Tired of the political machinations of his egotistical fellow wizards, Benelaius retires from the College of War Wizards to take up residency in Cormyr, where he lives peacefully until he and his legman, Jasper, are forced to investigate the murder of a messenger from King Azoun. 25,000 first printing.
Chet Williamson is the author of over twenty books, the latest of which is The Story of Noichi the Blind. Among his other published novels are Second Chance, Ash Wednesday, Soulstorm, Lowland Rider, McKain's Dilemma, Murder in Cormyr, Mordenheim, Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller, Reign, The Crow: Clash By Night, and the paranormal suspense series, The Searchers, which includes City of Iron, Empire of Dust and Siege of Stone. He has also written two children's books, Pennsylvania Dutch Night before Christmas and Pennsylvania Dutch Alphabet.
His most recent project was writing the story and dialogue for the computer game, Season of Mystery: The Cherry Blossom Murders, which can be downloaded at www.bigfish.com. His first play, a psychological thriller entitled Revenant, was recently produced, and he has just finished a stage adaptation of The Story of Noichi the Blind.
His books have been translated and published in many languages and countries, including France, Germany, Russia, Italy, and Japan, as well as British editions of several of his novels.
Over a hundred of his short stories have appeared in such magazines as The New Yorker, Playboy, Esquire, and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and many other magazines and anthologies. Figures in Rain, a collection of his short stories, received the International Horror Guild Award for Outstanding Collection. He has twice been a final nominee for the World Fantasy Award, the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award, and a six-time nominee for the Horror Writers Association's Stoker Award. His work has also been adapted for television, radio, and recorded books. His New Yorker short story, "Gandhi at the Bat," was recently made into a short film and has been shown in festivals worldwide.
Williamson lives in Elizabethtown with his wife Laurie. His son Colin currently works in Seattle as a video game developer for Square Enix.
His website is http://www.chetwilliamson.com
