either man could have guessed - about nature of the aliens and the war, his family’s ambitions, and how the world really works. As the terrible showdown with the necromancer looms, Jianci has to make decisions that could change the world.