Epoch Fail: An Equinox Novel

by Daniel Gower

After giving up the throne of Varaundar. all Darian Gothric wants to do is hit the road. Or rather build one, through the wild outlands opened up after he knocked holes in the Great Wall closing off his land. But first he encounters a big detour through time and space, courtesy of his brilliant back-from-the-dead inventor father. The road crew is then delayed by a mysterious woman in red who can pop in and out of thin air and steals things. She leads them to the Teleolo Gypsies, a tribe of philosophical nomads who have lost their motivation to go anywhere anymore. Then the leader of the elf-like keltharilu informs Darian and his gang that a vast army called the Chartreuse Horde is abroad in the outlands, commanded by the tyrant conqueror Tauntila. This puts an end to their road construction. They are trapped in the city of Durakis as Tauntila attacks it, using a hypnotized dragon, giant ape-like Quaungs, and other horrors. When Darian is captured by Tauntila, enrages the despot with his impudent attitude, and then escapes, the Horde begins chasing them. They flee to the lost nation of Zathaij where they join up with three deadly young monks, revive a zombie dragon, and end up getting caught between the Horde and the emperor's legions of Invincibles, both of which want them dead, as the two forces clash. Will they survive? And if so, what sort of edge-of-your-seat hairsbreadth escape will they pull off? Even if you aren't terribly concerned about that, come along for this crazy ride across the wondrous world of Equinox. You'll meet an ancient artificial intelligence obsessed with an old Italian poem, learn a new chicken joke, and discover the importance of a woman named Ethel Blaumberg. And you'll see just how significant fruit and driftwood can be. Now that's a lot to ask from a single novel, even if you have unreal expectations.

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 30, 2016