In a cool, dark cavern, guarded by men and by oaths, lies a dungeon
in which prisoners fearfully await the inevitable. The inevitable will
be replaced by the unexpected.
The Eternal Dungeon is an award-winning historical fantasy series set in a land where the psychologists wield whips.
The series is part of the Turn-of-the-Century
Toughs cycle. ¶ The
Eternal Dungeon genre/theme tags (with minor spoilers).
SERIES CONTENTS
In the Queendom of Yclau lies an underground royal prison that embraces the worst of the past and the best of the future. The Eternal Dungeon is old-fashioned in its equipment and ahead of its time in its treatment of prisoners, seeking to put their best welfare above all else. Torture is part of the process of assisting the prisoners.
The High Seeker, Layle Smith, embodies this contradictory institution: a man of deadly impulses, the head torturer binds himself strictly by the dungeon's code of conduct. His efforts to maintain this delicate balance are altered, though, by the introduction into his life of Elsdon Taylor, a vulnerable prisoner who is coming to terms with his own darkness.
This omnibus contains the first four volumes and a novella ("The Unanswered
Question") in the Eternal Dungeon series. Does not include Balladeer,
the historical note for The Balance, side
stories (except "The Unanswered Question"), 100
Darkfics, or any stories in the Sweet Blood
volume.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of The Eternal Dungeon: a Turn-of-the-Century Toughs omnibus of historical fantasy novels |(HTML) |
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¶ Data: 440,000 words | $24.99 | Published in October 2010.
¶ Reviews (may include spoilers): Amazon | Amazon UK | Goodreads | LGBT Fantasy Fans and Writers | Smashwords.
Elsdon Taylor, a prisoner accused of committing a terrible murder. Layle Smith, a torturer with a terrible past. Their meeting in the Eternal Dungeon appears certain to bring out the worst in both men.
Yet neither man is quite what he appears. As the prisoner and his torturer
begin to be drawn toward each other, the ripple effects of their meeting
will have a powerful impact on other inhabitants of the Eternal Dungeon:
Layle's faithful guard, struggling to contain his doubts. A younger guard
determined to take any shortcuts necessary to ensure that his life follows
the path he has already chosen. An old love from Layle's past, still sorrowing.
And most of all, a prisoner who has not yet arrived at the Eternal Dungeon,
but whose fate will depend on how Layle handles Elsdon Taylor . . . and
on how Elsdon handles Layle Smith.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Rebirth |
¶ Data: 130,000 words | $7.99 | Published in October 2012.
¶ Reviews (may include spoilers): Goodreads | Hearts on Fire Reviews | Amazon.
VOLUME CONTENTS
The Breaking. The prisoner knew that the
Eternal Dungeon was a place where suspected criminals were broken by torture,
and he was prepared to hold out against any methods used against him –
except the method he could not anticipate.
¶ Download the FREE e-book: Online preview of The Breaking |
¶ Read the story online:
¶ Data: 27,000 words | Free | Published in August 2010.
¶ Reviews (may include spoilers): Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Smashwords.
Love and Betrayal.
As a torturer learns
the art of questioning prisoners, he discovers that the word "love" can
have a darker meaning than he had supposed.
¶ Download or sample the e-book: Online preview of Love and Betrayal |
¶ Data: 36,000 words | $3.99 | Published in May 2011.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore, social network, blog, or website?
First Time. One man seeks to heal from
abuse. The other man dreams of abusing. Now they're in love.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of First Time |
¶ Data: 15,000 words | $2.99 | Published in May 2011.
¶ Reviews (may include spoilers): Amazon.
In Training. Unexpected danger reveals
to a young torturer the dark mystery of his mentor's past – as well as
unpleasant revelations about himself.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of In Training |
¶ Data: 30,000 words | $3.99 | Published in October 2012.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore, social network, blog, or website?
As a Seeker. If the head torturer wants
something, no power in life or death will hold him from taking it. What
he wants now has brought danger to the Eternal Dungeon.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of As a Seeker |
¶ Data: 12,000 words | $2.99 | Published in October 2012.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore, social network, blog, or website?
Tops and Sops. The torturer was young,
inexperienced, and lacking in knowledge of the world. The prisoner was
tough, worldlywise, and had an infallible plan that would give him escape
from this place. So why did the prisoner feel as though the torturer had
the edge?
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Tops and Sops |
¶ Data: 11,000 words | $2.99 | Published in October 2012.
¶ Reviews (may include spoilers): Amazon.
Rebirth: Historical Note.
