Epic Anthology

"Dagon." Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) is a novelist famous for his horror stories, fantasy and science fiction. Although he was not famous during his lifetime, his work is now considered a classic of literature. Lovecraft's work has influenced many authors, including Stephen King, who considers him "the greatest craftsman of the classic horror story of the 20th century."

A time so very long ago decided the very fate of our race. Men and women once survived below the Earth's crust. Our faces, banished from the warmth of the sun, and left to the darkness and the cold stone. Our tale has been told so many times by so many different people. Yet, no one heeds the warnings, and the message of the tale is lost from generation to generation. The time is coming again, oh so very soon it will be upon us. Darkness will fall upon the Earth, and one of the five races will reign supreme.

Thirteen-year-old Varka, who lost her father, is hired as a servant and a babysitter in a shoemaker's house. All day long, she is forced to fulfill the owners’ orders, and later, she sits all night long by the cradle, trying desperately not to fall asleep. Varka knows that she would be severely beaten for that by her masters….

At the edge of fatigue on the last vestiges of sight he sees it. Carrying the purest blade ever forged he pursues it. Filth. Vile and wretched creature. He spits. Born out of corruption and slavery. Grass blackening. Uncertainty. Who is he? Does he have what it takes?

Decades of deception rule a land built on mystic traditions, shrouded fables, and heroic legends. A village bent by the tyranny of an oppressive overlord rallies behind the single, strong-willed man who can save them from destruction. His name is Ralic, the son of Ralic the 11th and chosen liberator of his people. Armed with the Sword of Destiny, the only weapon powerful enough to destroy the evil overlord, Ralic seeks the hidden, dark castle tucked away in the furthest recesses of a forbidden forest.

Marko has never sailed before, being a street urchin from the Bakrasahni capital city of Mynea. During his first voyage on the Sea of Tears, he discovers his captain is famous, and may be more than he seems. Unfortunately, evil has found them, and Marko may not make it home again. Such is the life of a cabin boy aboard the HMS Titan's Hand. The story is set in Bakrasah, a fantasy realm of magic and mayhem, and of a fallen kingdom and shining cities.

This story originally appeared in Mindflights Magazine in Sept. 2008.

The City on the Rock is dying. It rests on Salan, Captain of the Tower Guard, to find out why.

Hope - The most precious of all the gifts from the gods and the only one saved when Pandora lost the others. But, how will the world cope when a major disaster strikes and it seems that hope is finally gone?

When Angli cattle thieves slaughter his wife and son, Dwras son of Gwyn vows revenge upon their murderers. But how can a mere farmer prevail against ruthless, trained warriors? For the answer Dwras must look not to his sword, but within his heart.

A gift of power was once handed down to one of the earliest inhabitants of the planet Kaliya, and through countless lifetimes the gift has altered the patterns of fate for all beings who live there. Though the power of the violet fire is inherently good, it was indeed an inconceivably dark force that first brought it there. The Star Gazer, a primitive and wooly beast who was not wholly unlike the Khurran of Wild Mountain, must bear the frightening responsibility of keeping the power safe, lest it forever be cast into oblivion!

Intelligence told the High Command that the Mar Tabban, arch enemies of the Citizens' Army, had moved into the territory garrisoned by Larian's Regiment. In response, the Regimental Commander sent the B company scouts, Larian's unit, out to investigate. On his first operational assignment, Larian has to overcome inexperience and his own fear and uncertainty if he wants to survive and get the information his Regiment needs to emerge victorious.

The Bluesman - musician, magician, lethal killer. Thrown into our world from a parallel universe, the Bluesman seeks to save the Earth from being overrun by the horrid, mutated creatures that came with him. Armed with magic, skill, and his companion, Scotch, he faces these monsters hoping to create a peaceful world for all.

Pietro, a young man, has never killed: something rare for the corrupt city of Peregoth and totally alien to the tropics of Molkoro, where circumstances will soon take him. In the sweltering jungle, his purity has become a commodity to the ettin invaders and their lord, the dark Vexor. But how long can his innocence last in a godless land?

Before coming north, Brandin of Lotin, a farmhand, fought for his independence in the southlands. Battling against the tyrannical rule of Bradick of Thukra, the hopeful King of the region, Brandin risks everything for a chance at true freedom. How can such a man keep his dignity and hold to bravery under oppression, against odds, with his life teetering precariously at the edge of reason? (A short introduction to the world of the forthcoming "Kingdom of Ash" series, to be released in autumn of 2012)

Angrok, a great warrior, is called many things: a terrible destroyer by his many enemies, and a powerful avenger by those he chooses to save. This collection brings together two of Angrok's adventures as told from the perspective of his assistant Marcellus. In "Angrok the Avenger", Marcellus and his master take revenge upon a dangerous city of spider worshippers. In "Angrok the Destroyer", they come to Bezakirah, a desert city controlled by two fanatical and increasingly warlike houses. Whether he is a destroyer or an avenger, you decide.