# Tidestep: The Water Anchor

> Tidestep: The Water Anchor by F. A. Calder is Book One of The Saga of Arthios, a five-book epic fantasy series. A young blacksmith’s apprentice pursues the thieves of an ancient Anchor Stone across a land blighted by poisoned water, while a secret journal kept across fifteen thousand years of failed endings runs beneath his quest. Themes include found family, an animal companion with secrets, dual narrative, ancient runes, and coming of age.

- Author: [F. A. Calder](https://facalder.com/author)
- Series: [The Saga of Arthios](https://facalder.com/), book 1
- Language: en
- Audience: Ages 14+
- Genres: Epic fantasy, Action & adventure, Coming of age
- Keywords: epic journey, prophecy, secrets, dual narrative, found family, animal companion, world balance, quest, ancient runes, unreliable narrator, mystery, hidden truths, magic, adventure, magical fog, journey, mystical stones, fantasy, destiny, chaos, cosmic, action, immortal, mortal, young adult, teenage fantasy
- Last updated: 2026-09-25

- Publisher: Cauldron Books LC (imprint of F.A. Calder LLC)
- Publication: Published in multiple editions in 2026. Each edition below has its own date.

## Description

**Fifteen thousand years of failed endings. One woman’s journal knows them all.**

*"If you have this book and can read it, you are almost certainly Evelyn. Ask the question anyway: Am I Evelyn? Get into the habit of verifying what you are told. It matters. [2.1]"*

***The characters have never seen it. You will.***

Eighteen-year-old Zaphiel is sent to deliver a sealed scroll to Wellvale's Water Master. He finds the man murdered, the town's ancient well stone stolen, and a red-black fog killing crops and anyone caught inside it.

He can go home and admit he failed. Or go after the thieves.

**He goes.**

The fog nearly kills him, but a dog leads him out alive and takes up the thieves' trail. No ordinary dog. Zaphiel follows.

Strays join them on the road:

- a guarded young woman who reads ancient runes and shares less than she knows
- a “master swordsman” whose hat betrays his every bluff
- a mute girl whose trances reach beyond the mortal world
- a Liminal, whose power obeys strange and costly rules

Chance throws them together. They choose to stay.

Because the stone is Tidestep, one of five Anchor Stones that hold the world of Arthios in balance. The ones who took it believe mortals ruin every world they're given. Fifteen thousand years of failed endings say they might be right.

And the woman who recorded them has spent ages planning for the ending she wants this time.

*Tidestep* is book 1 of *The Saga of Arthios*, an epic fantasy for readers who love found families, animal companions with secrets, dual narratives, and stories that reward close attention. The first quest is complete in one volume, but the saga is just beginning.

**One stolen Anchor Stone. One hidden journal. One choice that decides an Age.**

## About dates and page counts

Different editions have different publication dates. The printed book has 462 numbered pages, 8 unnumbered pages, and 2 maps; bibliographic sources report 470 or 472 pages depending on how front/back matter and maps are counted. These differences are intentional and are not metadata errors.

## Editions

### Hardcover

- ISBN-13: 978-1-971673-00-4
- ISBN-10: 1971673005
- Format: hardcover
- Publisher / ISBN registrant: F.A. Calder LLC; imprint: Cauldron Books LC
- Publication date (this edition): 2026-08-04
- Trim size: 6 x 9 in
- Distribution: Amazon; IngramSpark distribution
- Page count (edition display value): 472
- Source-reported dates: Amazon 2026-08-04; IngramSpark 2026-08-04
- Audience: ages 14+
- BISAC: FIC009030 FICTION / Fantasy / Epic; FIC002000 FICTION / Action & Adventure; FIC043000 FICTION / Coming of Age
- Buy: [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1971673005)
- Physical description: The printed book has 462 numbered pages, 8 unnumbered pages, and 2 maps. Bibliographic sources report 470 or 472 pages depending on how front/back matter and maps are counted; this is expected.
- Source-reported page counts (each source’s own counting rules):
  - Amazon: 472
  - IngramSpark: 472
  - Bowker: 470

