Kandide and The Secret of the Mists: Book One: The Calabiyau Chronicles: Volume 1 - Softcover

What if everything you love is suddenly gone? And everything you fear is all you have? Welcome to Calabiyau, a land where magic is as normal as the sunrise and evil is on a rampage. Meet Kandide. Still a teen in human years, she is the personification of perfection. She's also spoiled beyond belief and vain beyond control. You won’t like her at first. Nevertheless, she is heir to Calabiyau’s throne and the keeper of the “Gift”—the key to the survival for all Fée. When a terrible accident leaves her less than “perfect,” Kandide's own mother mercilessly sends her to a treacherous land where strange beasts roam the dark lifeless forest and even stranger Fée rule its secret kingdom. If she is to survive, Kandide must battle hideous creatures, as well as her own repulsion for the “Imperfects” that she has become. But that is just the beginning of her troubles. Within Calabiyau, a presence far more deadly is emerging. Kandide’s prankster brother, Teren, her tomboy sister, Tara, and a group of misfit Imperfects set off on a perilous journey to save their sister and their land. They must challenge the darkest of forces to face an evil far worse than any imagined. Kandide and her kingdom are forever changed. Or are they? What the critics say: “Kandide gives its readers one captivating, enthralling adventure after another.” — Los Angeles Newspaper Group “There is plenty of action and strife to spice up the plot.” — VOYA "There really isn’t much that can be said about Diana S. Zimmerman’s "Kandide" that isn’t covered under "Bravo!" Kandide and the Secret of the Mists is a wonderfully magical adventure that creates an involving tale of fear, loss, and redemption. Strewn all over the land of Calabiyau (namesake of the trilogy) are vivid details that bring the world of the Fée to undeniable life." — Nothing Binding "Kandide is at the crossroads of invention and imagination. Zimmerman’s character variety provides moral conflict amid a fantasy component, where life-changing epiphanies are discovered along with fanciful adventures in pomegranate meadows, palaces, dark woods, and underwater caverns. You’ll be absorbed into 'Kandide and the Secret of the Mists' as if you were making the journey yourself. Zimmerman’s gentle, descriptive prose perches on the edge of poetry.” — Las Vegas Around the Clock "This author knows her way around the redemptive tale. Diana S. Zimmerman does not stop at portraying fully fleshed lead characters. Set in the magical land of Calabiyau, Kandide is a must-read for all who treasure books and the finer impulses of human nature.” — Air America Radio

Diana S. Zimmerman Like her novels, Diana’s role in the performing arts as well as the business world transcends the ordinary. She has been a performer, businesswoman, and writer since the age of eight when she invested all of her resources into a small magic trick. With a total capital outlay of 47 cents, Diana parlayed her investment into a spectacular 25-year career as “America’s Foremost Lady Magician.” She has invented magic illusions for David Copperfield and Lance Burton and is a highly respected lecturer, writer, and teacher in the world of magic. She also sponsors a young magicians’ group—an organization she founded with the help of the legendary actor Cary Grant at Hollywood’s famous Magic Castle. Her transition to the corporate world saw the creation of CMS Communications Intl., an award-winning Marketing Communications agency whose clients include many of the Fortune 500. Diana is CEO of CMS. She is a journalist and the author of 7 books, including the Kandide trilogy, Siegfried & Roy: Unique In All The World, Butterly In A Storm, Tactical Abyss, and Why Most Branding Fails. Diana is also an avid collector of faery art. Her collection is one of the largest in the world with pieces dating back to the 1700s.