Mad Shadows II: Dorgo the Dowser and The Order of the Serpent

Mad Shadows

by Joe Bonadonna, Joe Bonadonna

Dorgo the Dowser returns in a new novel of Heroic Fantasy!

This time around, Dorgo falls in love with a witch known as The Girl Who Loved Ghouls, battles creatures from another dimension, and meets one very special cat named Crystal. It’s also the first time he hears about the ancient death cult — the Order of the Serpent. Then, after a young woman is murdered and a mysterious book of arcane lore is stolen from her, Dorgo comes closer to learning more about the snake-worshiping Order. But first he must battle both humans and demons in order to find and destroy The Book of Echoes. Finally, when called upon to help a young girl trapped inside an evil spell, Dorgo must confront fiends born of dark sorcery as he tries to save her and destroy the undying warlock who is the leader of the Order of the Serpent.

Magic, murder, mystery and mayhem all await you in Mad Shadows II: Dorgo the Dowser and The Order of the Serpent.

“At first sight, it’s classic sword and sorcery, set on a world populated by fighting men, merchants, wizards and a multitude of mythical, non-mythical and just plain made-up beasts. There’s a difference, though, in the style of the storytelling. It’s a first person narrative, executed very much in the style of the hard-boiled private eye genre.” — Dave Brzeski, the British Fantasy Society.

“Bonadonna balances the human and the grimness in such a way that one never becomes suffocated. Instead, the humor and wit make the characters seem more real, as some of the characters, including Dorgo, use the humor to deal with the darkness they confront.” — Keith West, Amazing Stories Magazine.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror

236 pages, ebook

First published January 4, 2017

About the author

I've published a number of short stories, and authored and co-authored eight novels, and five screenplays. I'm a former board member of the Chicago's Screenwriter Network, where I lectured on the history of science fiction, horror, and fantasy in films, as well as on writing screenplays. I'm also a former rock and roll guitarist and songwriter from the Golden Age of 1964-1984. I've written numerous reviews and articles for Black Gate online magazine.

MAD SHADOWS - Book 1: THE WEIRD TALES OF DORGO THE DOWSER.

MAD SHADOWS - Book 2: THE ORDER OF THE SERPENT,

MAD SHADOWS - BOOK 3: THE HEROES OF ECHO GATE.

THREE AGAINST THE STARS

THE MECHMEN OF CANIS-9

WATERS OF DARKNESS, co-authored with David C. Smith.

THREE GHOSTS AND A BLACK PUMPKIN and THE POWER OF THE SAPPHIRE WAND, co-authored with and illustrated by Erika M Szabo

QUEEN OF TOADS appears in the Kindle anthology, Here Be Ghosts.

SAMUEL MEANTWELL AND THE LITTLE BLACK CLOUD OF THE APOCALYPSE appears in the shared-world anthology, Shad'Dadd: Toy, co-authored with Shebat Legion.

THE BOOK OF ECHOES, appears in the brand-new "shared-theme" anthology from Heathen Oracle, ARTIFACTS AND RELICS: EXTREME SWORD AND SORCERY.

THE BLOOD OF THE LION appears in the Sword and Soul Fantasy anthology GRIOTS 2: SISTERS OF THE SPEAR, edited by Charles Saunders and Milton Davis.

For author Janet Morris' highly-acclaimed series, HEROES IN HELL, I have published stories in Poets in Hell, Doctors in Hell, Pirates in Hell, Lovers in Hell, Mystics in Hell, Liars in Hell, and Monsters in Hell.

My story, SINBAD AND THE GOLDEN FLEECE, appears in the shared-world anthology, SINBAD: THE NEW VOYAGES, VOL. 4. m.

My story, "The Dragon's Horde," has been published in HEROIKA 1: DRAGON EATERS.

In collaboration with David C. Smith, our story, "To Save Hermesia," appears in the shared-world anthology, THE LOST EMPIRE OF SOL.

I have published poems in Stand Together: A Collection of Poems and Short Stories for Ukraine.

My story, "The Vampire Tree," appears in SAVAGE REALMS MONTHLY, MARCH 2022.

My story, "Just Another Day in Heaven, appears in the anthology UNBREAKABLE INK.

My story, "The Goblin Herd," appears in the anthology, LEGION PRESS.

As Editor:
"Hello, My Name is Max, and I Have Autism: An Insight into the Autistic Mind," written and with drawings by Max Miller.

"Being Max's Mom," by Rebecca Miller.

