Mad Shadows II: Dorgo the Dowser and The Order of the Serpent

I really enjoyed Joe Bonadonna's Mad Shadows: The Weird Tales of Dorgo the Dowser (review) which appeals to dark fantasy and weird fiction fans; Dorgo really is a superb blend of mystery and adventure. It is my pleasure to help announce his recently released sequel Mad Shadows II: Dorgo the Dowser and The Order of the Serpent available now! Shown below is a treat, since cover artists Erika Szabo also created a map of Aerlothia and we have it here!

Amazon USA / Amazon United Kingdom / Smashwords / CreateSpace

Synopsis: Dorgo the Dowser lives in a world where life is cheap and souls are always up for sale. Armed with a unique dowsing rod that can detect the residue of any supernatural presence or demonic entity, he can sense the vestiges of vile sorcery used in the commission of crimes. His adventures pit him against inter-dimensional creatures, friendly ghouls, raging cyclopes, psychopathic satyrs, and monstrous insects . . . not to forget a criminal underworld of duplicitous women and dangerous men.  This time around, Dorgo falls in love with a witch known as the Girl Who Loves Ghouls, battles creatures from another dimension, and meets one very special werecat named Crystal. It’s also the first time he hears about an ancient death cult known as the Order of the Serpent. Then, after a young woman is murdered and a deadly, dangerous book of arcane lore is stolen from her, Dorgo comes closer to learning more about this secret Order. But first he must battle both humans and demons in order to find and destroy “The Book of Echoes.”  Finally, Dorgo squares off against a horde of fiends born of dark sorcery when he tries to help a young girl who became trapped inside a powerful spell while attempting to destroy someone calling himself Ophidious Garloo.  Racing against time, Dorgo the Dowser uses every trick he knows to uncover the secret identity and learn the True Name of Ophidious Garloo -- the Undying Warlock who may very well be the leader of the Order of the Serpent.

More magic, murder, mystery and mayhem in this sequel to Mad Shadows: The Weird Tales of Dorgo the Dowser. MAD SHADOWS II -- DORGO THE DOWSER AND THE ORDER OF THE SERPENT. . . Heroic Fantasy with a film noir edge. Available in paperback and Kindle editions from Amazon, Smashwords, CreateSpace, and other online booksellers.

Map of AERLOTHIA by cover-artist Erika M. Szabo

JOE BONADONNA : Joe Bonadonna is the author of the heroic fantasy Mad Shadows: The Weird Tales of Dorgo the Dowser, published by iUniverse; the space opera Three Against The Stars, published by Airship 27 Productions; and the sword & sorcery adventure, Waters of Darkness, in collaboration with David C. Smith, published by Damnation Books/Caliburn Press. His latest novel, Mad Shadows II: Dorgo the Dowser and The Order of the Serpent has just been published by the author. He also has stories appearing in such anthologies and shared-universes as: Azieran: Artifacts and Relics, published by Heathen Oracle; GRIOTS 2: Sisters of the Spear, published by MVmedia; Heroika:Dragon Eaters; Poets in Hell; Doctors in Hell, and the forthcoming Pirates in Hell — all published by Perseid Press; and Sinbad: The New Voyages, Volume 4, published by Airship 27 Productions. His next novel, The MechMen of Canis-9, is scheduled to be published by Airship 27. He will have stories appearing soon in the shared-world anthologies Sha’Daa, in collaboration with Shebat Legion; and The Lost Empire of Sol, in collaboration with David C. Smith. In addition to his fiction, Joe has written a number of articles and book reviews for Black Gate online magazine, including the stories Queen of Toads, and The Moonstones of Sor Lunarum (from Mad Shadows 1), both of which can be read for free on Black Gate’s website.

You can find Joe on Facebook and Google+ , otherwise visit Joe’s Amazon Author’s page (link)  / or check out his blog, at: www.dorgoland.blogspot.com.

Goodreads Sword and Sorcery Group - Newcomers Guide

Sword and Sorcery Group Homepage (link)

Interested in participating in the Goodreads's Sword and Sorcery group? Click on the above link to join. Here is a starter's guide:

Be civil and leave your inner savage... is our group's mantra.

Who is there and why? Readers, authors, illustrators, and editors discuss Sword & Sorcery books and related media (movies, comics, blogposts, etc.).

Goodread guidelines: This group is a daughter of the parent Goodreads.com which has provided:

Guidelines for leaving Reviews 

...and Guidelines for Authors: 

Spamming / over zealous promotions: If you decide to advertise, please do so at an appropriate frequency after reading the S&S group guidelines 

Discussions: Some confusion is normal for new comers since we have parallel conversations going on simultaneously, and some members bounce between them. Many conversations are spread out over years. Some feedback:

1) Please do initiate conversations!

