Otherworld

Storm, Book 1

By: Mark Barnard

Narrated by: Linda Kuzma

On an impossible world, aided by monsters, two unwilling heroes set out to defeat a dragon.

Sounds easy, right?

Following a painful breakup, aspiring manga writer Shinichi Aizawa retreats from the world and devotes himself to writing. His first concept is Otherworld, a fantasy series set on distant a world peopled by various races. When it is promptly optioned, he finds himself teamed with artist Midori Kano. Midori isn’t certain how she feels about Shinichi, who is determined to maintain emotional distance in order to avoid being hurt again. She finds him frequently frustrating. For his part, Shinichi is suspicious of her motives. This isn’t the definition of a perfect partnership....

That's when the fox appears on his doorstep, in the midst of a titanic thunderstorm.

Fleeing from the creature, the writer and artist find themselves transported to a world which seems to mirror that of Otherworld.

Promptly mistaken for Ryu, a legendary hero, an unwilling Shinichi is dispatched to prevent a dragon from again laying waste to the world. He and Midori gain unexpected assistance on their quest from a shape-shifting goblin, a basilisk, a giant, a hulking white tiger, a dullahan, and a harpy. The arrangement works reasonably well, with the exception of Midori and Ai, the goblin, who have both decided that Shinichi would make a perfect husband.

The journey pits them against the undead, a party of desert raiders led by the giant’s arch-rival, and distinctly unfriendly local fauna. In addition, it becomes clear that an unknown party is dogging their steps, using high-technology that should not exist in this world.

©2022 Mark Barnard (P)2024 Mark Barnard

A wonderful Otherworld story

The author obviously knows a lot about the otherworld genre, and brings a lot of that knowledge into this story. I very much liked the audiobook and narrator. Shinichi, Midori, Ai, Raikos and others are all excellent otherworldly characters.

Highly recommended.