Dark venture
by T.C. Rypel
Category: Fiction

Two NEW tales of GONJI SABATAKE, the itinerant samurai-Viking warrior! A rallying cry for fans of the popular 1980s heroic-fantasy series. An ideal entry point for new readers! The novelette "Reflections in Ice" -- picking up a mature Gonji, already well into his ca. 1600 A.D. European adventures, ensnared in a desperate crossfire between monstrous oppressors: the undead assassins of the Dark Company; and mysterious horrors residing in remote caves of the snowbound Pyrenees... The novella "Dark Venture" -- the most intense, action-packed and classic-pulp-worthy Gonji tale in the canon. The first-ever story of "young Gonji," in dishonored exile from his native land. Now facing deadly peril during a bizarre and ghastly sea voyage; caught in the clutches of a hell where corrupted spells of evil magic go to die... ALSO included is the essay "The GONJI Odyssey"—the definitive chronicle of the series’ creation and publishing history... PLUS, a generous preview of the coming NEW Gonji novel: the audacious origin tale of Gonji’s world -- BORN OF FLAME AND STEEL! "People will not know what hit them when they read 'Dark Venture.' It’s one of the most exciting (and gruesomely bonkers) sword-&-sorcery stories I’ve had the pleasure of reading." --Fletcher Vredenburgh, Black Gate Magazine "One of the most original characters in heroic fantasy returns in all-new adventures that are truly epic. The return of Gonji Sabatake is a cause for epic celebration." --Joe Bonadonna, MAD SHADOWS