Maureen B. Roberts releases debut science fantasy novel An Era in Anddemar

Australian author Maureen B. Roberts has released her debut novel, An Era in Anddemar, an epic science fantasy set in a living galaxy threatened by a force called the Greyness. The book blends myth, astronomy and Celtic-inspired imagery, while Roberts has a nonfiction companion due in September 2026.

Why it matters: - An Era in Anddemar joins science fantasy and mythmaking in a way that aims to stand out from more conventional genre fiction. - The novel’s central conflict is built around conformity, spiritual dullness and the protection of communal and natural balance. - The release also extends Maureen B. Roberts’ long-running blend of scholarship, mysticism and storytelling into fiction.

What happened: - Australian author Maureen B. Roberts released her debut novel, An Era in Anddemar, on July 20, 2026. - The book is set in the spiral galaxy Anddemar and centers on a soulless force called the Greyness. - The paperback is available at Barnes & Noble, and both the eBook and paperback are available on Amazon. - Roberts’ nonfiction companion, StarDreaming: Letters from a Mystic to a Science Fiction Author, is scheduled for publication by Collective Ink in September 2026.

The details: - Anddemar is described as a place where imagination, dreams and solid reality interweave into one system. - The Greyness spreads through control, the erosion of sacred traditions, the disruption of nature’s balance and the weakening of communal harmony. - The opposition includes an exiled Shapemage, shamans, knights, the Grail, wormholes that carry poetry and music, and a marooned group of Earth scientists. - The story’s stakes center on protecting the galaxy’s “Great Dance” of dark and light. - The plot also follows the love between “the foremost of Anddemar’s knights” and the Vidar Quain of the Dreaming. - Roberts frames that relationship around what she calls the “Mystery of Love,” described as the heart and soul of the cosmos. - The novel includes astronomical structure drawn from Roberts’ university science studies. - Roberts gives Anddemar its own stellar classification system that mirrors Earth astronomy’s spectral types. - The chapters are arranged with musical movement in mind, shifting from overture to adagio to night song. - John Keats appears in the novel as a young knight whose poetry helps repel the Greyness. - Keats also connects to Roberts’ doctoral thesis on English Romanticism. - The cover art is titled “The Seynlight Falls into Anddemar” and is by Lee Matthews. - The book is published by Vandrassian Press and carries ISBN 978-1-923512-88-7. - The novel is available in eBook and paperback formats.

Between the lines: - Roberts positions the novel as a deliberate break from current literary trends and traditional publishing expectations. - The book draws from a wide mythopoeic lineage, including E. R. Eddison, Lord Dunsany, Charles Williams, Marion Zimmer Bradley, David Lindsay, Mervyn Peake, C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. - Roberts says she wanted to preserve the elevated prose style and descriptive density that shaped the project. - The novel’s imagery began with dreams and visions that later echoed Celtic myth, including the Claidheamh Soluis and the Three Awen Rays of the Druids. - Roberts’ background in astronomy and English Romanticism gives the fiction a mix of scientific structure and literary symbolism. - Her prior work in psychotherapy and shamanic practice helps explain the book’s focus on spiritual conflict and communal healing.

What's next: - StarDreaming: Letters from a Mystic to a Science Fiction Author will publish in September 2026 through Collective Ink. - Roberts says the new nonfiction book is based on letters she wrote between 1994 and 1996 to science fiction author Damien Broderick. - Roberts is now focusing on fiction and nonfiction writing after retiring from private practice. - More information is available at the author’s website and her companion site.