BOOK II: LIVES OF A SALVAGER
COMING MAY 12, 2026
PREORDER TODAY!
““…The storytelling is propulsive… the lasting costs of ecological devotion are attended to with precise emotional weight.””
She sees the past and forgets nothing. Yet for all her knowing, Laurel can’t say if her work weaponizing plant magic to restore the world’s ecological Order was for the greater good, or for selfish—and brutal—ends.
In this standalone novel from an epic climate fantasy series, Laurel wields botanical powers, potions, and ancient artifacts for the Anima’s army in its Task to combat environmental destruction. Over centuries, she witnesses empires rise and fall, magical forces evolve, and the fragile order of the natural world begins to collapse.
As the Imperium rises—the greatest threat Aligaea has ever faced—Laurel begins to question the ethics of everything she has devoted her life to.
If saving the natural world requires endless war, sacrifice, and manipulation, is it a mission worth completing? Is the Task truly restoring balance?
Haunted by memory, burdened by time, and pushed to the edge of insanity, Laurel must confront a devastating truth: some knowledge cannot be forgotten and some power comes at a cost too great to bear.
A sweeping tale rooted in nature, magic, and moral complexity, Lives of a Salvager explores humanity’s relationship to nature and the emotional burden of environmental care.
LIVES OF A SALVAGER
BOOK LAUNCH
May 12, 6pm, at the country bookshelf
Country Bookshelf is excited to welcome local author Kelsey K. Sather, author of the new fantasy novel Lives of a Salvager, book two in her Ancient Language of the Earth series! Join Kelsey, alongside local writer, facilitator, and podcast host Emily Stifler Wolfe, in a dynamic conversation about ecological devotion, the writing process, and fantasy storytelling as a tool for cultural transformation. Together, they’ll move between the world of the book and the real-world questions it raises about power, memory, and our relationship to the natural world.
Tickets are not required for this event, but RSVPs are appreciated.
BOOK I: BIRTH OF THE ANIMA
“BIRTH OF THE ANIMA is a feminist fantasy novel with a serious hook.”
Over millennia, across the seven seterras of Aligaea, twelve women—the Anima—develop powers akin to apex predators. Along with their bestial strength and speed, they inherit the Task to restore ecological Order to the world.
Yet fulfilling the Task seems improbable as the Imperium spreads a plague of ecocide and despotism across the land, ushering in the apocalypse with its infectious Disorder.
Stout and smart Freda Johansson leaves behind a promising career, love, and community to seek the red-capped mushroom capable of turning her into the final Anima.
Whether it’s plant magic or free will guiding her from emerald forests to austere peaks, she doesn’t care. She only needs to find the mushroom before the Imperial Forces can seal the catastrophic fate of the planet.
The sacred balance of Life depends on the birth of the Anima—but even then, she must choose to own her powers as both woman and wild creature.
“Each Anima’s story is deeply compelling, as these complex women see their worlds upended by their new fate,
and as they each find their own ways to lead.”
ORDER YOUR COPY of BIRTH OF THE ANIMA
Hi! I’m Kelsey,
author of the Ancient Language of the Earth series.
The second book in the series, LIVES OF A SALVAGER, is coming May 2026!
Stay tuned for more details and receive exclusive sneak peeks by signing up below for my quarterly journal, Salvaged.
Salvaged also includes a personal note from me about writing and life, recent artwork, conservation success stories, books of interest, and more.
Thank you for visiting my niche in cyberspace. With love,
Kelsey
PLACES OF IMPORT
“Myth and reality weave together until Commoners cannot see fact from fable.
Knowledge morphs into rumors, rumors into lies.
Ultimately, magic belongs solely to those who know of it and believe in it.”