Michelle Barker

 He has no talent, they said; then how was it that he could unleash and wield such a powerful magic, and that he would be the one chosen by the Beggar King to claim the undermagic.

Beware this door! Beware your soul! May this door never be opened, or the beggar shall be king. As Jordan Elliott stood before the brass door, he knew the risks. Beware the beggar who would be king! He knew of the “undermagic”, that ancient and dark source of power that had been locked away because prophets of old deemed it too unpredictable and destructive. But he opened the door anyway, because he was the one who could. What he unleashed would take down the peaceful world in which he lived; it would imprison his family and slowly poison the girl he loved. The price was great, but what Jordan received in return, almost unlimited power, was so seductive that he could not refuse this gift from the king who ruled the darkness beyond the door.

"The Beggar King is richly imagined. The “undercats,” especially Sarmillion himself, the bridges that refuse passage more than they allow it, the lure of the brass plate that opens for young Jordan and apparently for no one else… Michelle Barker has woven these elements, and many others, together into a story that will not let you go until the end. If you love original fantasy and a great adventure story, you will enjoy The Beggar King." — Maggie de Vries