Nameless Dwarf original novellas

A Dwarf With No Name is a FREE taster story from Annals of the Nameless Dwarf Book 4: Land of NightmareUnable to forgive himself for the massacre of thousands of his own kind under the influence of a cursed black axe, the Nameless Dwarf swears to do one last thing, even if it kills him:With Nils Fargin, the son of a Jeridium guild lord as his guide, Nameless pursues the surviving dwarves from the ravine city Arx Gravis, hoping to convince them that they are safe to return home now the black axe has been destroyed.The trail leads to the town of Malfen-a nest of cutthroats and the gateway to Cerreth, the Land of Nightmare, which would be suicide for the dwarves to enter.Nameless and Nils join forces with a shapeshifting assassin and a sorcerer under the sway of a dubious magical grimoire for the hazardous journey into Cerreth.It soon becomes apparent their new companions have agendas of their own. With threats from within and horror on every side, Nameless knows that time is running out for his people. The only surprise is that they have lasted so long. "Derek Prior always produces masterpieces of storytelling, with great characters full of life, relentless plots, and gripping and intense fight scenes." Mitchell Hogan"Like Bernard Cornwell on 'shrooms!" Dinorah WilsonInternationally bestselling and award winning author Derek Prior excels in fast-paced, high stakes epic fantasy adventure stories in which good ultimately triumphs, but always at a cost.Taking familiar fantasy tropes as a point of departure, Prior expands upon them to explore friendship, betrayal, loyalty and heroism in worlds where evil is an ever-present reality, magic is both a curse and a blessing, and characters are tempered in battle.Winner of best fantasy novel 2012 (The Nameless Dwarf: The Complete Chronicles)Fantasy Faction semifinalist for the SPFBO 2018 (Ravine of Blood and Shadow) First editions of the 5 novellas that made up the original Nameless Dwarf series.

The Axe of the Dwarf Lords is a novella-length story from Annals of the Nameless Dwarf Book 4: Land of NightmareNils wishes he'd never taken the job to escort a dwarf with no name on a madcap quest for redemption. Ilesa reckons she should have asked for a bigger bounty, and Silas is beginning to think the grimoire he stole from the Academy has a sinister will of its own.Nameless, on the other hand, is having the time of his life. After all, what more could a dwarf want than a horde of undead to splatter with his axe, a shape-shifting woman who does dwarf especially well, and a wizard who can produce ale out of thin air?But his ever fragile mood takes a turn for the worse when he discovers a terrible secret at the bottom of the sea-an unstoppable horror that destroyed an entire race, and a mythical axe that brings back the darkest of memories from his recent past. "Derek Prior always produces masterpieces of storytelling, with great characters full of life, relentless plots, and gripping and intense fight scenes." Mitchell Hogan"Like Bernard Cornwell on 'shrooms!" Dinorah WilsonInternationally bestselling and award winning author Derek Prior excels in fast-paced, high stakes epic fantasy adventure stories in which good ultimately triumphs, but always at a cost.Taking familiar fantasy tropes as a point of departure, Prior expands upon them to explore friendship, betrayal, loyalty and heroism in worlds where evil is an ever-present reality, magic is both a curse and a blessing, and characters are tempered in battle.Winner of best fantasy novel 2012 (The Nameless Dwarf: The Complete Chronicles)Fantasy Faction semifinalist for the SPFBO 2018 (Ravine of Blood and Shadow) First editions of the 5 novellas that made up the original Nameless Dwarf series.

