Blackstump – Black Stump Books

Reaper Hawk Omnibus

djc — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 08:58:33 +0000

Action Adventure with sword fights and magic, monsters and mayhem, armies and assassins.

Reaper Hawk Omnibus is a collection of all the current stories in the Reaper Hawk Series by author Ben Blackstump. It includes the four core books – Gladiator, Barbarian, Avenger, and Defiant, along with previously unreleased short stories and character interviews. If you like Michael Moorcock, R.A. Salvatore, and Steven Brust, then you’ll love Origins. It’s fast-paced sword and sorcery with duels, demons, love, revenge, magic, dark heroism, and just a dash of irreverent humour.

Gladiator — Barbarian on a quest? Expect a little mayhem!

Reaper’s plan was simple, find himself a True Name and resolve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his friends. Everything was going fine until Fate decided to meddle and he ended up a slave fighting in D’nur’s battle pits. Reaper has never been one to let a little thing like shackles intimidate him though, and even while fighting for his life, he continues to search for the truth, and for his True Name.

Barbarian — The tale of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth as you’ve never heard it before!

Some friends just bring trouble. Some help you fix it. Reaper Hawk is definitely the second type. Helping his new friend, the Minotaur or Cretia, leads Reaper into the legendary labyrinth, home to the evil wizard who stole the minotaur’s humanity. Defeating the wizard sends them stumbling into confrontations with creatures of myth, confrontations that will change their lives forever.

Avenger — Betray a barbarian? Risk awakening the Avenger!

We all have campfire tales to tell, stories about heroism or stupidity. Reaper Hawk’s stories tell of the fall of nations and the rise of gods.

In Avenger, Reaper tells the tale of the death of his friend and the convoluted path he took to avenge his murder. A path that saw three kingdoms fall. A path that pitted him against a demoness and an immortal warrior. A path that took him back into history to face one of the world’s greatest generals, fiercest warriors, and most terrible warlords. Failure would have left his friend unavenged, his reputation in tatters, and his soul stripped away by creatures that would have consumed the world.

Defiant — When things get really dark, you might have to become a monster in order to defy a demon.

Faced with demons in her city and armies at her borders, Ishmek’s queen turns to the man everyone says she shouldn’t trust. While Reaper Hawk’s blades are proof against most enemies, even he can’t fight threats he doesn’t know exist. Despite the bravery of Ishmek’s queen and the might of Reaper’s swords, betrayal destroys everything they hold dear. Fallen, it takes old friends and new enemies to reawaken Hawk’s fighting spirit. Discovering the battle isn’t over, Hawk finally embraces his curse and stands once more to defy the demon god.

Last Stand — For some, Death is a familiar dance partner.

Reaper Hawk is hero who, facing the vicissitudes of old age, takes on one last campaign. Abandoned by his cowardly employer, with only their reputations to support them, he and half a dozen others must face the oncoming horde of a dark army.

Identity Thief — What’s in a name? Sometimes Life, other times…

Reaper Hawk has just finished a mission when he runs into a man who believes himself to be the hero. Trouble ensues.

The Fall — Some knowledge can be a burden beyond bearing.

Writer is in town looking for stories from King Xantin, but things keep getting twisted. Sometimes the story develops a life of its own. Sometimes you’ve just got to hit that delete key and start rewriting.

Scroll back to the top and click the buy button to get your copy of Reaper Hawk the Omnibus and find out everything Reaper Hawk has been up to.

Reaper Hawk the Defiant

djc — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 08:42:40 +0000

When things get really dark, you might have to become a monster in order to defy a demon.

The queen of Ishmek faces a hard choice, to accede to the demand for her hand in marriage from the man she believes orchestrated her father’s murder, or face the wrath of a demon her newly formed guard can’t possibly hope to fight. The arrival of Hawk, a skilled mercenary, gives her one last option. Despite her growing feelings for him, she sends Hawk to persuade her betrothed to abandon his plans for her kingdom. Reaper impresses everyone with his razor-edged negotiating tactics, but even his skills can’t stop a betrayal generations in the planning.

Some things are easy to bear. Some things destroy your soul. Sometimes it’s hard to know how things will affect you until after you’ve survived it all, war and betrayal, love and loss. To defy the dark, Reaper Hawk must embrace his curse, and all the pain that comes with it. Sometimes, even your best isn’t enough. Killing gods isn’t easy. Sometimes you have to become what you fear in order to defeat what terrifies others.

Every story has a beginning, and an ending, but it’s often hard to tell just where those lie when every story is part of a greater whole.

Reaper Hawk the Defiant is the fourth book in the Lysandrian Tales, a series by author Ben Blackstump. If you like R.A. Salvatore and Steven Brust, then you’ll love Defiant. It’s a fast-paced sword and sorcery story with duels, demons, love, revenge, sorcery, and dark heroism, and just a dash of irreverent humour.

Scroll back to the top and click the buy button to get your copy of Sorceress and find out what troubles Reaper Hawk has gotten himself into this time.

