Wave Riders and Would-Be Gods

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

In the wake of last week's absent web fiction—an unfortunate necessity, as I was sprinting out the door to a truly excellent World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, Ohio—it's my pleasure to bring things back with a bang, introducing the first chapter of Richard Lee Byers' new story, "Lord of Penance."

Many of you may already be familiar with Richard's work—he's written more than thirty novels, many of them high-profile gaming tie-in books—and I'm proud to say that he's really come up with something special for this one. In "Lord of Penance," Richard brings us the story of Sefu, a member of Absalom's Wave Riders, and his gillman companion Olhas as they struggle against one of the would-be gods of the Ascendant Court in order to save Sefu's seemingly brainwashed sister. But nothing in Absalom is ever quite as simple as it appears, and the two aquatic cavalry men may soon find themselves swimming in the deep end of the pool...

Check out the first installment here, and stay tuned all month as we explore the ins and outs of crime and faith in "Lord of Penance"!

James Sutter
Fiction Editor