Introduction
Introduction
If you’re reading this, it’s very possible that you’ve just finished The Monarch Papers and found yourself unable to extricate yourself from this strange and wonderful world that you’ve discovered. If that’s the case, then welcome. You’ve come to the right place. This is where the story continues.
Much like TMP, this is an adaptation of events that occurred throughout the course of a year, as documented originally on the Ackerly Green Community Forum. While the original threads are still available to read, I have condensed the information most relevant to the story in these chapters and have retold it from my perspective, so that you may follow one narrative voice as you make your way through the books of Ackerly Green.
I suppose that means I should introduce myself. My name is Catherine Thoms, and I began working as the publishing assistant for Ackerly Green in June of 2018. The events of the Secret Society were well underway by then, and The Monarch Papers adaptation had yet to be published in book form. When I started, I thought that was going to be my job: helping to get a series of fantasy books out into the world. I had no idea I’d be haunted by a magimystic ghost or doing deep dives into old forum threads and blog posts, searching for applicable spells to protect said ghost from harm, never mind helping to perform them. But I’m getting ahead of myself—that’s what you’re here to read about.
The story, as I am telling it, begins in December of 2017, a rare liminal time for Ackerly Green, in which things appeared to have finally quieted down. The events of The Monarch Papers had concluded, leaving many wondering where to turn next and what was to come of the community that had formed around this fantastic experience. None felt this more keenly than C.J. Bernstein, who had been left with the stewardship of Ackerly Green in Deirdre Green’s absence, consequently becoming the hesitant voice of the company. It is with his words, his promise to the Ackerly Green community, that we begin this story.
I’ve done my best to report the events of the Secret Society as they happened. For the most part, I have merely reprinted the relevant blog posts from Saberlane and included the actions and reactions of the Secret Society members as they were posted, with minor formatting edits. Any editorializing or speculation about the thoughts and feelings of the Mountaineers that were not explicitly expressed at the time is my own, as are any mistakes about the nature of magiq or the history of events at Ackerly Green. Much like you, reader, I believed the action to have already happened when I came in, but instead found myself dropped squarely in the middle of it and left to play catch-up. I hope that for you, this can be the resource I never had (but would have desperately appreciated). I also hope that, when you’re ready, you can join us in on the forum in creating even more magiq.
And to the lucky, treasured few who contributed their efforts to this story as it was happening or as it continued in The Search for Magiq, and who may be reading this to rekindle old memories, we’d like to say that we see you and we thank you for your continued support. This adaptation is as much for you as it is for those who follow in your footsteps.
Yours in wonder,
CT
