The Books of Umber:
An acclaimed fantasy adventure trilogy with a surprising twist.

Available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook - plus an audiobook that features the wonderful performance of Richard Poe. 

Happenstance, a boy with unusual green eyes, awakens with no memories and soon falls under the protection of the unpredictable adventurer Lord Umber. While Umber tries to unravel the mystery behind Hap's strange powers, Hap realizes that Umber is hiding a secret of his own, locked away in his tower. Meanwhile, a vicious assassin is hunting for the boy with the strange green eyes, whose very existence violates some ancient law.

Acclaim for Happenstance Found:

Nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award, the Florida Sunshine State Young Reader's Award, the Pacific Northwest Library Association's Young Reader's Choice Award, Indiana's Young Hoosier Book Award, New Hampshire's Great Stone Face Book Award, and Hawai'i's Nēnē Award.  

“Catanese’s forte is in defining the features of the colorful imaginary world he creates, which is part steampunk, part fairy tale, and has a surprising contemporary twist. Merpeople, leviathans, and sorceresses mingle with Mozart, mirrors, and elevators in this unusual culture…a cinematic quality that will be enjoyed by a wide range of fantasy readers.” - The Horn Book

“Catanese departs from the fairy tale retellings... to create an intriguing intergenerational partnership set in a fantasy world that tantalizes with glimpses of modern-day technology...an engaging and deftly written fantasy.” - Booklist

“Hap's vulnerability and Umber's good-natured exuberance make them both extraordinarily appealing...the characters that surround the two are equally compelling...they emerge as almost archetypal in their symbolic resonance....Rife with grisly horrors and absorbing wonders, Umber's coastal kingdom exerts a fascination that lingers after the last page is turned.”
- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Book two:
Let the Dragon Games begin.

All is not well in Kurahaven as Happenstance is jolted by a surprising revelation about his origins. When Umber responds to a pair of mysterious messages, he and Happenstance are hurled into a wild adventure. Before the final twist, Umber and company will encounter a ring of volcanic fire, a strange island of murderous creatures, a man living with a terrible curse, and a cruel tyrant who is eager for Umber to witness his Dragon Games.

Acclaim for Dragon Games:
“This is a true roller coaster of a book, starting with sea-giants and ending with soul crabs (surely one of the creepier inventions in recent literary history), with plenty of loops and drops and zero-g moments in between...Catanese has imagination to spare, with new wonders around every corner." - School Library Journal

“More imaginative adventures and tantalizing hints about Hap’s past and Umber’s hopes for him... plenty of satisfying action and lots of narrow escapes.” - Booklist

“This sequel takes Hap (in the company of his manic-depressive patron, Lord Umber) all over the map of fantasyland... it's no surprise Hap ends up in constant danger: threatened by sleeping sea-giants, nearly burned to death in the lava-spewing inferno, almost eaten by ghost-ridden crabs and vicious, gnome-like bidmis, chased by megalomaniac princes and constantly endangered by political intrigue...the fast-paced and high-energy action of this video-game-like quest will please fantasy adventure fans.” - Kirkus Reviews

This is where it ends:
The End of Time. 

Hap is still unable to control the powers that he needs to prevent a terrible disaster. And now Umber is under siege from dangers near and far. For Hap to fulfill his destiny, he must survive a life-or-death battle with more than one mighty enemy. And he may be forced to abandon everything he holds most dear, in the heart-stopping conclusion to the acclaimed The Books of Umber trilogy.

“(The) fantastic conclusion to P.W. Catanese’s riveting fantasy trilogy. The author again raises questions about morality and the depths of friendship, and does it with compelling characters and wonderful world-building.” - School Library Journal