¶ Available in Rebirth and The Eternal Dungeon: a Turn-of-the-Century Toughs omnibus of historical fantasy novels.
The Eternal Dungeon, a royal prison where criminals are transformed,
has lost its leadership. The duty of returning the dungeon to normal falls
on two Seekers (torturers) who are already burdened with their own problems.
One Seeker is struggling to understand why an old love affair continues
to gnaw at him. The other Seeker is faced with his greatest challenge:
whether to risk that which is most precious to him in order to save his
own abuser.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Transformation |
¶ Data: 110,000 words | Published in February 2013.
¶ Reviews (may include spoilers): Goodreads.
VOLUME CONTENTS
Deception. He thought she had come to change
his workplace. He found she was there to change his life.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Deception |
¶ Data: 23,000 words | $3.99 | Published in November 2012.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore, social network, blog, or website?
Twists and Turns. Only the loyal presence
of one man has kept him alive. Now that man's loyalty is about to be tested.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Twists and Turns |
¶ Data: 25,000 words | $3.99 | Published in November 2012.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore, social network, blog, or website?
A Prisoner Has Need. A cold-hearted murderer
has been brought to the Eternal Dungeon, one who must be dealt with through
firmness and perhaps harshness. Too bad he's twelve.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of A Prisoner Has Need |
¶ Data: 28,000 words | $3.99 | Published in January 2013.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore, social network, blog, or website?
The Consultation. He has come from the
Eternal Dungeon to offer his services to another prison's head torturer.
The only trouble is that the head torturer likes him too much.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of The Consultation |
¶ Data: 34,000 words | $3.99 | Published in February 2013.
¶ Reviews (may include spoilers): Amazon.
Transformation: Historical Note.
¶ Available in Deception, Transformation, and The Eternal Dungeon: a Turn-of-the-Century Toughs omnibus of historical fantasy novels.
The Seekers (torturers) in the Eternal Dungeon have always expressed
contempt toward the Hidden Dungeon in the neighboring kingdom of Vovim,
whose torturers abuse prisoners without restraint. But the balance between
mercy and hell is not so clear as might be thought in either dungeon, and
now that balance is about to tip. Only the strength of love and integrity
will determine the paths of two Seekers whose fortunes are bound together.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of The Balance |
¶ Data: 90,000 words | $5.99 | Published in May 2013.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore, social network, blog, or website?
VOLUME CONTENTS
Truth and Lies.
When you're a prisoner,
having a torturer who's mad can be an advantage. Or maybe not.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Truth and Lies |
¶ Data: 26,000 words | $3.99 | Published in March 2013.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore, social network, blog, or website?
Barbarians. Vovim was renowned for its
strong monarchy, for its love of the theater, and for its skill in the
art of torture. In other words, it had all the qualities needed to become
a civilized nation. But would anyone be willing to defy Vovim's tyrannical
king? And if they did, would they survive?
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Barbarians |
¶ Data: 23,000 words | $3.99 | Published in March 2013.
¶ Reviews (may include spoilers): Amazon.
Hidden. He
had been given the kindest, gentlest torturer in the dungeon. The prisoner
was left with only one hope: that he could teach his torturer how to be
cruel.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Hidden |
¶ Data: 5,000 words | $1.99 | Published in March 2013.
¶ Reviews (may include spoilers): Amazon.
Death Watch. Death lurks everywhere in
the Eternal Dungeon . . . even in a torturer's bedroom.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Death Watch |
¶ Data: 15,000 words | $2.99 | Published in April 2013.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore, social network, blog, or website?
Balladeer. Sometimes it takes an outsider to point out the obvious.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Balladeer |
¶ Data: 18,000 words | $2.99 | Published in April 2013.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore, social network, blog, or website?
The Balance: Historical Note.
¶ Available in The Balance.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: On Guard is available in The Eternal Dungeon: a Turn-of-the-Century Toughs omnibus of historical fantasy novels.
¶ Data: 90,000 words.
VOLUME CONTENTS
On Guard: Prologue. "The junior Seeker stood in the entrance, awaiting death."
Promotion. "'Has it occurred to you to wonder what would happen to this dungeon if their stubbornness came into conflict?'"
Protection. "'Do you recall the orders that you were given when you were first assigned to guard him?'"
Searching. "The prisoner was meek and gentle and very, very afraid."
Appointment. "He was thinking to himself that diligence ought to be rewarded."
Mediation. "'Shall we allow criminals to roam the streets at will because we're afraid to take the chance of harming an innocent prisoner?'"
