“Harry Potter meets Da Vinci Code”… that’s how reviewers and critics have described this middle-grade magical tale, the first book in a spellbinding series.

ARCHIBALD FINCH AND THE LOST WITCHES (Book 1)
by Michel Guyon
illustrated by Zina Kostich
Andrews McMeel, September 2021

From myths and legends 500 years old, comes a fantastic adventure, even though Archibald was not looking for one… Exploring his grandma’s creepy manor, he just stumbled upon an ancient terrestrial globe, which turns out to be much more than an old relic. When he unlocks the storm trapped inside, Archibald gets whisked into the unknown, a mysterious land where a battle born in the Middle Ages is still unfolding. In the world of Lemurea, mostly forest, home to small wonders and great scares, it’s light versus darkness, magic versus fire… witches versus dragons. But not any kind of witches, an army of young girls, lost in time. And not your usual dragons, but the most intriguing creatures, half human, half beast. Through this unforgettable journey, Archibald will learn the true meaning of courage, friendship and tolerance. Meanwhile, left behind, his sister Hailee sets out on a quest across London to find out what happened to him, uncovering a dark secret and going through her own coming of age odyssey. Two stories, two plot threads, running parallel but tightly intertwined. Two worlds, on a perilous collision course…

Michel Guyon was born in France, in a small medieval town perched on a rock, surrounded by high walls, with the remains of an ancient fortress at its heart. That’s where the author had his first brush with ancient myths, puzzling legends, and dark tales of the Middle Ages. While his childhood fed his fertile imagination, his travels as an investigative journalist for newspapers and magazines, from Bosnia to Afghanistan, were crucial in shaping his view of the world. He also published several books for children and young adults—not to mention his communication work for the European Space Agency, where he was tasked to make space exploration less opaque to the public. A fervent advocate of learning via entertainment, he always strives to shed light on important subject matters—in this case, Women’s rights, wars, and the future of our planet. That logic was key to the making of Archibald Finch, a magic potion mixing science with science fiction, fantasy with actual events, and fictional heroes with historic characters. Giving life to the most fantastic beasts and the most captivating story was indeed an opportunity to dig deep into the roots of witch-hunting, and explore one of the darkest episodes of Human History—of course with the right dose of humor. Today, Michel spends his life between Los Angeles and New York, where he also works as a photographer, mainly for the Movie industry.