The Unreachable Continent
The Unreachable Continent is a planned stand alone novel about a man who is part of the intelligencia of his nation, and whose father has lifted him and the entire family them out of poverty, and into great riches simply out of his own ingenuity. However, his son realizes that there is always a price to pay for lifting oneself up this way, as doing so upsets the old order, and they will not allow this to pass peacefully. When he asks one of his friends in the old order why they so fear families like his own, he's told that they can't risk others thinking they can rise above the royalty or become better than them, because deep down, unless you're a royal, you're pond scum to them and are thus only useful for gaining cheap riches or being exploited. While sitting in his study one day pondering this, one of his servants accidentily sends a map flying which lands in his lap. On it there is a small continent (more like an extremely large island) labeled "The unreachable continent".
When inquiring about the name he learns it's called that because nobody who has tried to land on the island has lived or succeeded. Thus it is considered unreachable and beyond the grasp of the intelligencia of the world. Realizing that this would be a perfect place to seek freedom for himself and all those like him, whom the old order seeks to destroy, to prevent the rise of others like him, he sets out to conquer the unreachable continent and make it his new home, and a home for all those who are persecuted by the old order. However, he quickly learns that the unreachable continent has a mind of its own, and won't let just anyone into its borders or set foot on its shores, as the island is more than a mere island. It is a living entity with a mind and a will of its own. The book's world is set in a roughly 1700's/1800's window of technology, complete with pirates, sailing ships and royalty.