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The Widow Brigade
Honoree of the BRAG Medallion!
“If your death ever comes before mine, I hope the gods take my life soon after.” Duli and her husband had stated those words to each other several times. Then the day came when his dwarf kin brought his body back from the field of an ambush. As a non-clan dwarf, rendered beardless by old customs, her widowed status places her in the lowest caste of Tok-Maurron.
Fearful of her future under a chauvinistic crafters’ guild, and unwilling to complete her suicide attempt, Duli’s emotions turn to rage directed at the humans. Dwarf traditions forbid women to wage war, yet the ongoing battles leave more widows enticed by her call to action. Ridiculed, chastised, and even jailed in her own chambers for her actions, Duli’s struggles for her beliefs are even slowed by her need to earn a living off her non-sanctioned craft. Duli only wishes her own death, but in the process sparks a liberation movement that shakes the subterranean city to its core values. Even if the women win over their clan, they must still prove they have the mettle to face their husbands’ killers, and the magic that humans command.
Author's The world in which The Widow Brigade is set was designed after much of my own experience, and critical critique, of classic fantasy books and role-playing games. The story tips my hat to the many and yet too-few women who have shared this gaming passion of mine. The following quote by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich influenced how this story had to be “Well-behaved women seldom make history.”
“If your death ever comes before mine, I hope the gods take my life soon after.” Duli and her husband had stated those words to each other several times. Then the day came when his dwarf kin brought his body back from the field of an ambush. As a non-clan dwarf, rendered beardless by old customs, her widowed status places her in the lowest caste of Tok-Maurron.
Fearful of her future under a chauvinistic crafters’ guild, and unwilling to complete her suicide attempt, Duli’s emotions turn to rage directed at the humans. Dwarf traditions forbid women to wage war, yet the ongoing battles leave more widows enticed by her call to action. Ridiculed, chastised, and even jailed in her own chambers for her actions, Duli’s struggles for her beliefs are even slowed by her need to earn a living off her non-sanctioned craft. Duli only wishes her own death, but in the process sparks a liberation movement that shakes the subterranean city to its core values. Even if the women win over their clan, they must still prove they have the mettle to face their husbands’ killers, and the magic that humans command.
Author's The world in which The Widow Brigade is set was designed after much of my own experience, and critical critique, of classic fantasy books and role-playing games. The story tips my hat to the many and yet too-few women who have shared this gaming passion of mine. The following quote by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich influenced how this story had to be “Well-behaved women seldom make history.”
- GenresFantasy
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 8, 2015
6 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Van Dyke Jr.
20 books48 followersBorn in 1971, Douglas Van Dyke Jr is an award-winning author that mostly writes fantasy tales in the realm called Dhea Loral. It is a world in which readers are rewarded by characters and events making appearances across different book series. Many of his characters evolved in RPG and MMORPG games, further developing their own personalities.
His epic trilogy intro, "The Earthrin Stones,” sold a surprising amount and received some blushing praise. Both "The Widow Brigade" and "Apprentice Storm Mage" won BRAG honors in 2023.
He’s taught schoolchildren about writing, tours several Midwest conventions during the year, sends out at least one newsletter/month, and works in medical imaging.
Website: DheaLoral.com
His epic trilogy intro, "The Earthrin Stones,” sold a surprising amount and received some blushing praise. Both "The Widow Brigade" and "Apprentice Storm Mage" won BRAG honors in 2023.
He’s taught schoolchildren about writing, tours several Midwest conventions during the year, sends out at least one newsletter/month, and works in medical imaging.
Website: DheaLoral.com
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 7, 2016
Loved it! There were a few mistakes, and I felt some things could have been gone into more like how Bandit got his name. One day he didn't have a name, and then all of a sudden he does. The name does fit what he does on what seems like a regular basis.
This is a story about a widow who fights for women's right to fight in the on-going war against humans. Her original goal is quite selfish, and I disliked it. But it lead to her being a leader/voice for all the women. It is what helped her grow whether she liked it or not. I loved seeing all the other widows grow along with Duli.
This is a story about a widow who fights for women's right to fight in the on-going war against humans. Her original goal is quite selfish, and I disliked it. But it lead to her being a leader/voice for all the women. It is what helped her grow whether she liked it or not. I loved seeing all the other widows grow along with Duli.
January 19, 2018
Great story about a widow who goes through a lot after finding that her husband has died, and her friends supporting her throughout the story.
June 22, 2025
The Widow Brigade begins not with triumph, but with grief—and that makes its journey all the more powerful. When Duli’s husband is killed, she’s left with not only sorrow but a society that devalues her very existence. As a beardless, non-clan dwarf widow, Duli is cast into the lowest ranks of Tok-Maurron. Yet her pain turns into purpose. Defying strict dwarven traditions, she rallies other widows to rise against injustice and fight for dignity, freedom, and vengeance. Douglas Van Dyke Jr. crafts a world rooted in classic fantasy, but with a fresh and fierce feminist twist. This is more than a tale of revenge—it’s about challenging a system and finding strength in sisterhood. Duli doesn't just break the rules—she rewrites them underground.
March 15, 2026
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one, but Douglas completely pulled me in from the first page. Duli's story hit differently, she's not your typical fantasy heroine. She's grieving, she's angry, and honestly? She's relatable in ways I didn't see coming. The dwarf society Douglas built feels lived-in and real, and the way gender politics are woven into the world never feels forced or preachy, it just is, the way real inequality works.
Watching Duli accidentally spark a liberation movement while simply trying to survive her own pain was both heartbreaking and inspiring. This is the kind of fantasy that stays with you long after the last page. Absolutely worth your time.
Watching Duli accidentally spark a liberation movement while simply trying to survive her own pain was both heartbreaking and inspiring. This is the kind of fantasy that stays with you long after the last page. Absolutely worth your time.
April 20, 2023
We are proud to announce that THE WIDOW BRIGADE by Douglas Van Dyke Jr. has been honored with the B.R.A.G.Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews