The Adventures of Jarek the Scholar

by Cliff Hamrick

Jarek the Scholar adventures through a strange land far from home. Using only his wits, he faces off against conniving merchants, beautiful seductresses, and dark priests. Some deadly mysteries are thrust upon him while he seeks out others.

Inspired by the works of pulp fiction writers of the past, this collection of adult fantasy, sword and sorcery short stories follows Jarek the Scholar through a series of adventures.

You’ll be thrilled at the mystery of the Desert Nightshade!

You’ll be astounded at the power of the Star of Uskuk!

You’ll be terrified by what lies beneath the City of the Dead!

You’ll be stunned by the evil of the Silent Ship!

You’ll be bewildered by the riddle of the Crystal Flame!

Jarek is part Phillip Marlowe and part Indiana Jones in a world like Conan the Barbarian. Discover the epic deeds of a new hero inside this free collection of short stories.

Genres: Fantasy

92 pages, Paperback

First published March 13, 2020

About the author

I'm Cliff Hamrick, an author of fiction and non-fiction. My storytelling journey began when I was nine years old and started playing Dungeons and Dragons with my friends. We were too young to understand the rules, but the seed of telling exciting stories with characters that grew and developed over time was planted.

I began writing my own fiction as a way to tell stories in the genres that I love to read: fantasy, horror, and science fiction. My biggest influences are the 'weird' scifi and sword & sorcery stories from R.E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, E.R. Burroughs, and R.W. Chambers.

My non-fiction is related to my career as a counselor. Not only do I have a Masters of Arts in Counseling, but also a Masters of Science in Biology. My first career was in biology where I taught at Baylor University as well as worked on various textbooks.

I still work as a counselor in private practice in Austin, TX where I work with clients struggling with addictions, depression, and anxiety. My interests are as varied as my background. I love the outdoors and hiking in one of the greenest cities in the state. I stay active by practicing yoga multiple times a week. But, I also enjoy visiting the gun range and shooting small bits of lead through pieces of paper.

Please visit my website www.cliffhamrickwrites.com where you can join my reader's list and receive a free deleted scene from my first novel, Saga of the Scout.

Reviews

[Hallartau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting adventures. Fun book to read.

[Christine Ku · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually didn't read this one but rather the extended version of this (Jarek the Scholar: Adventures in Ebesu) that's not on Goodreads. I'm not much of a short story reader but I did like this becasue there is a kind of overriding mission that Jarek was on plus odd jobs that are shoved on him. Plus, I did like fantasy-mystery hybrids. This isn't quite fantasy/mystery but certainly fantasy/historical fiction featuring mysteries. To be honest, it felt more historical fiction as opposed to fantasy to me but not saying that detracts from anything for me. Overall, does leave me satisfied.