Frequently Asked Questions

"The Fourth Field" is set in Varin, a city where written edicts — sealed by Crown, Guild, and Coffer — physically alter reality. When a forbidden Free Edict destroys a harbor district, the scribe-apprentice Arin finds himself caught between intrigue and rebellion. Between the seals lies the Fourth Field — the unwritten, the potential — and Arin's power comes from precisely that field.

The English edition comes out on November 24, 2026, as eBook, paperback, and hardcover. The Kindle eBook is on preorder now at Amazon and will be in Kindle+. The German original, Das vierte Feld, was published on October 8, 2026. To get an alert when the English edition is out, follow Marin T. Kael on BookBub or subscribe to Marin's Letter.

The English edition comes in three formats, all on November 24, 2026: eBook (Kindle, ISBN 978-3-69446-004-6, $4.99), paperback (ISBN 978-3-69446-005-3, $16.99), and hardcover (ISBN 978-3-69446-006-0, $27.99). The print editions have 234 pages in 6 × 9 inches, with a map of Varin and a list of characters. From release day, bookstores and libraries can order the print editions by ISBN. Details on the book page. The German edition, Das vierte Feld, is available as hardcover, paperback, and Kindle eBook on Amazon.de.

The book is for readers of epic fantasy with depth and intellectual worldbuilding. It compares to Robert Jackson Bennett's Foundryside trilogy (magic as bureaucratic system, scripture alters reality), Robin Hobb's Farseer saga (character depth, slow-burn arc across many volumes), and R. F. Kuang's Babel (language-centered magic, academic intensity). Readers of Steven Erikson, China Miéville, and Markus Heitz will also find their footing in Varin.

In Varin, magic acts through scripture: whoever seals an edict text with wax, color, and one or more of the three seals — Crown, Guild, or Coffer — alters reality. Crown, Guild, and Coffer may each imprint singly or in combination — none is a prerequisite for another. Free Edicts are edicts written without seal consent. They are categorically forbidden, yet in practice self-regulating: the price a Free Edict extracts from its writer is always disproportionate to the effect achieved. Between the seals lies the Fourth Field: the unwritten, the potential — the true cosmic structure to which the title of Book I refers.

Yes. "The Fourth Field" is the first book of the saga "Imprints of the Realm", a multi-volume work, and opens the series "The Cycle of Script".

Yes. The audio sample has the opening minutes of chapter 1, read in German, with an English scene synopsis.

Epic fantasy with scripture magic is a sub-genre in which magical effect arises from writing or sealing texts — not through classical elements, gods, or spoken spells. The magic system in "The Fourth Field" belongs to this tradition: edicts as physical laws whose force is bound through wax, color, and seal. Related works: Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett, Babel by R. F. Kuang.

Marin T. Kael is the pseudonym of a German-language author working on the saga "Imprints of the Realm". No author photo. Press inquiries to press@marin-t-kael.de.