The Apocalypse Waltz
Except for the fact that he’s been chased out of this corner of the galaxy by demons he helped to create, formerly famous comic book artist Danny Ramirez is a lot like you and me: disillusioned, depressed, often profane. Unfortunately, Danny soon finds that his new home in Ythedra is under attack by the same forces besieging Earth. A dark spirit of unimaginable powers is leading an army of monsters and murderers north to enslave the last free peoples of the Ninelands. Someone’s going to have to act like a hero, and maybe it’s Danny himself–even if it means picking up a sword instead of his pen. He’ll have some help from a grizzled infantry commander, a burly, down-on-his-luck petty thief, an exotic warrior princess, and an irascible but dangerous blue troll from a cave kingdom far to the north. Together they make a formidable fighting force. But time is running out, and salvation for Danny Ramirez may mean saying so long to his dream of returning to a world he realizes he loves after all.
“I vastly enjoyed this book. It doesn’t pull punches, and shares the spot light on the characters. Though the premise was originally why I picked up the book, it was the humorously cynical voice and unique writing style that I liked the most. I found myself often times smiling at Ramirez in his fish-out-of-water scenes. I like it when a story can address the reader’s questions (i.e. how did he get to another world?) and still keep its sense of humor without sacrificing the severity of the situation. Strangely enough, it’s hard to find authors that are truly good at that. McCandless is one of those authors. Ramirez is a bitter, damaged man, but relatable in his plight. Even if the next book was just him going through his taxes, I would still want to read it.” —A Reader