2) If possible, start conversations in a folder/thread already dedicated to the topic....but don't worry too much. I suggest browsing the ~14 top folders pretty much reveal where to go. Many times members will spawn a deep discussion in the Currently Reading folder; then we try to redirect people to dedicated areas

Here are links to some of the key folders:

Sword and Sorcery Group Homepage
Introduce Self and Get Started

General Discussions 

Writing Dark Fantasy 

Sites, Blogs and other Resources 

Groupreads

Networking 

Book Haul 

Crowdfunding 

Sword & Sorcery in other media 

Note the Search tool... in the right hand side of the screen on the group homepage (above the moderator pictures); that is an easy way to find books/authors/topics of interest to you

Groupreads are staggered: 2 months periods...and two topics each. About half way thru, we'll poll to identify the topics for the next period. Final results are emailed ~1week prior, but the polling status can be seen on the group's homepage at anytime (bottom).

We never delete/archive discussions (Groupread topics or otherwise), so many previous discussions are still available ... and its perfectly fine to continue/resurrect those even if they are years old.

Lumley's Hero of Dreams - Review by S.E.

Hero of Dreams by Brian Lumley
S.E. rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sword and Mythos fiction- too Entertaining to be Horrific

Brian Lumley’s Hero of Dreams is an overt mashup of Lovecraft’s Dreamcycle and Leiber’s Fafred and Gray Mouser series. The premise is great and reinforces Lumley’s Khash series written in a similar vein (i.e. fun Sword & Sorcery adventure in a Weird-Fiction, Cthulhu-esque world). The stories are too fun for a reader to feel horror or tension, but the milieu is enjoying to explore. Like Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories The Swords of Lankhmar, the Scooby-Doo vibe emanates from the story: there are horrors show, but the story is too fun to be scared.

One could argue that horrific landscapes need to be fun or they can’t be enjoyed at length (i.e. H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath comes to mind, a rare novel length adventure that is really difficult to read…even by die-hard weird fiction readers desperate to learn more of Pickman!). Hero of Dreams is reminiscent of Michael Shea’s Nifft the Lean stories; Hero of Dreams somehow makes reading about the First Ones and Eldritch Gods really easy.

Your tour guides are the waking-world dreamers David Hero and Eldin (and their woman side kick, and Dreamland native Aminza). Ostensibly, by waking day, David Hero is “really” an artist and Eldin (Leonard Dingle) a professor; these characteristics are shed in Dreamland. They have superior strength and dexterity versus the native dream things, but are not as powerful as the god-like First Ones or skilled in magic like the sorcerers they stumble upon. There are plenty of call-outs to Cthulhu and Lumley’s own Titus Crow (Lumley’s weird fiction character, i.e., from The Transition of Titus Crow). They come into direct contact with the elders and anthropoid termites as they quest for the three magic wands (with ties to Cthulhu no less).

My edition is a 1986 one from W. Paul Ganley. He printed was a conduit for Lumley into the US Market, printing mush of his work first before large publishers reprinted his works. He also had them illustrated. Jean Corbin illustrated this one and the dozen illustration do add to the adventure, with compelling renditions of night-gaunts and Ter-men.

Lumley’s Dreamland Series:
1-Hero of Dreams
2-Ship of Dreams
3-Mad Moon of Dreams
4-Iced on Aran



Lumley's Khash series, Tales of the Primal Land:
The Compleat Khash: Volume One: Never a Backward Glance
The Compleat Khash: Volume Two: Sorcery In Shad
(reprinted later in a series starting with Tarra Khash: Hrossak!: Tales of the Primal Land)



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Jan-Feb: Staveley's Unhewn Throne and Anthologies - Groupreads

Jan-Feb 2017 Groupreads Topics have been decided! Please join us in the Sword and Sorcery group on goodreads as we tackle:

(Link to ) Anthologies Folder : Yes this is our annual tradition of delving into new and old short stories that are at the heart of the genre.

(Link to) Staveley's Unhewn Throne Folder : And its time for novel reading too!

Masthead Banner Credits
Representing “Anthologies”: Raphael Lacoste’s cover for the Beneath Ceaseless Skies’s Issue #209, Eighth Anniversary Double-Issue — September 29, 2016. Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue #209 by editor Scott H. Andrews

Representing “Unhewn Throne”: Richard Anderson’s cover for Brian Staveley’s The Providence of Fire (second in the Unhewn Throne Series).

  

Holiday Card 2016 - Promise and Peace

May every sunrise
hold more Promise,
and every sunset
hold more Peace

 - Irish blessing

Happy New Years!

Team Lindberg 2016

To moderate embarrassment, we show Erin and Connor sans hats

2016 has been interesting, with Erin getting her driver's license and Connor growing fast enough to make his father feel small. Seth continues with his writing hobby, this year appearing and moderating on author panels for the first time (at the World Fantasy Convention); he has a few works in progress that should appear next year. Seth and Connor continue to enjoy Aikido under Domaschko Sensei (it's a great martial art for disarming folk without inflicting harm, and tossing family members). Heidi has been continuing to build her photography portfolio, and this year's card features one of her snapshots from an angel in Spring Grove Cemetery (Cincinnati OH). Some runner-up options are below:

West Chester Cemetery

West Chester Cemetery

Spring Grove Cemetery

The angel theme echoes of past angel cards from 2007 and 2011 (below); the sunset/sunrise key in 2012 and 2013 (MMXII and MMXIII). See all cards since 1998 (link).

