Richard A. Knaak has ever been a friend to Fantasy-Faction and we, especially me, adored his books set in the Dragonrealm — they are partly responsible for my love of fantasy!
This author has written books for World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Dragonlance amongst others. Anyway, with that in mind, when this most prolific of authors is running a Kickstarter we jumped at the chance to help out and pay him back a little for all the joy he had brought into our reading lives.
Here’s Richard’s introduction to Rogues Gallery!
Sometimes there’s that idea that just won’t leave you alone. It may hide away for awhile, but it always comes back.
So it’s been with ROGUES GALLERY for me.
I’ve always loved the old pulps, especially the SHADOW. in addition, having grown up in the Chicago area, the Roaring Twenties and Prohibition were parts of history I heard about often. I’ve already touched on the time period in my BLACK CITY SAINT series, but now, I’m taking a different step.
We’ve seen the pulp superheroes battle the villains in order to keep their city safe, but what happens when that hero disappears? Pure chaos, perhaps? Do the villains run amok?
I suppose that depends on who they are and why they became those infamous figures in the first place.
Come meet the ROGUES GALLERY and discover not just who they are and have been, but the choices they make when a city now lays helpless before them.
And the blurb to whet your appetite!
ROGUES GALLERY
A Chicago not unlike our own, yet not quite, in a time midway between two world wars. Here, there are the costumed adventurers and villains seeking gain, power, and fear. They might very well overwhelm the police and other forces for justice — including briefly-known heroes such as the Dial — but ever standing in their way is one man who they cannot defeat. The Legionary has protected the city for over ten years and in that time many a criminal has fallen or been incarcerated. Some have returned again and again, but always to be foiled.
Until now. Until the Legionary’s vanishing. More than a month has passed since his last sighting, since his last foe defeated. At first, a lull hovered over Chicago. Certain that it was a trick, villains held back as they awaited the Legionary’s miraculous return at any moment. After all, he had vanished once before for more than two weeks.
But finally, the first daring rogues committed their audacious crimes — and still the city’s hero did not this time return to stop them. And so, anarchy arose. Unfettered from their fear of defeat and capture, villains swarmed over the city, looting, murdering, and destroying. The police sought to stem the tide, but they were washed away by it instead.
And then, the unthinkable happened…
Sounds awesome doesn’t it?
If you want to back this Kickstarter click here.
And if you want to read the first three chapters click here.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
Jennie Ivins