In His Winter (The Forest of Hope)

There is nothing in this world so important as true friendship, which oft times finds us just when we need it most...

In the ancient forest known as Ainar'isil, four races of faeries take turns as caretakers of their home: the Life Faeries of Spring, the Bright Faeries of Summer, the Gold Faeries of Autumn, and the Snow Faeries of Winter. At any one time, three are asleep, and one is awake, as it has been for thousands of years. Each race is bound to their season, and they awaken only when their time has come to continue their task of watching over the Forest and the creatures that dwell within its borders. This cycle has continued uninterrupted under the watch of the Custodian for ten thousand years...

Until one day, when Nusti, a young Gold Faery, awakens outside of Autumn and finds himself in Winter instead. Alone, confused, and with his brethren all sleeping, he ventures out into the cold, white world of snow and ice in search of answers. Along the way he meets Crina, a Snow Faery boy of similar age, who joins him on his journey to discover the truth of his awakening. What the boys find in the Forest will change their lives forever...

Hailing from the UK, Ricky Smith is an indie fantasy author who discovered his love for fantasy after picking up The Redemption of Althalus by David and Leigh Eddings in an airport bookshop. Twenty years later, that same copy still sits on his shelf as he pens his own stories, inspired by the legendary J. R. R. Tolkien as well as more recent authors like Brandon Sanderson, George R. R. Martin and Robert Jordan.​A Line Unsundered was his debut novella, and tells the story of a noble house that tears itself apart under the strain of its own past. First written during the COVID-19 pandemic and published in November 2020 as a Godworlds novella, the universe in which Ricky's books takes place has started to grow and it is now being rewritten as a Definitive Edition. Not only that, but it is now the first book in a trilogy that continues the story of House Vasso's tragic cycle of vengeance: Children of Kyir.​Ricky is also working on his next book 'In His Winter', a cozy fantasy novella about an autumnal faery called Nusti who wakes up in winter. Due to release in December 2024, this story marks the beginning of an epic arc of stories that build towards something truly fantastic.