A deadly flu pandemic has forced a keystone species of woodpeckers into extinction. The sudden loss of the Imperials has created panic and instability throughout the region. The surviving kingdoms have taken precautions to ensure their survival, including a population of great horned owls who are forced to abandon their traditional nesting sites inside the contaminated Imperial Forest.

With the spring nesting season fast approaching, the owls attempt to secure new nests by attacking the ravens of Nevermore. Maven, a juvenile raven, narrowly escapes but is separated from his family. After learning the reason for the attack, Maven begins a desperate search to find any surviving Imperials. He believes doing so will help end the conflict and reunite his family.

Maven is assisted by a foreign macaw, named Perce, who claims to know the location of an Imperial. Perce convinces Maven to join him on his journey, and together they roam inhospitable lands, fight off hungry vultures, and travel long distances until they arrive at Turtle Island, Perce’s remote tropical home. The island is inhabited by a tribe of warrior macaws who await the fulfillment of a prophetic vision—a vision that Maven ultimately realizes centers on him.

The Search for the Last Imperial is the first in a series of fantasy novels that uses various species of birds as main characters. The story incorporates a plotline evolved around the natural behaviors of these majestic animals and explores universal themes of self-discovery, survival, and deception, as well as spiritual themes of identity, grace, and hope.