Red Rex

In a hidden kingdom where dinosaurs roam freely, Carthus is trapped.

The thirteen-year-old orphan guards a stegosaurus herd for an uncaring relative, and trusts only himself. He dreams of training as a dinosaur rider at the ancient school of Koganri. Because he’s a commoner, the only way into Koganri is an impossibly hard entrance exam. Undeterred by the countless hours of study, he earns the kingdom’s only passing grade.

Carthus enters Koganri with the goal of winning the Maybranch. This award goes to the champion of a series of dinosaur-riding competitions, and is the key to future glory.

But Carthus can’t win the Maybranch by himself. It’s a team competition. And Koganri’s elitist schoolmasters group him with the outcasts and misfits. Those same schoolmasters plot to rid Koganri of students they deem unworthy. They will expel Carthus and his team—unless they win the Maybranch.

To keep his dream alive, Carthus must joust on dinosaurs, fly on pterodactyls, and give commands to a surly t-rex. He must also learn to rely on his new friends, and to trust in something beyond himself.

Coming August 2024

Matthew Mellema

Matthew Mellema was born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where—among other things—he lived close to dinosaur bones. After earning an English degree and a law degree, Matt found himself back in Colorado, where the dinosaur bones of his childhood reignited his imagination. Matt lives with his family in Colorado Springs where he’s a member artist of the Anselm Society’s Arts Guild. He is co-host of one of Anselm’s podcasts, “Believe to See.” This is a podcast about the arts, faith, and the things you’d talk about with your arts-loving friends at your local pub.