The Legend of the Magpie King is an adventure unlike any other. In real-world Seoul, Korea, a Forest thrives in the middle of the city. Just across the Han River sits the ancient Buddhist Temple called Bongeunsa, home to an Order of monks, the abbot, Chuji Jun-Lee, and Seo-joon, a younger monk searching to find his place in the world. Together with a high-flying group of raptors and the Chuji’s cockatoo, Ju-Ju, they assist Makki, a magpie of unusual prowess, in his life-or-death challenge to prevent Corvus, an evil raven, from destroying the beloved woodlands and its inhabitants. 

Set in real-world Korea, The Legend of the Magpie King is more than an ordinary adventure. Along with intense action and gripping drama, the sprawling novel touches seven decades, and is filled with anthropomorphized birds, Buddhist monks, faithful depictions of the country’s landscape, its modern history, and the hidden wilderness living amidst the glittering city of Seoul. At its core is a compelling fable of rising above all else to make one’s mark in the world…and how to own it.

Prepare to enter the Forest.

Makki, a fledgling magpie, is attacked in his nest by an evil raven. He is rescued by a young monk, who provides refuge in the aviary of ancient Bongeunsa Temple in downtown Seoul, Korea. The temple's beloved abbot, who also once escaped death as a child during the War, senses unusual promise in the magpie. Upon return to the wild, Makki becomes brother to the high-flying southern raptors of Seoul Forest. Schooled by his mentors in the arts of survival, he becomes a skilled hunter and a warrior bird with exceptional prowess.

Deep in the northern Forest, Corvus, the savage raven who attacked Makki, watches and waits. He is plotting to ravage the peaceful realm by killing the benevolent Crow King of the North and imposing tyranny over the woodland's winged inhabitants. Horrific tragedy thrusts Makki into unexpected leadership as brutal airborne combat commences above the urban woodland's canopy.

With an army of intrepid falcons, hawks and songbirds at his command, the humble magpie must take to the skies against impossible odds to confront Corvus and his legion of black-winged followers, the Dark Ones. The Forest's entire existence is at stake, and much will be demanded for Makki to emerge triumphant.

Can he succeed in saving the threatened land he calls home?

With vivid detail and cinematic sweep, The Legend of the Magpie King conjures a timeless hidden world known to few humans, with its own language and secrets passed through generations. Mystical powers, a magical cane, and frightening forces of nature come to bear as Makki struggles to deliver the Forest from treachery and madness. Above all, he must summon the power and strength within himself to rise above.