"Libertine: Awakenings," written by Cat Ravenelle.

For author A.L. Butcher I have edited "The Kitchen Imps," and "Tales of Erana: The Warrior's Curse."

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dorgo the Dowser is a sort of PI in a fantasy world. In these stories he is supposed to find various things, and comes into conflict with the usual baddies.

Not fantastical enough, if you ask me.

[S.E. Lindberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mad Shadows is “Cozy Gothic Noir,” highly recommended for occult mystery readers.

“I use a very unique dowsing rod that can, among other things, detect the ectoplasmic residue of any supernatural or demonic entity, and sense the vestiges of vile sorcery used in the commission of a crime. My name is Dorgo Mikawber. Folks call me the Dowser.”

As before, Joe Bonadonna entertains in splendid fashion. His Dorgo character is a supernatural detective with a righteous side, and who wields a dowsing rod to probe/locate weird things. This is what you get by mashing up “Who Dunnit? Mystery” with “Lovecraftian Mythos” and “Leiber’s Adventures in Lankhmar.” Mad Shadows II: Dorgo the Dowser and The Order of the Serpent extends his adventures, world, and background, being a sequel to Mad Shadows: The Weird Tales of Dorgo the Dowser. Again Dorgo has allies; friends include constables, Mazo Captain of the Purple Hand and Sergeant Evad Thims, and the halfing/hybrids Muthologians like the physician satyr Praxus and gambler cyclops Vorengi. Favorite locales like the Hoof and Horn Club in the city of Valdar are revisited.

But there is more, much more!: MSII goes beyond being a second, great collection of tales:
(1) MSII’s chapter episodes are longer (novellas) and have a common story arc.
(2) We learn more about Dorgo, partly through a relationship with Valuta Jefoor, a regal lady with a passion for ghouls.
(3) Erika Szabo’s “Map of “Continent Aerlothia / World of Tanyime” broadens our vision (the map is not needed to enjoy the story, but is well drawn and many of the locales in the map are not mentioned in the stories, which fans may interpret as there is even more to Dorgo yet to come.



Readers could just as easily enjoy reading this in reverse order, so pick either to get started. Whereas the first book is a collection of separate tales, Dorgo tackles three related mysteries in this volume. One could easily argue that

Contents:
Part I The Girl Who Loved Ghouls
Part II The Book of Echoes
Part III The Order of the Serpent

Chapters I and III are new to the world, but Chapter II, Book of Echoes was my first Dowser/Joe Bonadonna experience published in an earlier form within Azieran Adventures Presents Artifacts and Relics: Extreme Sorcery. According to the author (via Facebook conversation) the first scene and finale were somewhat influenced by the 1950s film version of Mickey Spillane's "Kiss Me, Deadly." I enjoyed this so much that I purchased Mad Shadows: The Weird Tales of Dorgo the Dowser immediately.

In MSII, Book of Echoes has been revamped to extended Dorgo’s relationship with the lady Valuta as well as the bullying Khodos brothers. The cross-over to the Azieran series is maintained. There are also extended descriptions of Valdar’s workings, such as the Wheel, a device to enable people to drop off babies to an orphanage. This had eerie overtones of the author’s MS1 dedication to: “Mary Ellen Pettenon and the other 91 children and 3 nuns who became angles too soon in the Our Lady of Angels School Fire, December 1, 1958.” I learned on Facebook that Bonadonna is a long time Chicagoan, who was in the same school system and if his birthday was a few months different, he would have been in the building. In the book, we learn early on that Dorgo is an orphan, and many of the plots/character-motivations are based on family ties.

Still need more!: As Dorgo develops, I long for more insight into his past. We know that he is a veteran of the Wandering Swords, a band of mercenaries. And we know that the dowsing rod was given to him by a “grateful Yongarloo shaman” after Dorgo rescued his daughter from a gang of slavers. “How he got it, where he got, he never said and I never asked,” says our protagonist. It seems the longer he has the rod, the more he build a symbiotic relationship with it. I would welcome any more Dorgo, but would enjoy some revelation of the past in future volumes.