Advice. "A great man and his faithful guard – that was the tale of which ballads were sung."
Judgment. "He knew at once that something was wrong."
Testing. "'Nervous?'"
Decision. "His mind was focussed, his goal clear."
On Guard: Epilogue. "'He's your friend, isn't he?'"
On Guard: Historical Note and Acknowledgments.
VOLUME CONTENTS
Bonds. A prisoner meeting his fate. A torturer meeting his demons.
And between them, a man whose bonds are on the point of shattering.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Bonds |
¶ Data: 26,000 words | $3.99 | Published in December 2012.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore or social network?
The Unanswered Question. No weapons, no allies, and no guarantees that he will survive the test.
A killer has arrived at the palace of the Queendom of Yclau, ready to make an offer that the Queen may not be able to refuse. But this is a killer with a difference. For the young foreigner who struggles to fetter his own darkness is about to enter the queendom's Eternal Dungeon, where idealistic torturers strive to transform the hearts of their prisoners. Surrounded by great-spirited men who are determined to put him to the test, the young foreigner may be the only man who can recognize the flaws in the dungeon's ethical code.
A 2009 holiday gift story for Dusk Peterson's readers. Includes spoilers
for Rebirth.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of The Unanswered Question |
¶ Read the story online:
¶ Data: 36,000 words | $3.99 | Published in February 2013.
¶ Reviews (may include spoilers): LibraryThing | Amazon.
Green Ruin. Three guards and a mysterious substance provide a temptation too great to be missed . . . especially when two torturers add their skills to the mix. Soon three very different men – a married man who is committed to respect and honor, a bachelor harboring secret desires, and a soldier with an unfulfilled ambition – will find themselves caught in a trap. Their rescue will come from an unexpected quarter.
Includes spoilers for Rebirth.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Green Ruin |
¶ Data: 5,000 words | $1.99 | Published in October 2012.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore, social network, blog, or website?
Stories may include major spoilers for the rest of the series.
Wax / Broken. This two-tale collection offers a humorous look at a romance between two men working in a royal prison.
"Wax." The Record-keeper of the Eternal Dungeon has always prided himself on his skills in procuring any object needed by his employers. But when the head torturer makes a seemingly innocent request for wax, the Record-keeper goes in search of a very special supply.
"Broken." What would happen if a technophobic torturer was plunged into
the twenty-first century?
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Wax / Broken |
¶ Read Wax online:
¶ Read Broken online:
¶ Data: 1200 words + 80 words | 99c | Published in December 2012.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore or social network?
Torture. When the High Seeker of the Eternal Dungeon visits a foreign prison, he discovers that his dark reputation has preceded him. So has the dark reputation of his dungeon. The host is eager to show him that matters are run very differently in Mercy Life Prison.
The High Seeker has his own suspicions about what he will find in that
prison, but even so, he is not prepared for what the prison has to teach
him about man's nature . . . and his own nature.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Torture |
¶ Read the story online:
¶ Data: 2,000 words | 99c | Published in January 2013.
¶ Reviews (may include spoilers): Amazon.
Hunger. Some hungers can only be satisfied by reaching out. As a prisoner struggles to find the right path, a foul-mouthed guard and an uncommon torturer will open a door . . . but stepping through a doorway with blackness beyond requires courage.
A 2012 holiday gift story for Dusk Peterson's readers.
¶ Buy or sample the e-book: Online preview of Hunger |
¶ Read the story online:
¶ Data: 1200 words | 99c | Published in December 2012.
¶ Reviews: None yet. If you have thoughts about the story, why not share your perspective with other readers by writing a review at your favorite online bookstore or social network?
Map of the Capital City of the Queendom of Yclau, showing the cave where the Eternal Dungeon is housed.
Turn-of-the-Century Toughs, a cycle of historical fantasy novels that includes the Eternal Dungeon series. This page includes resources such as a chronology of major political events in the cycle.
Eternal Dungeon research. Blog entries by the author on research for the series.
Bibliography for the series:
Masculinity,
Crime, and Everyday Life in Victorian and Edwardian Times.
Shared Universes:
Works set in the Eternal Dungeon world by other authors and artists.
This
text, or a variation on it, was originally published at duskpeterson.com
as part of the series The Eternal Dungeon. Copyright © 2002-2013 Dusk
Peterson. Some rights reserved. The text is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0).
You may freely print, post, e-mail, share, or otherwise distribute the
text for noncommercial purposes, provided that you include this paragraph.
The author's policies on
derivative works and fan works are available online (duskpeterson.com/copyright.htm).
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