Guardians of Dragon Keep (Dark Undermaster #2) is now available

The sequel to my humorous LitRPG isekai is now available for those who want to pick up a copy! On Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and in paperback!

“So, what you’re saying is the Dragon Queen is dead.”

“No, what I’m saying is the Dragon Queen is dead and there’s an imposter carrying on in her place. Possibly someone you know. Your girlfriend’s ex is back from the dead. Your brother is evil. A dead god is trying to take over your body. We’re running out of time until it becomes impossible to save the world. Also, I’m pretty sure the giant blind redheaded swordswoman chick wants to bang you to death.”

“So, normal Tuesday.”

    Aragorn “Aaron” Bartkowski and his merry band of miscreants are back! Having successfully slain the demon god Chernabog, they’ve managed to buy a little more time for the planet Mokosh. However, a hero’s work is never done, especially when a hero is underleveled and with low WIS. From a mission to a haunted vampire-filled castle to rescue the little girl Pope to the deeps of elven territory to the heart of Ledziana’s civil war, Aaron must now engage with the complicated politic underlying the dark fantasy setting he’s found himself in. It’s win or die when playing the games of kings and queens, though, and our hero is absolutely terrible at them.

    GUARDIANS OF DRAGON KEEP is the second volume of the Dark Undermaster Saga, a humorous send up of dark fantasy like Game of Thrones, The Witcher, and Dark Souls. It is a progression fantasy LitRPG that follows the adventures of video game computer programmer, Aaron Bartkowski as he is hurled bodily into the world of his favorite author, Larry C.C. Weis. Unfortunately, Weis turns out to have been much better at stealing from other, better, authors than he was in giving his heroes a break.

Available here

Book Giveaway – Lords of Dragon Keep Oct 17-20th

Book Giveaway

Hey folks,

I am incredibly happy to share the news that LORDS OF DRAGON KEEP, the first book of the Dark Undermaster Saga is going to be free for the next three days (October 17th to 20th). If you wanted to pick up a copy of the hilarious story of a guy getting dumped into a Witcher/Game Of Thrones-esque universe and doing his best to do a Paragon run while increasing his stats D&D style (which makes him an utter monster) then this is the book for you. Laughs galore. The sequel is almost finished on Royal Road too.

“A hilarious parody of everything fantasy fans love and hate in equal measure.” – The Bookwyrm Speaks

High ratings and positive feedback so far! 🙂

Blurb

“Give me the incredibly short summary of what the hell is going on, please. The kind you could fit into a movie trailer.”
“You’re trapped in a video game world based on a hack dark fantasy author’s rip-off of better books.”
“Uh huh. Maybe you could be a bit more detailed.”

Aragorn “Aaron” Bartkowski was a programmer working at Epic DungeoneeringTM, the world’s largest fantasy video game company. Much to his surprise, he was selected to pick up the latest manuscript from reclusive author Larry C.C. Weis. Weis had been working on his newest book for over a decade and the good folk at Aaron’s company had dibs on adapting it. Unfortunately, Weis was also a wizard and sent Aaron to the world that inspired his books.

Aaron proceeded to find himself in a Slavic mythology themed world where he’s believed to be Weis’ main character, Garland of Nowhere. Equipped with the powers of a RPG protagonist, Aaron must accumulate experience and equipment while navigating a setting that seems worse off than Game of Thrones and Dark Souls put together.

LORDS OF DRAGON KEEP is a LitRPG progression fantasy isekai that takes the grim out of grimdark with biting humor as well as intelligent exploitation of the rules. It has excellent world-building, a great supporting cast, a bit of romance, and lots of laughs. Oh and there’s a talking raven.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lords-Dragon-Keep-Dark-Undermaster-ebook/dp/B0DF38YSTD/

Royal Road: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/89337/lords-of-dragon-keep-a-humorous-isekai-litrpg

Always Chaotic Evil: In Defense of Orcs and Anti-Elves

Ragnarok Publications was kind enough to share a short little essay by me on my favorite misunderstood monster in fantasy: the orc. Who doesn’t love those green-skinned ne’er-do-wells? Well, apparently the gods of fantasy don’t because they always get the short end of the stick. But what is “evil” in fantasy and why must it always be the pug-looking tusked warrior races? I don’t get into it in-depth but my article talks a little about how it ties into my upcoming book Wraith Knight.

Check out the article here

Grimdark Magazine 6# is out with articles by me


I’m pleased to say Grimdark Magazine, a great fanzine I have a lot of respect for, has seen fit to include two articles by me in their latest publication. These are, “WHO IS THE GRIMDARK VILLAIN?” which is a sequel to a similar article by in Grimdark Magazine 5#. I also do a review of the Dishonored Definitive Edition. There’s a really great interview with Aliette de Bodard plus a round table discussion of grimdark with Tim Marquitz, Geoff Brown, Katie Cord, and Shawn Speakman. This is in addition to all the usual goodies like short stories and book reviews.

Purchase Grimdark Magazine 6#  at Grimdark Magazine’s website or on Amazon.com.

GRIMDARK MAGAZINE 5# has two articles by me

GDM_5_COVER_SMALL_1024x1024

I’m pleased to say GRIMDARK MAGAZINE, a great fanzine I have a lot of respect for, has seen fit to include two articles by me in their latest publication. These are, “WHO IS THE GRIMDARK HERO?” which analyzes what sort of protagonist is found in those types of books as well as a review of THE WITCHER 3. There’s also some really great interviews with folk like PETER ORULLIAN and JAMES A. MOORE.

Hilariously, Peter Orullian references our review of BLACKGUARDS: TALES OF ASSASSINS, MERCENARIES, AND THIEVES. Why is it hilarious? He was one of the few negative reviews I gave about the short stories therein. Oh well, Peter, we still love you and your work.

Available for purchase here and on Amazon.com.