Showing results by author "G.D. Penman" in All Categories

Absalom Scryne, the greatest wizard of his generation, has been murdered. There's no other explanation for why his consciousness now resides in his well-worn but perfectly pointed hat. Well, he isn't going to take that lying down . . . or hanging from a branch, as the case may be.

Answers and vengeance are so close that Absalom Scryne can almost taste them. Perhaps if his consciousness had been transferred to a pair of shoes instead of a hat, he would've had the necessary tongue to do so . . . Having made it through the Badlands by the skin of his crooked yellow teeth, Ig the kobold celebrated the achievement by blowing everyone up. Now, separated from the unhygienic scalp of his apprentice, Absalom must navigate the pitch-black underworld.

Artemio Volpe may have bested the Arazi Dragonlords on the field of battle, but in his absence, the capital has been taken by Agrantine zealots. Behind enemy lines, surrounded by blades of meteoric iron that can blunt his magic, he must find the missing Twin Kings of Espher and escort them to safety, or all will be lost.

Maulkin didn't know dying would mean a new eternity of dungeon delving, monster slaying, and glory hunting. If he had, he wouldn't have been so worried about kicking the bucket on a date gone even more wrong than usual. Reborn in the wild world of Amaranth, Maulkin finds himself in a hulking demi-human body with a sword of a size to match. Marked as an Eternal, a fledging immortal of boundless potential, Maulkin soon discovers he's been given a mission by the elder pantheon of this new realm.

When Martin's raiding guild join the latest virtual reality MMO, they discover a challenge like no other. Strata Online is a hundred floor mega-dungeon, filled with an ever-shifting ecosystem of monsters. Martin's team soon find themselves in a race against the world’s strongest guilds, all competing to be the first to reach the unbeatable game's lowest depths. Stranger still, they must now contend with Sin, a twisted morality meter which can transform a players’ class into its dark counterpart.

Artemio Volpe must contend with more than simple intrigue. The embers of war burn bright beyond the horizon of the northern steppes, his already estranged family has been hounded by the assassinations, and the shades of the dead pervade his body and mind, granting him their power at a terrible price. 

Maulkin and his Eternal buddies are on a roll. They're getting stronger, have two of the shards that will help prevent the return of an evil god, and even have a good idea where to find the rest. Maybe Maulkin has taken a month off to hang out with his new elven girlfriend and learn how to swing his giant sword around, but hasn't he earned a holiday? 

Artemio Volpe has been crowned king of Espher, restoring his ancient line to power—and inheriting the worst crisis the kingdom has ever faced. The Arazi Dragon Lords descend from the north. With flame and blade, they will purge all in their path to see the shadebound witch Orsina destroyed and their prophecies fulfilled. From the south march all the armies of the God-Emperor of Agrant, legions of soldiers backed by the unfathomable power of the living god himself.

Absalom Scryne isn't himself. On the one hand, he's a well-rounded gentleman of a sentient hat with two beloved apprentices and a tagalong swordsman. On the other, he's a rather furious wizard sitting on the opposite side of a desk, demanding they give back his hat. Needless to say, it's not an ideal situation. And it's about to get worse. Because the battle between civilization and all the monsters of the Badlands and the underworld is about to begin.

Trapped inside the game that they once loved, Iron Riot are now faced with a slow death by dehydration as their bodies in the real world are left to rot. The Masters, enigmatic creators of Strata, are willing to let anyone die so long as it preserves their perfect imaginary world. But there was one thing that they haven’t accounted for: A rat with a plan. If Iron Riot can finish the game before the timer runs out, defeat the Archdukes, beat the system, and show everyone what they are capable of, then they’ll have the attention of the whole world.

Maulkin and his Eternal allies may have just caused the apocalypse, but at least they’re doing it with style. The Voidgod is back and the Alvaren Queen is now convinced that Maulkin is the second coming of the Voidgod himself, but at least they have the totally awesome magic sword made out of the weapon that put the big bad down for a long nap last time! No wait, they don’t. The first thing Araphel did after stretching and yawning was to turn it to dust.

When Martin's raiding guild join the latest virtual reality MMO, they discover a challenge like no other. Strata Online is a 100-floor mega-dungeon, filled with an ever-shifting ecosystem of monsters. Martin's team soon find themselves in a race against the world’s strongest guilds, all competing to be the first to reach the unbeatable game's lowest depths. But unlike other games, Martin will need as much courage as skill to progress. Because the deeper he goes, the darker Strata gets.

Martin and Iron Riot have made their mark on the Dungeons of Strata, slaying the first of the nightmarish Archdukes faster than anyone could have hoped. Yet the dungeon has left its marks on them, too. Scarred with wounds that will not heal and changed in ways that he cannot comprehend, Martin must contend with the mysterious true nature of the game and the lengths that the Masters who made this world are willing to go to keep their secrets.