All There in the (Monster) Manual are stories based on creatures from the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. Over 2022 I released a different story fitting the theme every single week and I’ve now expanded to Dungeons & Dragons’ Monsters of the Multiverse and even the Pathfinder Bestiary. Could be fantasy, science fiction, horror, or something else entirely! Check them out on the main page of the website.

This Week’s Inspiration: Giant Crab

This story is a sequel to The Birth of Cities, it contains spoilers although doesn’t require a read to understand this one.

The glass harvesters follow the movements of the enormous calderustaceans, mining their abandoned volcanic shells for pockets of glass formed from molten sand and minerals once they’ve cooled. Far from home, fifteen-year-old Jairo’s most sincere desire is to prove himself a worthy member of Captain Marquez’s crew.

For 2022, I’ve been wanting to write more ‘creature features’ and generally improve my short story writing. My partner got me a Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual for my birthday so I came up with the idea of writing a story every week based on a different creature from that – All There in the (Monster) Manual. Hope you enjoy!

This Week’s Inspiration: Giant Centipede

Having recently lost his mother, and now having lost a precious locket that belonged to her, Damon and his friends venture beneath the enormous branches of their city-sized hometree to retrieve it. To recover the locket, they’ll have to search the strange and dangerous world of the forest floor.

With some of my longer stories, I’m happy for you to grab yourself a copy of an ebook version to take away and read it in your own time if you prefer! So, feel free to click this link and do just that.

For 2022, I’ve been wanting to write more ‘creature features’ and generally improve my short story writing. My partner got me a Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual for my birthday so I came up with the idea of writing a story every week based on a different creature from that – All There in the (Monster) Manual. Hope you enjoy!

This Week’s Inspiration: Giant Scorpion

Salma Al Aleagrab and her family flee across the deadly sands of the Great Sandy Wastes atop their scorpion mounts, pursued by a seemingly unstoppable predator. Unexpected allies and unexpected new ideas might be the only way to stay alive, free, and uneaten.

This story is based in the same setting as The Birth of Cities and Captain’s Log, although no knowledge of either is required before reading.

For 2022, I’ve been wanting to write more ‘creature features’ and generally improve my short story writing. My partner got me a Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual for my birthday so I came up with the idea of writing a story every week based on a different creature from that – All There in the (Monster) Manual. Hope you enjoy!

This Week’s Inspiration: Yeti

Sailors and traders have searched for years for a fabled passage through the frozen north. After two years stuck fast in ice on such a mission, Captain William Blarvey and his crew have been forced to abandon their ship and make for a nearby settlement. But the fields of ice and snow hold dangers and mysteries they have failed to anticipate.

Note: This story takes place in the same continuity as The Birth of Cities. Wooster is a city in the same vein of Yoruga, without that context this story is likely to be slightly confusing.

For 2022, I’ve been wanting to write more ‘creature features’ and generally improve my short story writing. My partner got me a Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual for my birthday so I came up with the idea of writing a story every week based on a different creature from that – All There in the (Monster) Manual. Hope you enjoy!

This Week’s Inspiration: Dragon Turtle

Once in a century, the city of Yoruga goes ashore at the site of her ancient hatching ground to birth a clutch of eggs that will hopefully grow into a new generation of cities. Seeking a purpose in life, young Jairo stays behind with a force of volunteers to help protect the eggs. At first it’s a grand adventure, but the work, and the hatching itself, are fraught with lethal dangers.

This week’s story is a long one, the longest one I’ve written for All There in the (Monster) Manual so far. So if you have an ereader and would like to take away a copy with you, feel free to download this MOBI file instead!