2007 Lindberg Card

2011 Lindberg Card

With Heidi's meticulous scoping out cemeteries at various times & lighting conditions, the natural shading on the main subject was all taken care of (for many angels). The background didn't have our desired clouds, so some simple masking/merging with another photo in Photoshop fixed that. Then all we had to do is agree on some artificial color casting. Obviously, we needed to have a sunset/sunrise feel to match the interior blessing, which we eventually achieved.

Printing / Proofs / Traditional Font Disputes

Heidi always wins the font discussion. She cut my Roman Numerals (shown in the above Photoschop screen, and used previously on many cards) and then offered her keen eye on the faux sunlight. In addition to tackling the RGB to CMYK conversion, it's always best to get a proof in one's hand.  We print from PSprint.com which has a proofing option. It takes ~1-2 weeks to print/receive/review a proof, so much of November involved the Lindberg's bickering over subtle colors. Turns out, Heidi steered this too.

Cheers to all, and may everyone embarrass their friends and family! 

Lindberg kids loving their hats!

Guest Post - the Promise in Cover Art

Just weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Brenda Carre at the World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, Ohio as we shared seats on the “Writers – Artist Panel.”  She invited me to continue our writer-artist discussion focusing on cover design on her blog.

Follow this link and catch a glimpse of the next Dyscrasia Fiction

Thanks Brenda!

Wagner's Conan Pastiche - The Road of Kings

Conan: Road of Kings by Karl Edward Wagner
S.E. rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wagner's pastiches are highly recommended. A groupread from the Sword & Sorcery group in Goodreads led me to this. In short, the milieu was true to Hyborbian Age. Also, it followed Conan's development from buccaneer to potential king well; this would serve as a great prequel to REH"s only novel length Conan story The Hour of the Dragon.

Karl Edward Wagner was a dark fantasy hero, taking editing and writing very seriously. His expertise in adventure horror led him to develop the Sword & Sorcery amoral hero Kane (Gods in Darkness: The Complete Novels of Kane), which is legendary stuff. He also paid homage to Robert E. Howard by writing two pastiches: one for REH's hero Bran Mak Morn called Bran Mak Morn: Legion From The Shadows (a sequel to the Worms of the Earth short) and one for Conan called Conan: The Road of Kings. In both cases, Wagner took care to represent REH's Hyborian Age/milieu well while extending the canon slightly.

KEW ensured that Hyborian Age's historic cataclysms affected current life. The same events that sank Atlantis also covered the city of Kordova, the central local of this this book. The still inhabitable, underground city called the Pit and the drowned Kalenius's Tomb are not passive backdrops of history ... but affect the future of the land. The Pit was a great idea, only partially realized. Imagine manor houses and streets at the base of a grand canyon. There were many instances of fiery riots, but the consequences (like excess smoke/oxygen deprivation... and a lack of visibility were not demonstrated). "The Road of Kings" was written in 1979, before the popular Arnold movie that began with the oft quoted below (paraphrased from REH’s opening to Phoenix in the Sword).

“Know, oh prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars—Nemedia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyperborea, Zamora with its dark-haired women and towers of spider-haunted mystery, Zingara with its chivalry, Koth that bordered on the pastoral lands of Shem, Stygia with its shadow-guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose riders wore steel and silk and gold. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Aquilonia, reigning supreme in the dreaming west. Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen- eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."—The Nemedian Chronicles -Phoenix in the sword 1932 REH

“Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure! - Wizard from Conan the Barbarian Movie 1982”

Conan: The Road of Kings delivers everything one would want in a pastiche-- even REH's voice. REH wrote in short story form for Conan, this novel somehow still reads similarly. It's pace was uber-fast and the fight scene's grim. The milieu was true to Hyborbian Age as discussed above. Also, it followed Conan's development from buccaneer to potential king well; this would serve as a great prequel to REH"s only novel length Conan story The Hour of the Dragon. It was also true to the Sword and Sorcery genre that spawned from REH: Callidos's Stygian Necromancy and controlling of the golem-esque Final Guard worked well for the "sorcery", and plenty of melee satisfied the "sword" aspect.

Illustrations by Tim Kirk start out nicely grim (i.e., execution charms and souvenirs , i.e., hands and heads that amplify the story) but then quickly turn into a sparse picture book glossary for armor and weapons (halberds, swords, etc. that don't add much to the story). Keeping this from a 5-star is the Climax and Ending. The story arc was well designed but the delivery fell a little flat; the last chapter felt rushed and would have been better served drawn out. That said, Conan: The Road of Kings was a great fast read that will satisfy cravings for more Conan...but will only leave you wanting even another helping!



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