MARK CROWLEYSTORIES BEYOND THE SURFACE
AN ILLUSTRATED ADVENTURE · BOOK 1

He came to find
his father.
Atlantis had
other plans.

A hidden world. A missing father. A thirteen-year-old who asks the wrong people the right questions.

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For curious readers ages 10+·Coming soon
Cover of Sardis McCoy and the Stolen Years, Book 1, by Mark Crowley: Sardis and Athena above a mysterious underwater city.

THE FIRST ADVENTURESardis McCoy and the Stolen Years

MYTH MEETS TECHNOLOGYFRIENDSHIP MEETS DANGERNOTHING STAYS ORDINARY

BENEATH THE SURFACE

Some secrets are
too deep to stay buried.

Sardis McCoy and the Stolen Years

At thirteen, Sardis McCoy is good at figuring out how things work. The one mystery he cannot solve is his own family.

Then Athena offers a way into a hidden civilization beneath the ocean—and the possibility of finding the father he has never met.

Atlantis is astonishing. It is also a place where centuries of preparation count for more than thirteen years of curiosity. As Sardis enters its dangerous games, the rules around him begin to look less like safeguards and more like a trap.

Finding his father is one thing.
Finding a way home may be another.

A GLIMPSE INSIDE

Extraordinary world.
Very real stakes.

Come for the hidden city.
Stay for the people worth finding.

Sardis and his friends outside North Star Middle School, with Athena nearby.01

THE FRIENDSHIP

The friends who know the real you.

Before the hidden city, there are the Amigos. Sardis, Kale, and Isaiah know how to make each other laugh—and how to find trouble.

Violet light scans Sardis at the Atlantis receiving station while Athena and Samson watch.02

THE SECRET

Getting in is only the first problem.

Atlantis has extraordinary technology. It also has rules about outsiders. One scan could ask a question Sardis cannot afford to answer.

Sardis navigates the glowing, changing obstacle course of the First Agon.03

THE CHALLENGE

Everyone else has had years to prepare.

The floor disappears. The course changes. Sardis has a talent for spotting patterns—and very little time to work out the rules.

Sardis swings over a shallow creek as a school bus waits beyond the bank.
CHAPTER ONE · MISSED THE BUS

YOUR FIRST STEP INTO THE STORY

Before Atlantis,
there was a missed bus.

Start where Sardis does: one ordinary school morning, one questionable shortcut, and friends who make life considerably less ordinary.

Read the opening chapters Download the sample PDF

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FOR FAMILIES & EDUCATORS

A good adventure
starts a conversation.

Friendship, trust, scientific curiosity, and the
courage to ask a better question.

Keep the conversation going.

Eight discussion questions and two creative activities for families, classrooms, and book clubs. Late-book spoilers are clearly marked.

Download the discussion guide

FOR CHRISTIAN FAMILIES

Open the adventure. Open the Bible.

Explore Book One’s Genesis references, prayer, and themes of costly love. A reading companion with Scripture links and questions for families and homeschool groups.

Explore the biblical connections

BEHIND THE STORY

Meet Mark Crowley.

Mark Crowley is the author of Sardis McCoy and the Stolen Years, an illustrated adventure about family, friendship, and a hidden world beneath the ocean.

He began developing the story before becoming a father, hoping to bring the spirit of the Christian storytelling he admired in C.S. Lewis into a contemporary adventure for young readers.

Read Mark’s note on faith and imagination

For reader inquiries or to discuss a possible Austin-area school, library, or book-club visit, get in touch.

Contact Mark

THE NEXT CHAPTER IS COMING

Find it here at launch.

The book is not yet published. Retailer links, available formats, and release details will be added when confirmed.

EBOOKComing soon
PRINT EDITIONComing soon

BE THERE WHEN IT BEGINS

The world is waiting.
Get the first word.

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For parents, guardians, educators,
librarians, and adult readers.