The Stillwater Project

by Craig Askham

Bounty hunter on medieval planet required. Popular quest, sells fast, book early to avoid disappointment. No experience necessary.

That was basically how the ad enticed Troy Cooper into signing up for The Stillwater Project, Earth’s finest – and only – purveyor of portal vacations. In his head, of course, nothing could possibly go wrong; he played Fantasy VR games all the time, so the real thing was surely just a natural progression of that. A chance to level-up, even. A long weekend away, on a medieval planet, kicking butt and drinking ale. No big deal.

And besides, portal tourism was an actual thing these days – with billboards and everything – so it had to be safe, right?

Well, as it turns out, not so much.

Because one of the things Troy didn’t really consider was the fact that portal quests are absolutely not the same as playing online games. Not by a long shot, in fact. No second chances, no respawning at the start of a level, and definitely no Invincibility spells to conveniently get his backside out of trouble at the last possible second. Just a very real chance of death. Permanent death.

Oh, and a couple of the other things he didn’t consider? Firstly, his online avatar might have ninja-skills, but his real-life body is just a little too out-of-shape to be a bounty hunter. And secondly, ale doesn’t really taste that great.

So, join Troy and his gaming friends as they step through the portal for their first – and possibly last – adventure on magical Vangura, where everything that happens along the way may – or may not – be part of the quest they paid for.

And remember, when it comes to being a bounty hunter on a medieval planet, it doesn’t really matter what the billboards say…

…there’s no such thing as no experience necessary!

The Stillwater Project is a standalone story set in the world of the Portal Hunter Chronicles.

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 9, 2020

About the author

Welcome to my author page! Thank you for finding your way here. Come in, grab a seat in front of the fire, and let me pour you an ale.

Keep an eye on your weapons, though; it gets rowdy in here so you should probably keep them close to hand.

Right. Let’s do this. You may have noticed I’m writing this in first person. Hope you don’t mind, but I’m not writing on behalf of the author; I am the author, so writing a bio in third person feels…insincere.

My name is Craig Askham. I live in the UK with my wife and two football-mad kids. That’s soccer, to you Americans!

If you like Westworld, Stargate and Game of Thrones, and think the three of them could be blended into a rather nice smoothie, then I think I could be the author for you.

I write portal fantasy, you see. You’ve heard of it, right? Narnia, Wonderland, The Magicians; that kind of thing.

Now imagine a tourism company that sells trips to a medieval planet, where you can do pretty much whatever the hell you like. That company is Stillwater. All you have to do is step through one of their portals, and you’re there. Just like that. Other side of the universe. Only the brave need apply.

I won’t lie; it’s dangerous. You might die. Seriously, there’s no way to save and reset. So watch your back.

Oh, and come back. That’s important. Stillwater don’t offer an emigration package so, if you decide you want to stay for good, you’d better run and find a damn good hiding place because Stillwater have bounty hunters, and they haven’t let anyone escape yet. They’ll bring you back, by hook or by crook.

Even in a bodybag, if necessary. Remember that. It links quite heavily with the previous part, about staying alive.

So that’s it, in a nutshell.

Watchman’s Quest is Book One of the Portal Hunter Chronicles; at only 20k words, it’s the perfect way to dip your toe into the portal without too much of a commitment.

Demon Quest is Book Two, and about 32k words. I’m still breaking you in at this stage. Minimal time investment on your behalf, until I’ve hooked you and reeled you in.

Dragon Quest is Book Three. 45k words, or thereabouts. You should be nicely warmed up by now, and ready for something longer in Book Four. Leave it with me, I’ll see what I can do.

Now, this part is important.

Books One, Two and Three can really be read in any order. They’re all linked, but you can read them in reverse if you like. It’s totally up to you.

When you get to Books Four and Five, though (watch this space), you just need to make sure you’ve read those first three. Otherwise it won’t make much sense. Got it? Awesome!

Reviews

[Katheyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Stillwater Project” is a very interesting take on fantasy that mixes elements of urban fantasy, sci-fi and historical fiction into a captivating stand-alone story that push the boundaries of the “what if” narrative to a full new level.

Troy Cooper is slowly approaching rock-bottom, his life is an ode to boredom, between an infilling job, a girlfriend more interesting in his best friend than himself and every new day slowly bringing him nearer to depression, something it’s gotta to give. The Stillwater Project seems like the perfect solution, with new technology the project offers new workings possibilities for those willing to take the risks, exactly what Troy needs, after all his gamer avatar is a kickass hero ninja, how hard can it be? And just like that Troy finds himself travelling to the Stillwater Project portal to Vangura, a planet which a medieval-like society. For an educated modern guy like Troy just a stroll in the park….. spoiler => medieval societies members don’t stroll in the park 😉

Craig Askham story is highly entertaining, a very good mix of urban fantasy and historical fiction, Troy is a very likeable character, relatable at all times, with whom the reader immediately bond while navigating the Vangura medieval society rules and traps. A very original story, and a clear recommendation.

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our hero quickly finds that real life and game life are not exactly the same. Of course, he knew that, but traveling through the portal provides a more solid understanding for the differences. Hopefully, he will live to enjoy his new found wisdom.

This is a combination SF/Fantasy story built around portal travel. The story is very well written and seamlessly draws you in from the start. The characters are also well done and realistic ways to this highly unreal scenario. I really liked our hero and enjoyed watching him navigate through the world. As a standalone story, this one gave a great introduction to the author's works and made me want to explore more of this setting.

Highly recommended

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept and the humor of the book is fun. I just found the progression a bit slow.

It reminded me of The Sleeping Dragon by Joel Rosenberg, but taking place in the future with VR gamers instead of the "present" with Dungeons and Dragons. Each of the characters in that story, however, take on a roll to start a new township with resources but their knowledge to start from scratch. In this story, most of the characters sit/stand around and wait for Kalyan to do whatever he feels he needs to do. It was overly single-character centric.

Would try the next book in the series to see if different characters create a different rhythm in the same or similar setting.

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an intriguing read. An enjoyable and entertaining storyline filled with action, adventure, suspense and drama. Our mc is a big gamer who kicks ass in the virtual world and thinks he can do the same in the real world through a portal but he soon finds out it is nowhere the same! He’s a great relatable character and you can’t help but find yourSelf rooting for him as he tries to find his way in this new world.

[Steve Filson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a different read than I'm used to,although as headlined think power rangers, it's a late teen / adult version. I am an Honest ARC Reviewer and rather enjoyed this book. It is a page turner. Lots of action involving Tristan,but spreads throughout the area to encompass more people..E.T. phone home. I think you will like this read.

[Norman Hirschman · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent read. A team of virtual reality players decide to take advantage of an offer called the Stillwater Project which claims to have a portal which can send people to another planet identical to Earth but in a medieval environment. A lot of action and a lot of self awareness from the players, especially Troy. A lot of action and some interesting twists.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the use of scifi in the story. The writing was well done and I enjoyed reading this. It was very engaging.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Con Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an intriguing read with a storyline that included action, adventure, suspense and drama. It characters that I liked and that drew me into the story. It was an enjoyable and entertaining read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kelsey Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am rating this book 5 out of 10.I didn’t really like choice character in this book. I don’t like the idea that he’s about to lie to his girlfriend in order to continue going to another planet. I ended up liking the other main characters a lot better. Troy seems like he has multiple personalities. One minute he’s a nice guy, the next to the royal dick.