The Elephant and Macaw Banner

The Elephant and Macaw Banner - Novelette Series

Series · 11 books · 2010-2018

Books in series

The Fortuitous Meeting

2010

Gerard van Oost and Oludara are destined to become two of the greatest heroes in Brazilian history, but first, this unlikely pair must meet far from their homelands, in the central plaza of Salvador, capital of the fledgling colony. Oludara, a slave, and Gerard, an outcast, must each outwit a legendary foe to overcome their pasts and forge a new future together. Tired of the same old fantasy tropes? The Fortuitous Meeting, a finalist for the Nebula Award in 2011, is unlike anything you've read before. It's a mixture of action, adventure, humor, magic,and South American folklore in the wilderness of sixteenth-century Brazil. Legendary characters like the one-legged prankster Sacy-Perey and the flaming serpent Botat come to life in these pages. This is the story that started it all, the first in a series of adventures that can each be enjoyed in a single sitting.

A Parlous Battle

2015

Welcome to a world of muskets and magic. In The Elephant and Macaw Banner series, two brave adventurers—the Dutch explorer Gerard van Oost and Yoruban warrior Oludara—travel the unexplored wilderness of sixteenth-century Brazil. Along the way, the encounter a host of creatures inspired by Brazilian folklore: from the brain-sucking Kalobo to the one-legged prankster Sacy-Perey. In this story, A Parlous Battle, the two protagonists Gerard van Oost and Oludara seek aid from Brazilian natives, but in order to attain it, they will have to face a powerful foe, the seemingly invulnerable Capelobo. The Elephant and Macaw Banner is an award-winning series of novelettes published in magazines and podcasts around the world. For the first time, this edition unites these stories for English readers. This is a 10,000 word novelette (approx. 40 pages).

The Discommodious Wedding

2015

Welcome to a world of muskets and magic. In The Elephant and Macaw Banner series, two brave adventurers—the Dutch explorer Gerard van Oost and Yoruban warrior Oludara—travel the unexplored wilderness of sixteenth-century Brazil. Along the way, the encounter a host of creatures inspired by Brazilian folklore: from the brain-sucking Kalobo to the one-legged prankster Sacy-Perey. In this story, The Discommodious Wedding, Oludara and the Tupinamba native Arany wish to marry, but it won’t be as easy as they imagine. Together with Gerard, they must find a way to turn magic against magic and deal with a host of supernatural beings beyond their control. The Elephant and Macaw Banner is an award-winning series of novelettes published in magazines and podcasts around the world. For the first time, this edition unites these stories for English readers. This is a 10,000 word novelette (approx. 40 pages).

An Inauspicious Visit

2016

Welcome to a world of muskets and magic. In order to save their Tupinamba friends, Gerard and Oludara must split up and put themselves in great danger as they face two of their deadliest foes yet. The Elephant and Macaw Banner is an award-winning series. This is a 14,000 word novelette (approx. 60 pages).

A Preposterous Plight

2016

Welcome to a world of muskets and magic. When Antonio Dias Caldas swears revenge on Gerard van Oost and Oludara, they have no choice but to flee through the Brazilian wilderness. When they reach the land of the feared Wytaka warriors, however, they discover that what they're running too might just be worse than what they're running from. The Elephant and Macaw Banner is an award-winning series of bite-sized adventures: action-packed fantasy you can read in a single sitting.

A Tumultuous Convergence

2016

Welcome to a world of muskets and magic. Gerard and Oludara finally arrive in the famous port of Rio de Janeiro, but the visit is far from the holiday they seek. When the French attack the city, Gerard is forced to take sides in a battle that will decide the future of a nation. The Elephant and Macaw Banner is an award-winning series of bite-sized adventures: action-packed fantasy you can read in one hour.

A Torrential Complication

2016

In a tale inspired by Tupinamba mythology, Gerard, Arany and Cabwassu are forced to face the immortal twins Ariconte and Tamendonarre in order to save Oludara.

A Minacious Appearance

2017

After an ill omen and an encounter with a fiery, headless mule, Gerard and Oludara are sidetracked by a Jesuit priest named Miguel Samperes and get caught between enemies both old and new. When tensions run high and violence erupts, the prophecy of doom becomes clear.

The Dolorous Birthing

2017

What's an ideal present for a newborn child? For Gerard van Oost and Oludara, that could be the most dangerous question of their lives, as they risk everything on a trip through the inhospitable Backlands of Brazil.

#10

An Audacious Affair

2017

Gerard and Oludara know their fame is spreading when they are called all the way to Olinda to resolve a peculiar series of murders. When they arrive, however, they find a tangled net of religion, romance, merchants and monsters, and there will be more at stake than just their lives.

#11

The Catastrophic Ending

2018

The final, catastrophic end to Gerard in Oludara's adventures in Brazil has come! When the two-hundred-foot-tall giant named Woodsfather awakens, they face the impossible task of stopping a creature whose sole purpose is the destruction of the human race. Friends and enemies will converge upon Salvador in a battle that will decide the future of a continent.

Author

Christopher Kastensmidt

Author · 13 books

Christopher Kastensmidt was born in Texas but has lived in Porto Alegre, Brazil since 2001. Christopher was a Nebula Award finalist and winner of the Realms of Fantasy Readers' Choice Awards for his novelette "The Fortuitous Meeting of Gerard van Oost and Oludara." This story was the first in The Elephant and Macaw Banner fantasy series, which has since been published in six countries and adapted to comics and games. These stories feature a Dutch explorer and Yoruban slave who meet in sixteenth-century Brazil and begin a series of adventures together, harkening to old Sword & Sorcery heroes like Fritz Leiber´s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and Charles R. Saunder's Imaro. Christopher ran Brazilian video game developer Southlogic Studios for a decade before its sale to Ubisoft Brazil, where he served as Creative Director. He participated in the production of thirty internationally-published video games, totalling millions of units sold. Christopher has a Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rice University and a Master's degree in Social Communication from the Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul. Besides writing, he lectures at UniRitter university on scriptwriting, game designm and video game production. To learn more about The Elephant and Macaw Banner series, please visit www.eamb.org, where Christopher posts news, artwork, and in-depth explanations of historical and cultural references used in the stories.