Portal fantasy has been one of my favorites since reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe back in high school. I love the concept of stepping from one world into another. Maybe that’s because in some ways I’ve done that all my life–moved from rural Iowa to Tacoma, Washington; traveled from Albany, Oregon, to the Navajo and Hope Reservation in Arizona; and went from the Willamette Valley to the Andes of Ecuador. What I haven’t done is wake up in a new world without knowing how I got there! That’d be a bit terrifying, but that’s what happens in Ian Vroon’s Ayphae. Read on, to find out more.

Ayphae: a land of mushrooms

Imagine a world where mushrooms think using your brain. Some of them spin like spinning tops. Some of them fly. Some of them tower over you and stomp in a beat. Others feed off your emotions as you live in them—massive mushrooms called obosas.

Three siblings wake up in this world with no memory of their past. Everything is new to them—they have no idea what’s going on, and no one knows who they are. Moreover, they discover that because of a mysterious barrier around this land, no one can enter or leave. They’re here to stay.

The land is Ayphae. The siblings try to forge their way…and for a while, everything is fine.

Trouble in Aphae: Seven Years later

Seven years later, everything starts withering. Mushrooms are turning to ash, trees to mush…it’s all falling apart. Signs point to a suspicious new fungus known as the aiethepa spore.

This is how the book Ayphae opens. I’m pleased to invite you into this vast world I’ve created—with mushrooms that fulfill just about every function you can imagine, and a main protagonist who enjoys cooking over fighting. He and his amnesia-stricken siblings are about to discover a few interesting things about themselves—and their past might be more relevant than they realize.

Why mushrooms?

So what could possibly compel me to write a world full of mushrooms?

Well, I love mushrooms. That’s a start.

Purpose and meaning

Then there’s the concept of purpose. Purpose is a big deal in life—it brings meaning and identity to us. It has to be supplied by external factors (like a deity), or it’s just a meaningless invention of our heads.

It’s kind of my thing, and I like to talk about it in every book that I write. It’s the unifying factor in all of my works. As an author, you could say it’s my “theme.”

Purpose for the siblings:

Ayphae fits that theme perfectly. In it, every character struggles with fulfilling their purpose. Reisor, who can’t even remember his past, lacks both a purpose and an identity. He struggles with the only purpose he’s been given—to take care of his siblings—while being given a new purpose. But as the book goes on, he wonders if his new purpose is really what he should be doing.

The siblings, meanwhile are even more directionless. Feselea has taken it upon herself to learn everything she can—and while knowledge and its pursuit is definitely a purpose, it may not be all she is meant to do. Dane has no idea what his purpose is—but he wants to be treated like an adult, even when he acts like a kid. It brings him joy to entertain people…so maybe that’s it? He just doesn’t know.

Purpose for the Ayphaeans

Finally, we have the three Ayphaeans: Joe, May and Nick. Joe rules Ayphae—his motto is to never let people down. His purpose is pretty clear-cut…but unfortunately, he has absolutely no idea how to fulfill it. He’s been doing the best he can over the past seven years. But now everything is falling apart. If he just knew why, he could see a clear road to fulfilling his purpose. He’d like to blame the aiethepa spore for everything, but part of him wonders what’s really going on.

Nick used to be a pathfinder (a type of ranger). He saw problems in the people’s hearts and realized he should be a speaker. That greater purpose led him away from his first purpose—a difficult but worthy replacement. Now he speaks full-time, as his oratory career has taken off.

And of course, there’s May the scientist. She wants to maintain respectability as a scientist while exploring Ayphae’s wonders. Right now, her immediate purpose is to eradicate the aiethepa spore. Nothing will disrupt her focus.

It’s interesting that Nick and May have the same ultimate purpose: to save Ayphae. But they’re going about it in completely different ways. Nick is targeting the people’s hearts, while May is targeting the parasitic fungus invading the land. One is more conceptual, the other more concrete. And Joe is trying to find a happy medium. But all their paths will cross in time.

Purpose for the author

So what’s the biggest reason? To tell a story. To inspire people to think. To bring glory to God by creating an amazing world and characters to inhabit it. When we create beautiful stories, we bring glory to the Creator.

And that is my purpose.

About the author: Ian Vroon

By the way, I’m Ian. I’m married to an amazing woman named Nicole who loves and supports me (I don’t deserve her!). I live in Colorado, and I love science and theology. One of my philosophies of plot working is to make sure each of my main characters disagree with me in at least one major way. That way, none of them can serve as mouthpieces for an agenda. I want to inspire critical thinking, not dictate it.

Special thanks to Kandi Wyatt for letting me guest blog here. You’re fantastic! I hope your readers enjoy exploring the realm of Ayphae as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Where to Find the book

You can learn more about Ayphae or purchase it on Amazon.