Dekason: Book One of The Twilight Galaxy Series

by Ken Lizzi

First in The Twilight Galaxy series. A swashbuckling science fantasy adventure in the tradition of classic
sword and planet fiction.
Carkston Monitor is a swordsman without a future. On his pre-industrial home world of Kvasir, a bold
scheme to earn a seat among the nobility collapses spectacularly — leaving him drunk in a roadside
tavern when a spaceship captain named Welloons makes him an offer he can't refuse.
The offer lands Carkston on a civilized world populated by aristocrats who fight duels over
jacket colors, argue bitterly about the proper shades of seasonal attire, and let the machinery of their
civilization slowly rust in place. He's sold at auction for thirty-five thousand besants to Ahteen the Younger
— young, arrogant, surprisingly dangerous with a blade — and settles in as fencing master and novelty
exhibit at the Geotherm Syndicate estate.
The arrangement lasts until Ahteen, facing social ruin, throws Carkston to the wolves to save his own
reputation. Suddenly Carkston is a man without a position, without legal standing on an alien world, and
with a vengeful nobleman paying licensed killers to put him in the ground.
Which means it's time to improvise.
Teaming up with Bestian — charming gangster, reluctant idealist, and head of an Unsanctioned House —
Carkston turns the social warfare of Dekason's aristocracy against itself. He didn't come here to change
the world. But somebody's going to bleed before he goes home.
Perfect for fans of Jack Vance, Leigh Brackett, and classic adventure science fiction. Complete story,
more to come in The Twilight Galaxy series.

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 25, 2026

About the author

Ken Lizzi is an attorney and the author of an assortment of published short stories. His novels include "Reunion", "Under Strange Suns", "Thick As Thieves", the "Semi-Autos and Sorcery" series, and the "Falchion's Company" series. When not traveling - and he'd rather be traveling - he lives in Texas with his lovely wife Isa and energetic daughter V.V. He enjoys reading, homebrewing, exercise, and visiting new places. He loathes writing about himself in the third person.