Introduction

The Epic of Cougran is a fantasy adventure story about the origins of evil. The story illustrates the path of the villain, which is often absent from other fantasy adventure stories. Most well-known fantasy adventure stories have the villain already in-place, and the story follows the hero's quest from obscure citizen to a god-like hero. The Epic of Cougran rewinds the clock to when the society was at harmony, to the point where the seed of evil is planted and that evil force begins to sprout.

Concept

The original concept for The Epic of Cougran was an illustrated novel, like the monks of the Middle Ages used to create, called illuminated manuscripts. Each image was a visual representation of the Bible story or concept being talked about in that portion of the book. Unfortunately, the cost of doing such a book is enormous, if the author self-publishes through a print-on-demand publisher. So, the first Epic of Cougran novel was turned into a small collection of short stories encased in a package called a novel, separated into 7 sections, called books, that are divided into 5 sections, called chapters. Each chapter reads very much like a journal, complete with dates and years, in order to allow for all the events and plot lines to exist simultaneously, and to set up the events that occur in the second novel, Adventures Beyond New Raoolia, due to be published late 2010 or early 2011.

The Epic of Cougran will eventually become a series of illustrated novels, totalling 12 (as far as this specific storyline is concerned), or 4 trilogies. The first trilogy is about the birth of an evil villain in a harmonious society who receives absolute power, only to unleash an unstoppable, destructive force. The second trilogy is about the origin of the unstoppable force, and how it came to land on planet Cougran. The third trilogy will bring a hero to deal with the evil occupying planet Cougran, and the fourth Trilogy will involve the conflict between the hero from afar and the evil on Cougran.

Past, Present and Future

The Epic of Cougran was born out of Eric Tilden's need to have a purpose for his art. Eric Tilden is not only the author, but he is a realist painter as well. The Epic of Cougran first and foremost was conceived as an outlet for his painting ambitions. In 2005, when he had achieved the skill level required to create realistic artwork, with the piece Amy: Traditional Portrait No. 3, he rested for several months, waiting for inspiration to strike.

In October or November of 2005, Eric began writing a short story, which grew into a string of short stories, culminating in the first novel called Adventures in Raoolia, first published in June 2007. After several family members reviewed the First Edition, a few minor issues, such as print size, were found with the book. Several months later, in October 2007, a Second Edition was re-published, and has sold 25 copies in 2007, 5 copies in 2008, and 11 copies (as of November) in 2009 through word of mouth advertising and a handful of craft shows. In 2010, a Third Edition is planned, with full-color photos of portraits painted in 2009 and 2010, full-color maps, and a few minor edits and enhancements. So, after five years of working on the concept, the original vision for this story will be realized!

Currently, an audio version of Adventures in Raoolia is in development, complete with musical score (composed by Pamela Tilden), as read by the author, Eric Tilden, along with voice enhancements to simulate an audio movie. Beyond the audio book, an online video game is planned that allows the player to live out the Adventures on Planet Cougran as either a Minotaur soldier or as a Carcalian or Tigren. This project is currently in suspended animation, however, until a much later date.