I am happy to report that Book Three in my “World After Death” series, Dark Seas of Maldrinium, has just been published. The story is a “revised-the-living-crap-out-of-it” version of a book that first came out in the late 1970s. It is also the first half of a strange tale that will be concluded later this year in the series’ final book, Slaves of Maldrinium.
LIFE AFTER DEATH CAN BE CHALLENGING
Main protagonist Dannus Erekwane, once known as Eric Wayne prior to his death on planet Earth, has enjoyed a few peaceful years on Maldrinium since his experiences in Warlord of Maldrinium and Caves of Maldrinium. But did he think it would last forever?
On the otherwise joyous day that Dannus and Marana celebrate their daughter’s third birthday, the ruler of the Jennithusian Continent arrives at their home with some disturbing news. All contact has been lost with the coastal city of Vialk, home to at least forty thousand people. Some dark and mysterious force is preventing anyone from approaching the city, both from the sea and the land.
Dannus, along with brother-in-law Vassio and good friend Trovian, join in the quest to try and solve the mystery of Vialk. Their attempt to approach it by sea brings them up against an invisible, mind-wrenching barrier of evil that causes a number of their shipmates to go mad and take their own lives, rather than go any farther.
AN EVEN GREATER MYSTERY
Lashing themselves to the deck, Dannus and the others endure unimaginable horrors before making it through the barrier. They sail into the harbor of Vialk, the busiest port on the entire Jennithusian Continent—where not a single vessel can be found. But far more disturbing: nearly all of Vialk’s forty thousand citizens are gone—vanished, without a trace. A few thousand elders remain, all dead, all with expressions of horror frozen on their faces.
No, there is one who still lives: he is Theestur, oldest and wisest of all Jennithusians. He is near death and cannot speak, but just before dying he points a trembling finger across the sea. Those who understand his message are stunned. The answer to the mystery of Vialk, they believe, lies far across the waves on the Feroonian Continent, a foreboding land long avoided by the Jennithusians. And worse: to reach it they must pass through the deadly Black Straits, from which few ships have ever returned.
I think you would agree: Dannus and his mates have one hell of a challenge ahead of them.
A personal note: I initially wrote the Dannus books nearly four decades ago, and when I revised the first two books last year I found that I barely remembered the stories. While doing the same earlier this year with what would become Dark Seas of Maldrinium, I got so caught up with the mystery aspect of the story that I actually did a speed-read on the sequel before undertaking any revisions on it, just to find out what happened. I had no clue how I’d resolved it. (I don’t know, maybe it’s Old-timer’s Disease or something. 🙂 )
Dark Seas of Maldrinium is available from Amazon on Kindle. The paperback will be available later this week. The first two “World After Death” books are available in both formats. Enjoy!