Not-So-Heroic Fantasy by Donald J. Bingle

Writer on Demand TM Vol. 6: Not-So-Heroic Fantasy includes four stories:

“Fellow Traveler: (approximately 3,040 words) is a tale a bard who makes the most of his limited skills to impress a horde of barbarians of limited intelligence and less hygiene. This story originally appeared in “Fantasy Gone Wrong,” edited by Brittiany A. Koren and Martin H. Greenburg (DAW Books. Inc. 2006).

“Means to an End” (approximately 4,950 words) is a cautionary tale about getting exactly what you planned and schemed and worked and wished for, but with unforeseen results. This story originally appeared in “Blue Kingdoms: Mages and Magic,” edited by Stephen D. Sullivan and Jean Rabe (Walkabout Publishing 2010).

“The Eye-Candy of Argon” (approximately 2,300 words) is a critical and satirical re-telling (from a different perspective) of “The Eye Of Agron”–widely regarded as the worst published fantasy story of all time. This parody is best enjoyed by those who have already read Jim Theis’ original tale in all of its un-copyedited glory, yet lived to read again. “The Eye-Candy of Argon” was originally presented at the conclusion of a group reading of “The Eye of Argon” at GenCon in August of 2011 and appears in print here for the very first time.

“MAKESHIFT” (approximately 5,100 words) mixes fantasy and magic with imagination and the science of noetics in the tale of a very special young man recruited to a world of wonder and weighty responsibility. It is also available as a standalone e-Tale for just 99 cents.

NOT-SO-HEROIC FANTASY (Writer on Demand TM Vol. 6) is available from Amazon.

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Best known as the world’s top-ranked player of classic role-playing games for fifteen years, Donald J. Bingle is an oft-published author in the science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller, steampunk, romance, and comedy genres, with several published novels (including Net Impact, Forced Conversion and GREENSWORD) and more than thirty-five stories, primarily in DAW themed anthologies and tie-in anthologies, including short fiction in The Crimson Pact, Carnage & Consequences, Imaginary Friends, Fellowship Fantastic, Zombie Raccoons and Killer Bunnies, Time Twisters, Front Lines, Slipstreams, Gamer Fantastic, Transformers Legends, Search for Magic (Dragonlance), If I Were An Evil Overlord, Time-Traveled Tales, Civil War Fantastic, Future Americas, All Hell Breaking Loose, The Dimension Next Door, Sol’s Children, Love & Rockets, and Pandora’s Closet.

Donald J. Bingle is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, the GenCon Writers Symposium, the Origins Game Fair Library, and the St. Charles Writers Group.