Inner Demons

It’s bad enough when your brother is possessed by a demon. It’s even worse when the only person who might be able to help turns you into a toad on her doorstep and tells you to keck off. But the fact that the planet is shaped like a cube? Well, that really isn’t her problem.

Nelbow Rockfist is a dwarf on a mission. Her brother has a bad case of demonic possession and there is a shortage of exorcists. Her only hope is to convince the sorcerer Grumblechin to come out of retirement, but the once-infamous spellcaster is adamant she won’t leave the comfort of her tower for anything, least of all to meddle with demons. Failing to convince this reclusive retiree to change her mind will mean disaster for Nelbow, her brother and potentially the rest of dwarfkind.

Meanwhile, Orsnart Rogtog knows that firsts are difficult. Being the first orc ‘pryvate eye’ in a city of dwarves is tough. Avoiding the axe blows of gangsters and smugglers while trying to crack a case is tougher. Waiting until an acceptable hour to have the first drink of the day is toughest of all. But when he finds a lead on the most wanted criminal in the kingdom and has glamourous elves knocking on the door of his agency, that really is a first.

And then there’s Arran: Hell’s newest demon who’s found a unique way to corrupt souls. But in the competitive realm of demonic possessions, things aren’t working out for him, to say the least.

About the Author

Dr Stephen B. Platt is a writer, academic, and improvisor. He holds a PhD in Science Fiction in Theatre and Live Performance from Murdoch University. Stephen is also a multi-award-winning improv comedy artist, performing with groups such as The Big HOO-HAA . and Improv RPG He lives in Perth, Western Australia with his wife, Ellin (also a doctor – History of Dance in Musical Theatre), his son Edwin (not a doctor but at time of writing can say ‘mama’, ‘dada’, and use the Auslan sign for ‘milk’, so he has the fundamentals covered), and their cat Mina (current Chief Mouser of the Platt family home). Inner Demons is Stephen’s debut novel. If you like the book and say nice things about it, he may write another one.