Knights Templar And Canterbury Tales Mashup, A Path Amongst The Stars By MG Duckles, Is A Cult Teenage Classic In The Making

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best book magazine in the UK“, in MG Duckles’ A Path Amongst the Stars, Knights Templar member Spartacus Brink, is on the hunt for the old Scotsman and gets catapulted back to a stunning medieval land fraught with danger, magic and mystery.

A Path Amongst The Stars

For fans of Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, JK Rowling and others who have made their name in fantasy literature, A Path Amongst the Stars by MG Duckles is a standout adventure for readers of any age.

Spartacus Brink is magically transported to a strange and ancient land called Arcadia. Bailey Humblebucket has fallen in love with a kidnapped girl he met in a dream and persuades Brink to help find her. A dark and powerful guardian raises an army of undead soldiers who will stop at nothing to destroy them all. An ancient magician holds the fate of the Earth in the palm of his hand. And a very shaggy dog is starting to become… really quite hungry!

It is a bareback ride through the undergarments of medieval Europe, which stops only to pillage the humble belongings of a blind beggar, spend the proceeds on drink and stagger back home, just in time for a bowl of rabbit stew and bed. It is a story of hope, of dreams and of conflict… and Apple Brandy.

This page turning tale, which heads back to 1366, parodies two of history’s most famous medieval icons, the Knights Templar and Chaucer, both of whom Duckles studied in University. After being left dormant since 2007, Duckles revisited and published A Path Amongst The Stars in 2021, and now, the second instalment, A Veil Between Two Rooms, is already in the pipeline.

With the fantasy genre already overcrowded, and showing no signs of slowing down, it takes a lot for a novel and debut author to gain traction, but with this book, MG Duckles has delivered an ‘alternative’ Knight Templar protagonist that readers are destined to take to their hearts.

MG Duckles

Born in 1966 in Lancaster, MG Duckles was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School before leaving school to work as a chef, carpet fitter, salesman, office assistant, and apprentice printer.

In 1993 Duckles embarked on an academic journey, studying computer studies, linguistics, and English literature at Lancaster University. There he discovered the world of medieval literature and had the first ideas for a book that might show glimpses into the same dark and often surreal world that Chaucer explored, and often parodied.

Mike went on to win his college prize for achievements in all three chosen subjects and upon completing his degree, moved to the Midlands to begin work for a software company. He then began writing ‘A Path Amongst the Stars’ which was finished in 2007 but remained unpublished until he revisited and reworked it in 2020. This first book was finally published in 2021 and an Audiobook was created and released the following year.

A sequel entitled ‘A Veil Between Two Rooms’ was completed early in 2023 and an Audiobook was created and released later the same year.

Mike has two teenage kids and when his wife died in 2017, he left the world of project management and set up a thriving Gardening and Landscaping business to give him the flexibility he needed to be an effective single parent.

His hobbies include writing, playing drums for the popular Leicester post-punk band ‘The Burnout’, filmmaking, music, art and design.

Find more from MG Duckles now:

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3ulytkm

Paperback: https://amzn.to/46sKUZh

Hardcover: https://amzn.to/46r3Jf9

Audiobook: https://amzn.to/47vpegs

Donate to support The Table Read Magazine
We strive to keep The Table Read free for both our readers and our contributors. If you have enjoyed our work, please consider donating to help keep The Table Read going!