Originally published in 2015 with a UK press to great acclaim and success, The Librarian Gladiator has been renewed, revitalized, and republished with Worldstone on March 18, 2024.

The Librarian Gladiator is the first book in the Tallindran Trilogy, with a follow-up novella already released for e-mail subscribers, and Book Two mostly written and slated for release in early 2025.

About the Book:

Hamelin, a village separated from the rest of the world, has a deadly problem.

Fierce, flying beasts ravage and cull the sparse human population, forcing Hamelin’s citizens to live within the safety of her boundaries. With no help in sight, the village leaders look to their god, the Provider, for salvation, and they unearth a chilling answer to their problem.

The Tournament of the Kindred—a much-celebrated, barbaric event that pits four gladiators against each other in deadly combat. Winning the Tournament brings rich rewards, fame, and glory to one’s bloodline. Losing, however, results in a lethal trip to the Sacrificial Altar for you and all those who share your blood: man, woman, and child. The sacrifice is said to be a blood offering to the Provider for reprieve—a necessary evil for the greater good of all.

Neven Oakfall, adolescent town historian and librarian, is chosen by random draw to fight for the survival of his bloodline. After a life behind a desk, Neven must find the courage deep within himself to defeat his stronger opponents, for he discovers that much more than the lives of those he loves hangs in the balance.

An evil lurks, waiting for its moment to deliver the death blow to the village, and Neven is all that stands in its way, whether he likes it or not.

Reviews for The Librarian Gladiator:

"This book is almost too good… This should be your new favorite fantasy." - Zippergirl

"An immersive YA and adult fantasy in which the most striking feature is the rampaging power of the imagination of the author." - David Ross

"This book was intense! But very awesome. It starts by making you think it is another Hunger Games offshoot, but then it rapidly veers off in a whole new direction to uncover secrets that nothing is what it appears. I loved the world-building here and the many unique characters that fill the classic sound and evil roles well." - Brittany McCann

• Wields a staff

• Town librarian

• The tournament underdog

Neven Oakfall

Does not want to compete. He hates the tournament and will do anything to put a stop to it.

About the Author

Dustin Bilyk is a prolific short story writer and novelist, as well as the Lead Editor of the Author's Hand. When he's not perfecting the works of others, he's writing Grimdark Epic Fantasy, and has been doing so since he first read the works of Joe Abercrombie and GRR Martin.

He published the first fantasy novel in the Tallindran Trilogy, The Librarian Gladiator, in March of 2024. With a novella coming out in April, and Book Two arriving on the shelves in early 2025, he's been busy at work in the writing chair, exploring his worlds and reveling in the fact that others will join him when he's done.

Dustin also runs the Worldstone Publishing house and produces the Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy annually. Each volume features 20+ incredible stories and the same number of established authors specializing in speculative fiction.

Dustin has a Frenchie-Pug named Bilbo, and lives an enthusiastically full and wonderful life in the Canadian North.