On a multigenerational colony ship five hundred years off course, a lagomorph warrior must survive using only his wits and his sword.
Jiao Tu has been hired to rescue a young kidnapped mousling. A tip leads him to the Below, home to the engines that keep the world in motion. His mission has hardly begun when an encounter with a monstrous being plunges him into the midst of a struggle not only for control of the Below but for the world itself.
Teamed with an untested ratling warrior and the ratling leader of a gang of thugs, Jiao Tu must stop the monster and save the mousling--and the world--before it is too late.
Drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as Leigh Brackett's planetary romances, Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun, Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane stories, Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D, Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo, and the wuxia tradition starting with Water Margins and Journey to the West, Uitvlugt has created a world all his own that promises a far-future adventure unlike any other.
-- "Jiao Tu's Endeavour is a rarity in the Sword & Planet genre. It's like nothing that came before it. Drawing from John Carter, Usagi Yojimbo, and Orphans in the Sky, Uitvlugt has created a fantastic tale no fan of pulp adventure should miss."
-- Henry Vogel, author of the Scout series
-- "In a world filled with anti heroes, Jiao Tu is a breath of fresh air. His virtues are on display for all to see. The mysteries around him unfold at just the right time. A real page turner."
-- A.M. Able, author of the Uplift Protocol series
-- "An adventure of mystique and mystery in an industrial jungle. Every moment drips with intrigue!"
-- T.J. Marquis, author of Life City
-- "A loving homage to the pulps of old, an intriguing blend of Sword, Sorcery, and Planet. A story where the hero is morally strong, not just skilled and of strong will, is a delight."
-- D.J. Schreffler
This volume contains the complete first story arc compiled from the web serial Jiao Tu's Endeavour, as well as the bonus stories "The Festival of Sweets" and "The Last Oracle."
