Dribble & Maggot in the Land of Dreams Read online

Dribble & Maggot in the Land of Dreams

  Kevin L. O'Brien

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  Text Copyright 2013 by Kevin L. O'Brien

  Cover artwork copyright 2014 by Ariel Roberts

  Cover design and typography copyright 2014 by Kevin L. O'Brien

  Victoriana font distributed under a free-use license by Gophmann A.L.

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  License Notes

  Please consider writing a review for this book on the retailer's website.

  If you see any misspellings or typographical errors, please notify Kevin L. O'Brien using one of his online social networks. Thank you.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents, including those based on the real world, are either products of the imagination of Kevin L. O'Brien or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Because some ebook platforms do not support special characters, certain words may appear misspelled, but this was done deliberately to avoid the problem of the platforms deleting the characters. Also, the LRF platform used by older models of the Sony Reader does not permit the use of links to external URLs, whereas the PDB platform used by Palm reading devices does not support any form of linking whatsoever. Finally, certain words use British instead of American spelling, to simulate the characters' English accents.

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  Table of Contents

  Preface

  Dribble & Maggot in the Land of Dreams

  Bonus Story: Who Put the Man in Human?

  About the Author

  Other Books by Kevin L. O'Brien

  Connect with Kevin L. O'Brien

  Sample Excerpts

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  Preface

  I never was a great fan of the Highlander movies and television series, though I found the premise intriguing. The thing I always wondered about was why Immortals took on students to teach them about the Game, considering its highly competitive nature. I mean, assuming they were not killed beforehand, at some point teacher and student would have to face each other in mortal combat. I even conceived of an idea in which the very first immortal killed all potential rivals, thus setting up the premise of the Game, until he got bored and instead began training them to give him more worthy opponents. His students in turn trained other students, and the tradition continued.

  Regardless, I use a similar idea in the Dreamlands, except there is nothing equivalent to the Game. Instead, veteran Dreamers mentor novices to teach them about the Dreamworld so they have a better chance to survive. New Dreamers enter the Lands almost every night, and while all must pass through the Cavern of Flame to be judged by Nasht and Kaman-Thah, and all must negotiate the dangers of the Enchanted Woods for the first time on their own, once they enter the valley of the River Skai they will find people and cats willing to help them. This is especially true when they reach Ulthar, and while a few unscrupulous individuals will try to take advantage of them, most townspeople are genuinely eager to offer advice and help as needed. In fact, depending upon how the new Dreamer behaves, what his or her plans are, and how long he or she stays in town, it isn't long before someone, human or feline, offers his or her services as mentor.

  When Medb hErenn first entered the Dreamlands, she was mentored by Carbhfind, a former adventurer turned farmer, as well as by her companions, Teehar'owan the Bird, Conaed the Zoog, and Cremedevoyager the Cat. She in turn mentored Eile and Sunny of Team Girl when they found the Land, and they in their turn mentored Sir Differel Van Helsing. Now it's her turn. She has invited her frenemy, Lady Margaret Rose Chesham, aka "Maggot", to take an extended vacation in the Dreamlands, in the hope that she will come to like visiting there as much as she does, and give her an adventuring companion for when Victor or Team Girl are unavailable.

  This is the first of a series of stories describing their adventures together as Differel introduces Margaret to the Land of the Dreams of Men.

  Back to TOC

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