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QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE HANDLINGS:

  • The original manuscript was more than 500,000 words in length or about 2,000 pages. 
  • When Jeffrey started writing the story in 2006, he intended for it to be a short children's book.
  • Jeffrey ran for a local political office (he lost) in 2008 and did not write on the book for nearly a year.
  • The book is dedicated to Jeffrey's son, Wheeler, who is autistic and an avid reader.  Wheeler was the first person to read the book series and it took him less than two days to read the entire revised 1,500 manuscript.

 

 

 

The Handlings, Book One: The Promise

The Handlings is a new, three part fantasy adventure novel from Jeffrey Lovett.  This epic adventure story is an incredible 1,500 pages in length and tells the story of Julius Rightling, a handling who turns his back on everything he knows to follow his love to the country of his enemy.   

Read a synopsis of the the FIRST book in the series below:

    Julius Rightling is an ordinary teenaged handling, one of the millions of tiny humanoid creatures who live unseen on the body of humans. He is content to live his life in the swirls of the right index finger until one day the two hands come together and Julius meets a beautiful girl from the left hand named Amathea.  Its love at first sight, but Julius and Amathea know they can never be together. The handlings who live on the right hand and those who live on the left are bitter enemies. 

     For Julius to follow Amathea back to Leftland would be treasonous, but that is exactly what he is intends to do. However, his father Krandall reaches up at the last moment and pulls Julius back to Rightland.  Krandall is head of the Spy Brigade and has tried to recruit his son to join him in seeking out and executing Leftlanders but Julius wants no part of the violent group.  

     If Julius had not hesitated, he would have made the jump to Leftland with Amathea.  But his best friend, Felix, had died attempting the dangerous leap between the two hands and it was this split second of indecision that allowed Krandall to separate him from Amathea. Julius is furious at his father. During their short time together, Amathea   convinced him that there is no war between their two countries and if he will join her, they will start a revolution that will convince all handlings to live in peace.

     Julius tells his parents that he traveling Overland across the Benevolent Host’s body to find Amathea.  Krandall is furious at the idea. His mother, Mirabella, tells her son that if insists on going that he should first visit his grandfather, a General in the Army of the Right who is the only known handling to ever make the dangerous Overland journey. The General gives Julius his memoirs to help guide him to Leftland. .

     Julius embarks on his journey not knowing that the Council of Elders, Rightland tyrannical rulers, has ordered Krandall to lead a team of assassins to overtake Julius and return the General’s journal- and then kill Julius.

     The journey is treacherous. Julius is nearly devoured when he encounters a spider mite on the Palm. He is then lured into the deep forest on the Host’s forearm by the mesmerizing songs of the Tree Fairies.  The Fairies cannot produce male offspring and must use their hypnotic powers to ensnare travelers who will be held against their will as breeders.

     Julius and his companion, a large nymph named Lark meet a handling trader.  Tryc invites the two to join him as he travels towards the Left. They stop at the cave dwelling of a customer named Pfeffle, a halfling who is part handling, part worm. It is here Julius discovers in one of Pfeffle’s history books that Amathea is not just an ordinary handling.  She is the daughter of the King of Leftland. 

   When Julius tells Pfeffle how the two met, the halfling suddenly realizes that the handling boy in his home is the one spoken of in an ancient prophesy that two young handlings would meet, one from the Right and one from the Left, and their union would bring peace to both lands. 

      Julius does not believe that he has been destined for such a monumental task. He is just an ordinary handling boy.  He never wanted adventure or fame. Julius realizes that it is unlikely that he will attain either. Leaving Pfeffle’s cavern in the Stink Pits and travelling into the terrible expanse of the Great Forest, Julius is convinced that this will be the place where he will die. 

 

The story continues in:

The Handlings, Book Two:  The Pursuit

The Handlings, Book Three: The Prophesy

 

Read the First 50 Pages from Book One Here