All We Humble Friends

"Come along, Homo sapiens, for all we humble friends of yours are waiting here to cheer."

• T.H. White, The Once and Future King

There is an ancient realm betwixt-and-between what we know, a place of abandoned toys and spirits given form , a crossroads of realms in which fairy stories and myth come alive in answer to the encroaching human footfalls. Advertised initially as a virtual realm, this world of animal spirits and lost toys is revealed slowly to be a domain with its own history, its own cultures, a place of vast adventure, daunting danger, and dread horror.

Throughout the gathered stories collected here for children of all ages, the chronicle of the Mononoke, the ancient Sin Mages, and the forgotten human cities and settlements are told in a collage of esotericism and adventure. Mining rich veins of myth and legend, touching on the Matter of Britain, the folklore of Japan, the misattributed wisdom of Ben Sira, the collection you now hold in your hands is an artefact of pop culture, a record of decades, both an examination of fable and an exploration of our relationships with animals. Exploring themes of veganism and gender, delving into the Hero's Journey, it is the bedrock of an entire world, an invitation to mystery.

Stand by for talking animals, for giant robots, for adventuring and wayward children, kidnapped queenes and mythical heirs. All We Humble Friends is the stories of your childhood untold, and we are, to paraphrase the words of those who came before us, waiting for you to cheer.