Tartarus Beckons, Edmund Batara [bts book recommendations .TXT] 📗

a war yourself!” cried out Eira in disbelief.

“There are a lesser number of gods now. And the demise of each will return whatever energy they have into the web of magic which shrouds this world. True, the magical energy available might be depleted for a while, but with the pantheons gone, it will be back to full strength in no time.”

Eira stared unbelievingly at Iapetus. The entity before her sounded more like a human, with a rational train of thought unaffected by whatever belief attended Iapetus’s creation. But the deity was casually talking about divine genocide.

Survival might be at the core of the belief, but the manner of its execution was plain bloodthirsty madness. What’s worse was Iapetus based his grand plan on the assumption that Adar was exactly like the First World. From what Tyler had told her, that wasn’t the situation. Eira wasn’t about to tell Iapetus that bit of information – she didn’t fully understand it herself.

“You do plan on leaving Tartarus!” said Eira.

“Of course, how else could we rule? Did the pantheons really expect us to stand by as they waste the magic of this world? Unchecked, the magic would eventually be exhausted and the bastards above gone with it. Where would that leave those in prison dimensions and similar places where access is controlled by the surface deities? All of us would be trapped forever or reduced to watching ourselves waste away because of the arrogant stupidity of your so-called pantheons.”

Eira found herself unable to answer Iapetus. She had not been privy to the workings of the deities of Skaney, much less those of other lands. Contending with the arguably insane deity, or even asking the appropriate questions in an attempt meant to make him think twice was beyond her, she thought. Tyler probably could, but he wasn’t around.

“Typhoeus, the First Mage will be on his way here. Please make sure he’s admitted through the gates. Better yet, make it easy for him to reach Tartarus,” Iapetus told his companion.

“We’ve lost track of him after he entered that cave in the Dokkalfr Mountains,” replied the armored being, the voice echoing cavernously in the room.

“No matter, he’ll show up before our gates soon.”

“And his companions?”

“We only need the First Mage.”

“Understood.”

Glossary of Notes and Definitions by Chapter

CHAPTER ONE

Karve – A type of Norse ship, primarily used for coastal or shallow waters. 

(Please refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karve_(ship))

Skit – A Swedish profanity, meaning shit or damn.

CHAPTER THREE

Nereids -Greek mythology. Sea nymphs.

CHAPTER FOUR

Zmei – Slavic mythology. Dragon-like magical creatures and the subject of many a folk tale.

CHAPTER FIVE

Gallu – Mesopotamian mythology. Plural – gallas or gallus. Extremely powerful demons, usually portrayed to be formless beings.

Nabu-sin – The story of Nabu-sin is in the companion book, Stories of Adar: Tales from the Abyss.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Glima – The ancient Nordic art of wrestling. 

CHAPTER NINE

Thegn – Old Norse. An ancient title, the origin of the English word ‘thane.’

Hersir – Old Norse. Also an ancient title, usually used to denote the commander of an army under the king’s orders.

Hafna – Old Norse. A unit of territory used to divide the land among those close to the king or jarl. Each hafna was assessed an amount needed to arm and man a ship. For the dokkalfr in this story, the purpose is to maintain a set number of armed and armored warriors.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Arm of the Poor Society – First mentioned in the story “Orm, Kadir, and Sford” in the companion book “Stories of Adar: Tales from the Abyss.” Link provided: https://www.amazon.com/Stories-Adar-Tales-Abyss-Book-ebook/dp/B07DYSQPLS

Asag – A Sumerian demon believed to have power over rocks and stone. Usually accompanied by an army of creatures made of rock when he goes out to fight.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Chase -The story of the battle between Asag and Ninurta is told in the Sumerian mythological poem ‘Lugal-e’.

Dimme- A powerful Sumerian demoness who is deemed to be the most terrible among female demons. Daughter of the sky-god Anu and known in Akkadian mythology as Lamashtu.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Freyja – Sister of the Vanir god, Freyr. Though known to be a goddess of love, fertility, and death, she’s also associated with gold, war, and magic. The contradictory nature of Freyja is best exemplified by the myth that half of those who died in battle belongs to her. They go to her own hall, Sessrumnir in the field of Folkvangr, as opposed to Valhalla. Known to be very promiscuous, probably because her husband is frequently absent.

About the Author

Active Member, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)

A Goodreads Author.

Writer of the following fantasy and science fiction series –

The ACCIDENTAL ARCHMAGE, ARCANUM ASTRAY, PLANAR WARS, MANUS DEI, and ANCIENT FANGS.

Soloflyte Worlds

https://soloflyte.blog/

Soloflyte Worlds on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/embatara/

emb.iwrite@gmail.com

Soloflyte Worlds on Patreon

Fantasy and science fiction have always been my favorites, especially those stories from the era of dime novels and genre magazines, the time when both were still deemed fringe. Those stories spark the imagination and bring a reader to worlds and concepts beyond his reality—though I have to admit, reality is fast catching up with science fiction. Fantasy, on the other hand, is being enriched by today’s gaming and movie technology.

My writing preference is fiction anchored on a familiar fact – be it mythology, historical events, or even a physical feature, something one knows exists in the real world. It makes immersion in the grand adventure easier and more enjoyable.

A book may be an author’s creation, but it doesn’t mean there couldn’t be a common point of reference between the writer’s story and the reader’s experience. Or even between readers.

Writing started as a hobby on free serialized novel websites, for the pleasure of writing and sharing one’s stories. Mostly, it was a stress-relief exercise. I was fortunate that other people found them engaging and enjoyable.

Publication then followed. To my readers; thanks!

I still write on the free websites, but unlike with full-length books, readers do have to wait for periodic installments. And I welcome constructive feedback and engage readers in discussions about the mythos as the