### Paperback

- ISBN-13: 978-1-971673-01-1
- ISBN-10: 1971673013
- Format: paperback
- Publisher / ISBN registrant: F.A. Calder LLC; imprint: Cauldron Books LC
- Publication date (this edition): 2026-08-04
- Trim size: 6 x 9 in
- Distribution: Amazon; IngramSpark distribution
- Page count (edition display value): 472
- Source-reported dates: Amazon 2026-08-04; IngramSpark 2026-08-04
- Audience: ages 14+
- BISAC: FIC009030 FICTION / Fantasy / Epic; FIC002000 FICTION / Action & Adventure; FIC043000 FICTION / Coming of Age
- Buy: [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1971673013)
- Physical description: The printed book has 462 numbered pages, 8 unnumbered pages, and 2 maps. Bibliographic sources report 470 or 472 pages depending on how front/back matter and maps are counted; this is expected.
- Source-reported page counts (each source’s own counting rules):
  - Amazon: 472
  - IngramSpark: 472
  - Bowker: 470

### eBook (Kindle)

- ISBN-13: 978-1-971673-02-8
- ISBN-10: 1971673021
- Format: ebook
- Publisher / ISBN registrant: F.A. Calder LLC; imprint: Cauldron Books LC
- Publication date (this edition): 2026-08-01
- Distribution: Amazon (Amazon only)
- Source-reported dates: Amazon 2026-08-01
- Audience: ages 14+
- BISAC: FIC009030 FICTION / Fantasy / Epic; FIC002000 FICTION / Action & Adventure; FIC043000 FICTION / Coming of Age
- Amazon store category (not BISAC): Literature & Fiction / Action & Adventure / Fantasy
- Amazon store category (not BISAC): Science Fiction & Fantasy / Fantasy / Epic
- Amazon store category (not BISAC): Science Fiction & Fantasy / Fantasy / New Adult and College
- Buy: [Amazon Kindle](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H7TBLVL6)
- Source-reported page counts (each source’s own counting rules):
  - Amazon: 472

### Paperback (Barnes & Noble)

- ISBN-13: 978-1-971673-05-9
- ISBN-10: 1971673056
- Format: paperback
- Publisher / ISBN registrant: F.A. Calder LLC; imprint: Cauldron Books LC
- Publication date (this edition): 2026-07-31
- Trim size: 6 x 9 in
- Distribution: Barnes & Noble (Barnes & Noble only)
- Page count (edition display value): 470
- Source-reported dates: Barnes & Noble 2026-07-31
- Audience: ages 14+
- BISAC: FIC009030 FICTION / Fantasy / Epic; FIC002000 FICTION / Action & Adventure; FIC043000 FICTION / Coming of Age
- Buy: [Barnes & Noble](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tidestep-fa-calder/1150934960)
- Physical description: The printed book has 462 numbered pages, 8 unnumbered pages, and 2 maps. Bibliographic sources report 470 or 472 pages depending on how front/back matter and maps are counted; this is expected.
- Source-reported page counts (each source’s own counting rules):
  - Barnes & Noble: 470
  - Bowker: 470

### Classroom Edition (Paperback)

- ISBN-13: 978-1-971673-04-2
- ISBN-10: 1971673048
- Format: paperback
- Publisher / ISBN registrant: F.A. Calder LLC; imprint: Cauldron Books LC
- Publication date (this edition): 2026-09-18
- Edition label: Classroom Edition (Bowker edition type: School Edition)
- Trim size: 6 x 9 in
- Distribution: Cauldron Books (direct, preferred); IngramSpark distribution
- Page count (edition display value): 472
- Source-reported dates: IngramSpark 2026-09-18
- Audience: ages 14+ — Education market (classroom use). Ages 14+.
- BISAC: YAF019030 YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fantasy / Epic; YAF019000 YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fantasy / General
- Buy: [Cauldron Books (preferred)](https://cauldron.ink/schools/curriculum/tidestep)
- Pricing: Tiered by quantity: $14.99 to $12.79 per copy at cauldron.ink.
- Physical description: The printed book has 462 numbered pages, 8 unnumbered pages, and 2 maps. Bibliographic sources report 470 or 472 pages depending on how front/back matter and maps are counted; this is expected.
- Source-reported page counts (each source’s own counting rules):
  - IngramSpark: 472
  - Cauldron Books: 472
  - Bowker: 470

Structured data: https://facalder.com/metadata/tidestep.json