Below, you can view the illustrations for my debut illustrated sci-fi novel, OUT OF THE BLACK, which is complete at 52,072 words, and 32 original pen & ink illustrations. Out of the Black is the first part of a space-opera trilogy titled THE CURSE OF THE BLACKENED BLADE and has YA crossover potential. The remainder of this story arc has been written and is currently in the editing and illustration phase.
Stealing starships from the Central Bureaucracy is tricky business, unfortunately for Geb, getting kidnapped while your ship is being stolen turns out to be astonishingly easy!
Geb, a new recruit, enlisted just after his 18th birthday to escape the doldrums of his native farmworld. After six months among the stars, he is more miserable than ever. While docking at an orbital station, the crew decide to leave Geb behind while they get some R&R, and a group of space pirates knock him out and steal the ship! Geb was looking for excitement– and it found him!
The pirates call themselves the Warpriders, and are led by Captain Fel Maberu, a master of the Blackened Blade. With Geb locked in a cage, the pirates get to work ransacking the ship. The Captain quickly discovers a hidden treasure on board, and he thinks Geb knows how to get it.
Imagine his disappointment when he finds out Geb is basically the ship’s janitor, and doesn’t have what it takes to be a soldier! Other parties want a piece of the loot, and the Captain falls victim to a double-cross. Things get even more complicated when they find out the treasure isn’t a thing, but a girl! Geb must figure out who to trust as things go from bad to worse, and death is at every turn.
This novel establishes the characters and settings in the Blackened Blade Universe. It would be at home among others in the classic space opera genre with a strong emphasis on swashbuckling adventure, world-building, and character relationships in an interstellar setting. The series is inspired by R.L. Stevenson’s Kidnapped and Treasure Island novels, if they were smashed together with Alex Raymond and Al Williamson's Flash Gordon illustrated adventure serials.
Keep scrolling to view the illustrations! If you like what you see, let me know!
