Dyrk Ashton Books in Order

Dyrk Ashton was born in Athens, Ohio, on Halloween, then spent his early years moving with his family before growing up in farm country in northwest Ohio. His childhood had plenty of woods, rivers, orchards, ditches, haymows, soccer, and BB gun battles. It also had books.

He read widely as a kid, starting with Stuart Little and moving through adventure, mystery, horror, and fantasy. Jules Verne, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Roger Zelazny were among the writers he returned to. School did well enough by him, apart from algebra.

Ashton initially studied business at Ohio University and the University of Toledo, but changed course when his father encouraged him to pursue what he actually wanted. He went on to Ohio State University, where he earned both a BFA and a master's degree in filmmaking.

Film work came first. In Columbus, he worked his way from production assistant to grip, production manager, and producer on commercials, industrial films, and low-budget features. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he wrote and pitched scripts while taking on a long list of production jobs, including editing, sound work, cinematography, assistant directing, and producing. He also worked as a professional actor, usually in small roles that passed quickly.

Hollywood was useful, even if it wasn't forever.

After nearly six years in Los Angeles, Ashton returned to the Midwest and earned a PhD in film studies from Bowling Green State University. His dissertation focused on The Lord of the Rings films. He taught film full time for several years, then shifted to independent online teaching, a change that finally gave him more room to read fiction again and start putting his own long-held story ideas on the page.

That led to Paternus: Rise of Gods in 2016, followed by Paternus: Wrath of Gods and Paternus: War of Gods. The trilogy throws ordinary young people into a modern-day conflict involving gods, monsters, and legends from many cultures. Readers who enjoy big casts, myth-heavy worldbuilding, escalating danger, and a story that moves from a hospital escape to a worldwide war will find the shape of Ashton's work there. The companion stories Berserker and Deluge add historical corners to that same world.

Then came a very different kind of beast bond. With David Estes, Ashton co-wrote Kraken Rider Z and its sequel, Thunder Kraken. These books follow Zee Tarrow and Jessup, the kraken he saves in a kingdom built around dragon riders, ships, and dangerous seas. The series keeps the fantasy adventure large, but brings in school training, friendship, and a more playful sense of fun.

His stories tend to make room for monsters, old myths, underdogs, and people who learn that the world is much stranger than they were told.

Ashton lives in Ohio and continues to work across writing, teaching, and storytelling. He still likes the outdoors, movies, fantasy, science fiction, and comic-book-inspired stories. The kid who spent his time climbing trees and reading about impossible places clearly never lost interest in either pursuit.