The
Eternal Dungeon: a Turn-of-the-Century Toughs omnibus of historical fantasy
novels
In a cool, dark cavern, guarded by men and by oaths, lies a dungeon
in which prisoners fearfully await the inevitable. The inevitable will
be replaced by the unexpected.
The Eternal Dungeon is a historical fantasy series set in a land where the psychologists wield whips.
The series is part of the Turn-of-the-Century
Toughs cycle. ¶ The
Eternal Dungeon genre/theme tags (with minor spoilers).
SERIES CONTENTS
The
Eternal Dungeon: a Turn-of-the-Century Toughs omnibus of historical fantasy
novels¶ Buy or sample the e-book:|
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¶ Data: 440,000 words | Published in October 2010; reprinted in July 2011 | ISBN 9780984117918.
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| . . . or post your thoughts about the omnibus at your favorite e-bookstore, social network, forum, blog, or website.
The High Seeker, Layle Smith, embodies this contradictory institution:
a man of deadly impulses, the head torturer binds himself strictly by the
dungeon's code of conduct. His efforts to maintain this delicate balance
are altered, though, by the introduction into his life of Elsdon Taylor,
a vulnerable prisoner who is coming to terms with his own darkness.
¶ Rebirth is available in The Eternal Dungeon: a Turn-of-the-Century Toughs omnibus of historical fantasy novels.
¶ Data: 130,000 words.
VOLUME CONTENTS
The Breaking. The
prisoner knew that the Eternal Dungeon was a place where suspected criminals
were broken by torture, and he was prepared to hold out against any methods
used against him – except the method he could not anticipate.
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¶ Data: 27,000 words | Published in August 2010; reprinted in July 2011 | ISBN 9781452338835.
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Love and Betrayal.
As
a torturer learns the art of questioning prisoners, he discovers that the
word "love" can have a darker meaning than he had supposed.
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¶ Data: 36,000 words | Published in May 2011 | ISBN 9781458118080.
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First Time. One
of them seeks to heal from abuse. The other one dreams of abusing. Now
they're in love.
In Training. Unexpected danger reveals to a young torturer the dark mystery of his mentor's past – as well as unpleasant revelations about himself.
As a Seeker. If the head torturer wants something, no power in life or death will hold him from taking it. What he wants now has brought danger to the Eternal Dungeon.
Tops and Sops. The torturer was young, inexperienced, and lacking in knowledge of the world. The prisoner was tough, worldlywise, and had an infallible plan that would give him escape from this place. So why did the prisoner feel as though the torturer had the edge?
Rebirth: Historical Note.
¶ Transformation is available in The Eternal Dungeon: a Turn-of-the-Century Toughs omnibus of historical fantasy novels.
¶ Data: 110,000 words.
VOLUME CONTENTS
Deception. The Eternal Dungeon is no longer in danger. Unless, that is, something unexpected should happen.
Twists and Turns. Only the loyal presence of one man has kept him alive. Now that man's loyalty is about to be tested.
A Prisoner Has Need. A cold-hearted murderer has been brought to the Eternal Dungeon, one who must be dealt with through firmness and perhaps harshness. Too bad he's twelve.
The Consultation. He has come from the Eternal Dungeon to offer his services to another prison's head torturer. The only trouble is that the head torturer likes him too much.
Transformation: Historical Note.
¶ The Balance is available in The Eternal Dungeon: a Turn-of-the-Century Toughs omnibus of historical fantasy novels.
¶ Data: 70,000 words.
VOLUME CONTENTS
Truth and Lies. When you're a prisoner, having a torturer who's mad can be an advantage. Or maybe not.
Barbarians. Vovim was renowned for its strong monarchy, for its love of the theater, and for its skill in the art of torture. In other words, it had all the qualities needed to become a civilized nation. But would anyone be willing to defy Vovim's tyrannical king? And if they did, would they survive?
Hidden. He had been given the kindest, gentlest torturer in the dungeon. The prisoner was left with only one hope: that he could teach his torturer how to be cruel.
Death Watch. Death
lurks everywhere in the Eternal Dungeon . . . even in a torturer's bedroom.
¶ On Guard is available in The Eternal Dungeon: a Turn-of-the-Century Toughs omnibus of historical fantasy novels.
¶ Data: 90,000 words.
VOLUME CONTENTS
On Guard: Prologue. "The junior Seeker stood in the entrance, awaiting death."
Promotion. "'Has it occurred to you to wonder what would happen to this dungeon if their stubbornness came into conflict?'"
Protection. "'Do you recall the orders that you were given when you were first assigned to guard him?'"
Searching. "The prisoner was meek and gentle and very, very afraid."
Appointment. "He was thinking to himself that diligence ought to be rewarded."
Mediation. "'Shall we allow criminals to roam the streets at will because we're afraid to take the chance of harming an innocent prisoner?'"
Advice. "A great man and his faithful guard – that was the tale of which ballads were sung."
Judgment. "He knew at once that something was wrong."
Testing. "'Nervous?'"
Decision. "His mind was focussed, his goal clear."
On Guard: Epilogue. "'He's your friend, isn't he?'"
On Guard: Historical Note and Acknowledgments.
VOLUME CONTENTS
Bonds. A prisoner meeting his fate. A torturer
meeting his demons. And between them, a man whose bonds are on the point
of shattering.
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The Unanswered Question.
No weapons, no allies, and no guarantees that he will survive the test.
A 2009 holiday gift story for Dusk Peterson's readers. Includes spoilers
for Rebirth.
¶ Read the story online:
¶ Data: 36,000 words.
100 Darkfics. Written in response
to the 50 Darkfics
challenge, which offers one hundred one-word prompts
on dark themes, in order to inspire authors to write stories on those topics.
The darkfic written for this challenge ranges from lightly humorous to
suspensefully dramatic.
Stories may include major spoilers for the rest of the series.
¶ Read the stories online:
¶ Data: Flash fiction and short stories.
Turn-of-the-Century Toughs, a cycle of historical fantasy novels that includes the Eternal Dungeon series. This page includes resources such as a chronology of major political events in the cycle.
Eternal Dungeon research. Blog entries by the author on research for the series.
Bibliography for the series:
Masculinity,
Crime, and Everyday Life in Victorian and Edwardian Times.
Shared Universes:
Works set in the Eternal Dungeon world by other authors and artists.
This
text, or a variation on it, was originally published at duskpeterson.com
as part of the series The Eternal Dungeon. Copyright © 2002-2012 Dusk
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