Separated in time and place, a young woman and two young men are united in their goal: to protect those they care for from the destruction of battle. The odds are against them.

Darkling Plain, fantasy tales about young people in times of conflict.

This site also contains Princeling, a fantasy novel set in a world where war has lasted for generations, From Hell to the Stars, a loose translation of a medieval science fiction classic, and Main Stream, a sampling of suspenseful historical fantasy stories.

This series is part of Dusk Peterson's Main Bookshelf | More fiction by Dusk Peterson | About the author | Contact information | Site content label (with minor spoilers).

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CONTENTS

Resources.

Darkling Plain: Right or Right | Crossing the Cliff | Night Shadow.

From Hell to the Stars.

Princeling: Noble | Petty | Princeling.

Main Stream: Rebirth 1: The Breaking. | Rebirth 2: Tops and Sops | Queue.

RESOURCES

What Does Darkling Mean? | What is Historical Fantasy?

Darkling Plain

Series content label (with minor spoilers).

Cover for Right or RightRight or Right

Linnet is trouble. Everyone agrees about that. Driven from her native barony, she arrives at Goldhollow in hopes of beginning a new life, only to discover that she cannot escape her past.

As Linnet is drawn into memories of a dark young man she once knew, she must deal in the present with a boy who is headed toward danger, as well as a child-like baron who may force her to betray her past.

¶ 18,000 words | Fantasy.

EXCERPT – Right or Right: Excerpt.

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Cover for Crossing the CliffCrossing the Cliff

After ten years as apprentice to a Peacesteward, the one thing Erastus is sure of is that he's ill-prepared to become a master. Unfortunately, he's about to discover just how ill-prepared he is.

When he and his master stray into forbidden territory, Erastus is thrust alone into a community that is on the brink of war. His only hope for bringing peace is to ally himself with a young boy . . . a boy who has stolen what Erastus values most.

¶ 21,000 words | Fantasy | Genre tags (with minor spoilers).

BOOKTRAILER

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ONLINE EDITION

Crossing the Cliff.

Night Shadow

A prince who could see beyond his borders but not see the people around him. . . . An enemy who would take any measure to get what he wanted. . . . And now a stranger would bring the prince news of an approaching danger.

8,000 words | Fantasy | Genre tags (with minor spoilers) | Reviews.

ONLINE EDITION – Night Shadow.

From Hell to the Stars

The tale of a bumbling but well-meaning fan who wants nothing more than to tag at the heels of his favorite author. Reluctantly, he follows that author into the prison of the damned, only to find himself in a world of cold mud, frozen lakes, and icy-hearted spirits. The fan (whose name is Dante) realizes to his horror that he is destined to be imprisoned in this frigid dungeon.

To escape from his self-imposed fate, Dante agrees to journey to the center of the earth, climb the highest mountain in the world, and travel through outer space. In the process, he will search for the man he once was, for the woman he loved and lost, and for the Emperor whose presence brings supreme joy or everlasting torture – depending on where Dante ends his journey.

This loose translation of Dante's The Divine Comedy seeks to restore the epic to its rightful place in early science fiction literature.

¶ Historical fantasy (medieval science fiction).

EXCERPT – From Hell to the Stars: Excerpt.

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Cover for PrincelingPrinceling

Series content label (with minor spoilers).

When Corbin is taken hostage by York, the King of Fossenvita, he refuses to surrender to the sadistic King's demands that would allow York to win the war between the world's two kingdoms. Only thus, Corbin believes, can he help the petties of Tascania, on whose behalf Tascanian nobles such as himself are fighting the Fossenvites. Rather than lose his honor, Corbin accepts York's "gift": a wounding that will prevent him from ever again fighting with his blade.

But Corbin lives in a world that has been at war for generations, in which only the nobles who command the battles and raids are considered to have honor. Stripped of his title and his ability to fight, Corbin begins to see that the petties alone may hold the answer of how he should live his life. Maimed as he is, though, Corbin cannot seek answers from the petties unless he receives the help of one man: York's son Firmin, who has warned Corbin that he will betray him.

¶ Fantasy | Genre tags (with minor spoilers).

ONLINE EDITION

Each of the three parts of Princeling can be read on its own, as a stand-alone story.

Princeling 1: Noble (Chapters 1-4) and Princeling 1: Noble (Chapters 5-7). In a world where war has lasted for generations, in which only the pitiless nobles who wage war hold power, and those who cannot fight must suffer or seek slow death . . . What would you do if you were a noble, and you lost the ability to fight?

Princeling 2: Petty | Princeling 3: Princeling. Upcoming. To receive notice of book publications and free online fiction, subscribe to one of Dusk Peterson's e-mail lists or blogs.

Princeling: Front Matter and Back Matter. Credits, publication history, etc.

Main Stream

Cover for RebirthRebirth 1: 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.

Series: The Eternal Dungeon | 27,000 words | Historical fantasy | Genre tags (with minor spoilers)  | Reviews.

ONLINE EDITION – Rebirth 1: The Breaking.

Rebirth 6: Tops and Sops

The torturer was naive, inexperienced, and lacking in knowledge of the world. The prisoner was tough, worldly-wise, 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?

Series: The Eternal Dungeon | 11,000 words | Historical fantasy | Genre tags (with minor spoilers).

ONLINE EDITION – Rebirth 6: Tops and Sops.

Queue

Depositing money in the bank was always the worst problem.

Series: Prison City (a series that blends historical fantasy with science fiction) | 500 words | Science fiction | Genre tags (with minor spoilers).

ONLINE EDITION – Queue.

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