The Scout and the Serpent is a novella-length story from Annals of the Nameless Dwarf Book 4: Land of NightmareWhen the wolf-men attack and the companions are split up, Nameless and Ilesa find themselves marooned on an island at the center of a newly formed lake. With the dwarf unable to swim, and a monstrous serpent patrolling the water, it's down to Ilesa to get them back to shore. But can she be trusted, what with the bounty on Nameless' head and her long history of betrayal?Nils's cat burgling past comes in handy when he takes to the trees to avoid being eaten, but it soon becomes apparent the wolf-men are the least of his worries. Someone, or something, is watching him from the depths of the forest …Meanwhile, Silas hides below ground in a giant burrow and draws upon the dark knowledge of the Liche Lord's grimoire to keep him safe. But how much credence should he give a book that promises everything? "Derek Prior always produces masterpieces of storytelling, with great characters full of life, relentless plots, and gripping and intense fight scenes." Mitchell Hogan"Like Bernard Cornwell on 'shrooms!" Dinorah WilsonInternationally bestselling and award winning author Derek Prior excels in fast-paced, high stakes epic fantasy adventure stories in which good ultimately triumphs, but always at a cost.Taking familiar fantasy tropes as a point of departure, Prior expands upon them to explore friendship, betrayal, loyalty and heroism in worlds where evil is an ever-present reality, magic is both a curse and a blessing, and characters are tempered in battle.Winner of best fantasy novel 2012 (The Nameless Dwarf: The Complete Chronicles)Fantasy Faction semifinalist for the SPFBO 2018 (Ravine of Blood and Shadow) First editions of the 5 novellas that made up the original Nameless Dwarf series.

The Ebon Staff is a novella-length story from Annals of the Nameless Dwarf Book 5: Skull of the Lich Lord.The dwarves have captured Nameless and left the Axe of the Dwarf Lords abandoned on the shore of the serpent's lake. With Ilesa gone, it's down to Nils and Silas to stage a rescue, but first they'll have to stop squabbling and find something they can agree on.Meanwhile, the legendary prevarication of the dwarven Council of Twelve is under threat from a people grown tired of indecision. The survivors of the Ravine Butcher's massacre want their pound of flesh.Blightey's grimoire makes more and more demands, and Silas suspects he no longer has any say in where it is leading him. As his body ails and he grows nostalgic for all he's left behind, his mind is usurped by visions of a forest of tar, and at its center, wreathed in briars, a staff of deepest ebony. "Derek Prior always produces masterpieces of storytelling, with great characters full of life, relentless plots, and gripping and intense fight scenes." Mitchell Hogan"Like Bernard Cornwell on 'shrooms!" Dinorah WilsonInternationally bestselling and award winning author Derek Prior excels in fast-paced, high stakes epic fantasy adventure stories in which good ultimately triumphs, but always at a cost.Taking familiar fantasy tropes as a point of departure, Prior expands upon them to explore friendship, betrayal, loyalty and heroism in worlds where evil is an ever-present reality, magic is both a curse and a blessing, and characters are tempered in battle.Winner of best fantasy novel 2012 (The Nameless Dwarf: The Complete Chronicles)Fantasy Faction semifinalist for the SPFBO 2018 (Ravine of Blood and Shadow) First editions of the 5 novellas that made up the original Nameless Dwarf series.

Bane of the Liche Lord is the conclusion of the original novella series: The Nameless Dwarf. The story is included in Annals of the Nameless Dwarf Book 5: Skull of the Lich Lord.All hell has broken loose in the Forest of Tar. Thousands of demonic Feeders consume everything in their path, but top of the menu is dwarf flesh.Nils has been captured by the Liche Lord Otto Blightey but would sooner be dead, and Nameless is on the run, carrying a warning of doom to the last of his people.As the Liche Lord and his horde of Feeders relentlessly pursue him, there is little time for Nameless to settle old scores, mend bridges, and pray that the survivors of his butchery at Arx Gravis can forgive him just enough for him to save them.Only problem is, he's not sure he has the strength or the courage for the task.With the sentient Axe of the Dwarf Lords as petrified as everyone else, the last hope of the dwarves lies in the hands of a shapeshifting assassin with a reputation for self-preservation at all costs. "Derek Prior always produces masterpieces of storytelling, with great characters full of life, relentless plots, and gripping and intense fight scenes." Mitchell Hogan"Like Bernard Cornwell on 'shrooms!" Dinorah WilsonInternationally bestselling and award winning author Derek Prior excels in fast-paced, high stakes epic fantasy adventure stories in which good ultimately triumphs, but always at a cost.Taking familiar fantasy tropes as a point of departure, Prior expands upon them to explore friendship, betrayal, loyalty and heroism in worlds where evil is an ever-present reality, magic is both a curse and a blessing, and characters are tempered in battle.Winner of best fantasy novel 2012 (The Nameless Dwarf: The Complete Chronicles)Fantasy Faction semifinalist for the SPFBO 2018 (Ravine of Blood and Shadow) First editions of the 5 novellas that made up the original Nameless Dwarf series.