About the book and audiobook

The Story

You’ve found the online home of Kazen Dayl and the Admiral of the Air, an action-adventure novel that’s equal parts steampunk epic, wartime saga, coming-of-age drama, and political thriller. At age 16, Kazen Dayl finds himself kicked out of school for a fight that he didn’t start. His parents send him away to avoid the threat of impending war, but his journey to safety takes increasingly harrowing turns. Kazen makes dangerous enemies, and perhaps even more dangerous friends, among them a teenaged quack doctor, an outlawed airship crew, poachers, mercenaries, monks, and a mysterious young aviatrix. Along the way, he’ll discover a long-lost poem, a legendary giant salamander, and a train full of gold.

How to Read It or Hear It

Look for Kazen Dayl and the Admiral of the Air on major platforms.

The Backstory

Hello, my name is Logan Hayward. I wrote and produced Kazen Dayl and the Admiral of the Air over the course of 13+ years. I began the first draft in October, 2011, finishing it in June, 2019. I revised the story multiple times in the following years.

I started working with an illustrator, Charles Wenaas, in 2022. Charlie and I go way back—he did an excellent job, and you can view his amazing work in the gallery and in the book.

I recorded the first draft of the audiobook at Lotown Studios in St. Louis, Missouri, in August of 2023. After more revisions, the final product reached completion in early 2025.