Army of the Skeletal Prince

Legacy of the Dark Orcs #1

by Andrew McGregor

The innocence of the human condition forgetful of a distant history passed down for centuries…time passes as people forget.
Over generations the stories of heroes, magic and darkest evil are converted into folk lore, amusing tales or bedtime stories to scare children.
Historical wars and alliances drift from reality into superstition as humans are parted from the other stranger races in lands across a great stormy sea, a few remaining adventurers continuing in the most inhospitable terrain known to any race.

With alliances and ancient civilisations long forgotten, the few shy and timid peoples still forging existences in human lands retreat into the darkness, hiding from exposure in enclaves and underground shelters across the terrain. A realisation the human condition feeds on suspicion and hatred…a hatred of the different, the misunderstood forcing the beings into the safety of darkness hours.

This is a time when lands are ruled by nobles, their magistrates and the sword and spear for weapons. Farming, fishing and merchant trade are a way of life. Communities thrive as self-supporting mechanisms of trade and loyalty. Peace has reigned for years, the monarchy revered and trusted across the land.
But the historically distant mistakes of man may be due to return, the modern world simply the innocence of disbelievers, desperate to rely on the comforts of a false normality.
Something vile has arisen, escaped from long captivity and oppression…gathering momentum and strength.

The ignorance continues as strange events are dismissed as misunderstandings or the unlikely insane ramblings of any possible witnesses…spreading gossip that causes alarm has been outlawed for years. The confused onlookers are ostracised, alienated and disbelieved as the stories are told...many remain silent, convincing themselves that any strange signs are simply superstition, misunderstandings or gossip.

The time to act has passed…the distant stirring of rotten flesh, the exhale of fetid air…an eternity of hatred rising…a dark and evil will to return. To conquer…to subjugate…to pollute…the reign of death and evil eager to be upon us and feed from flesh once more…hunting life itself, all of nature will take sides as an inevitable carnage draws nearer.

In times of ultimate danger, heroes can rise, new allies may be found and recruited…a battle for survival and the existence of life itself will begin.

Chaos will emerge from complacency and innocence, hope descending into despair as a war like no other begins…a world that will change…forever.

The Legacy of the Dark Orcs may not just be a fabled story from past generations……It may be the only real hope left.

The writer aims to provide a thoroughly enjoyable and imaginative reading experience at an affordable price for the reader. All three works from the author's World War 2 Series concentrating on the Battle for Stalingrad have achieved Best Seller status on Amazon in the UK and many more stories are outlined.

Imagination is personal, free and to be cherished.

282 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2015

About the author

Looking back, my interest in writing and reading have always been significant in my life. It's sometimes difficult to comprehend just how much enjoyment you achieve from something that you continually perform, both in your professional and private life.

As a boy, I used to write reports of the local football matches in my home town in northern Scotland. My favourite stories to write at the time were adventure and war and how the human condition adapts to the pressures of fate and unpredictability.

Fascinated by history, I used to consume books at a frantic rate, reading personal accounts and historical works across all ages. I became frustrated when reading articles that would compromise fact for common belief.

This reading and writing continued through my teens and into my twenties when I attempted to publish one work on the Russian Front. This was rejected due to the format of the offering, and I seemed to lose momentum at that point with a business and career pushing what I believed to be a childhood dream into the background.

My parents had always encouraged me in whatever I did, and this continued, with my father occasionally enquiring if I had written anything. I had continued to devise potential ideas for books, stories, twists of fate, etc. All this whilst carrying on with everyday life, sitting at traffic lights, awaking from a dream, waiting in a bar, etc. I had written a number of outlines for plots and jotted ideas down, all saved for a future that I perhaps never imagined would come to fruition.

Last year, my father unfortunately passed away and it was on the train to assist in the arrangements for the funeral that the laptop was opened and a realisation that I had supressed an ambition for far too long drifted across my thoughts. All the plots and stories poured back, the silly twists that life throws at us, comical endings to situations and the 'itch I could never scratch', understanding fate's choices and the luck in life. I determined at that point, on a train somewhere south of Paris, that I would finally achieve what I had always dreamed of and write. At the end of the journey, the train pulling into Bezier...I had completed the first chapter.

To be honest I never contemplated anyone would want to read what I had written, but believed simply to accomplish the stories I had devised and dreamed about.

I really hope the style is appealing or the stories as well explained as they are in my mind, the colour, the temperature, the smells and senses, the determination to portray realism or believability will always motivate me. These thoughts and considerations remain the possession of the person generous enough to read the offerings, and perhaps that is only right.

Every time I press 'publish', the rush of a variety of emotions are practically intoxicating, the fear and apprehension will drive me to read what I have created again (even though it is now 'out there') and then sit back and ask myself, 'could that be any better?' There in perhaps lies the enjoyment, the vulberability mixed with a sense of achievement.

The motivation for me lies with the imagination...what will the reader see, how will they see it? Has it been explained in enough detail or have I provided too much, thus robbing the reader of their own unconscious creativity?

I now write every day, thoroughly enjoying it. The contemplation, considering the characters, how they develop. what they see and do, what could happen next, etc is extremely addictive.

I hope the person generous enough to read what is written finds it just as enjoyable.

Living in West London, I have had a wide variety of jobs through the police, ambulance service, working for a billionaire and at a major airport, I believe my lifelong fascination with fate and human nature is now only just beginning.

Thank you for the motivation and encouragement to continue, its a fabulous gift.