Reaper Hawk the Avenger

djc — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 11:21:21 +0000

Reaper Hawk is the Oath-Sworn Avenger!

Oath-sworn to avenge his friend’s murder, Reaper must slay an immortal warrior and face a mad god to reclaim his honour.

Avenger is Reaper Hawk’s tale of his search for vengeance against those who conspired to slay his friend. His search leads him against monsters, assassins, and an immortal warrior who consorts with dark gods. It leads through fire, chaos, and revolt to an unexpected threat from Reaper’s people’s past.

After a long and bloody civil war, Reaper is ready to settle down and enjoy the spoils of victory, but when his shield-brother is murdered by a magic-wielding warrior, Reaper takes a blood-oath to exact vengeance against any and all involved. Reaper travels from city to city and slowly uncovers the rot eating at the heart of them all, a rot created by ancient betrayals and dark deeds. At the heart of it all is an ancient hero, a fallen god, a legend amongst Reaper’s own people.

We all have campfire tales to tell, stories about heroism or stupidity. Reaper Hawk’s stories tell of the rise and fall of nations and gods. In Avenger, Reaper tells the tale of the death of his friend and the convoluted path Reaper took to avenge his murder. A path that saw kingdoms fall and new ones rise from their ashes. A path that pitted him against a demoness and an immortal warrior. A path that took him back into history to face one of the world’s greatest generals, fiercest warriors, and most terrible warlords. Some things are worse than death, and in Avenger, Reaper comes face to face with some of them, and comes away scarred by the encounter.

Reaper Hawk the Avenger is the third book in the Lysandrian Tales series, by author DJ Chamberlain. It’s a stand-alone sword and sorcery novella after the flavour of Conan the Barbarian and Thongor. If you like Robert E. Howard, Lin Carter, and Michael Moorcock, then you’ll love Reaper Hawk the Avenger. It’s a fast-paced sword and sorcery story full of duels and dark heroism and just a dash of irreverent humour.

Not suitable for young readers.

Reaper Hawk the Barbarian

djc — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 11:16:49 +0000

The tale of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth as you’ve never heard it before!

Reaper has a gift for befriending unusual people, but the Minotaur of Cretia might be the strangest one of the bunch.

After his role in the fall of D’vo, Reaper sets off for the far-east in search of adventure and anonymity. The forests of the far continent are full of monsters and the decadent city-folk are more than willing to pay Reaper to clear them out. On one such quest, Reaper meets a monster on a quest of his own and, over a barrel or two of fine ale, the two become friends. The minotaur tells Reaper the tale of his stolen humanity and how, with his lover, he aims to win free of the machinations of a powerful wizard. Reaper immediately agrees to help, and thus begins a chaotic dance that leads them through the legendary labyrinth into a fight with an evil wizard. Escaping, they are beset upon by angry townsfolk, forced to negotiate with slumbering dragons, and face their own greatest fears.

If they fail, the entire world will fall to monsters created by unbridled chaos. If they succeed, they’ll be changed forever.

Reaper Hawk the Barbarian is the second book in the Lysandrian Tales series by author Ben Blackstump. It’s a stand-alone sword and sorcery novelette after the flavour of Conan the Barbarian, Thongor, and John Carter of Mars. If you like Robert E. Howard, Lin Carter, Michael Moorcock, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Steven Brust, then you’ll love Reaper Hawk the Barbarian. It’s a fast-paced sword and sorcery story full of duels and dark heroism and just a dash of irreverent humour.

Reaper Hawk the Barbarian was previously released as Reaper Hawk and the Minotaur.

Reaper Hawk the Gladiator

djc — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 05:40:24 +0000

An anti-hero is born!

Captured by slavers. Condemned to the Battle Pits. Reaper fought for life, freedom and a True Name and in winning them brought an empire to its knees.

Reaper’s plan was simple, use his Name-Quest to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his friends. Captured by slavers and forced to fight for their enrichment, he thought he had his answer. Desperate for freedom, driven mad by Rage, he sought freedom in death. Struck down, he was called to answer for the royal blood he had unknowingly spilled. Condemned to die in the battle pits, he instead won a place as a gladiator and a reprieve, time enough, maybe, to find the answers his situation told him he still sought. He fought for life and freedom against the machinations of hidden enemies, knowing that time was fast running out. The Empire had roused the wrath of the clans and they, in their desire for vengeance, would destroy the city and any chance he might have of finding the truth.

Reaper Hawk the Gladiator is the first book in the Lysandrian Tales series, by author Ben Blackstump. It’s a stand-alone story after the flavour of Conan the Barbarian and Thongor. If you like Robert E. Howard, Lin Carter, Michael Moorcock, and Steven Brust, then you’ll love Reaper Hawk the Gladiator. It’s fast-paced sword and sorcery full of duels and dark heroism and just a dash of irreverent humour.

Reaper Hawk the Gladiator was originally released as Battle Pits of D’nur.