Official Synopsis: Dorgo the Dowser lives in a world where life is cheap and souls are always up for sale. Armed with a unique dowsing rod that can detect the residue of any supernatural presence or demonic entity, he can sense the vestiges of vile sorcery used in the commission of crimes. His adventures pit him against inter-dimensional creatures, friendly ghouls, raging cyclopes, psychopathic satyrs, and monstrous insects . . . not to forget a criminal underworld of duplicitous women and dangerous men. This time around, Dorgo falls in love with a witch known as the Girl Who Loves Ghouls, battles creatures from another dimension, and meets one very special werecat named Crystal. It’s also the first time he hears about an ancient death cult known as the Order of the Serpent. Then, after a young woman is murdered and a deadly, dangerous book of arcane lore is stolen from her, Dorgo comes closer to learning more about this secret Order. But first he must battle both humans and demons in order to find and destroy “The Book of Echoes.” Finally, Dorgo squares off against a horde of fiends born of dark sorcery when he tries to help a young girl who became trapped inside a powerful spell while attempting to destroy someone calling himself Ophidious Garloo. Racing against time, Dorgo the Dowser uses every trick he knows to uncover the secret identity and learn the True Name of Ophidious Garloo -- the Undying Warlock who may very well be the leader of the Order of the Serpent.

More magic, murder, mystery and mayhem in this sequel to Mad Shadows: The Weird Tales of Dorgo the Dowser. MAD SHADOWS II -- DORGO THE DOWSER AND THE ORDER OF THE SERPENT. . . Heroic Fantasy with a film noir edge. Available in paperback and Kindle editions from Amazon, Smashwords, CreateSpace, and other online booksellers.

[Andrew Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder, mystery, mishap and mayhem. You’ll find all this and more as Dorgo Mikawber returns in Joe Bonadonna’s latest fantasy adventure:
“Mad Shadows II – Dorgo the Dowser and the Order of the Serpent.”
Dorgo Mikawber is everybody’s favorite rogue; a finger in every pie, sailing close to the wind ex mercenary, who now spends his days eking out a living investigating the magical and macabre, thanks in the main to his marvelous dowsing rod, a tool capable of detecting most forms of odylic power.
The thing is, our supernatural sleuth seems to act as a lodestone for bad luck and spends most of his time falling afoul of the servants of evil.
In this latest adventure, it doesn’t take long for Dorgo to stumble upon a vicious spate of deathly double dealing that leaves a trail of dead bodies, hideously disfigured citizens and unanswered questions in its wake. And it all seems to center about a book that no one dare read, the “Book of Echoes” and someone called Ophidious Garloo.
But how might the two be connected? Who is the elusive Ophidious Garloo? And why would someone want to possess a book so determined to protect its secrets? Are these mysteries in any way connected to something called, “The Order of the Serpents?”
One thing’s for sure, whether he wants to or not, Dorgo’s going to be in the thick of it finding out. But will he survive this time?
Mad Shadows II: a most entertaining journey through the sinister streets of Valdar, and beyond, where familiar characters welcome you home, invite you in and encourage you to stay.
But dare you?
(I’ll see you down at the Hoof and Horn…)

[Janet E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you get when you mix spiritualism, mythology, heroic fiction and noir detective stories? Dorgo the Dowser, of course. This unique hero penned by Joe Bonadonna has a previous book, Mad Shadows I, but don't let that deter you. Jump on in. You're going to want to read the first volume once you've read this one. Bonadonna's droll humor and his ability to breathe life into his characters, making realistic the most fantastical circumstances, is pure magic. Dorgo is wry, dry, and very smart for a "sword & sorcery" hero, which is really the genre to which Dorgo owes his birth. But he's evolved. And so has his capacity for mixing his violence with a wistful attitude toward love, his hard-boiled detective-story wit.
Ladies and gents, in this volume Dorgo falls head-over-heels in love with a witch, and this emotional note creates a scenario filled with demons and human bad guys whose fates become entwined with the girl, and Dorgo, our hero. Oh, and did I mention the cat? Cat lovers, this book is for you. Mystery, mayhem, darkest sorcery, and high adventure await. Join the growing legion of Dorgo fans. You'll never look back.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three tales building to one ultimate climax.

Initially, I wasn't into it. Yes, it's first person perspective, which I love, but I wasn't loving this one. Dorgo just didn't interest me much. I actually entertained putting it down as a DNF. BUT, something about the third act just sort of clicked and I was hooked until the end.

Dorgo is a sleuth in a world complete with fantastic races and magic. He owns a special dowsing rod, but his use of it seemed very lackluster. He's not too handy in a fight either. Several times he gets thrashed. Actually, it seemed like others did most of the heavy lifting. Maybe I should have read Mad Shadows: The Weird Tales of Dorgo the Dowser first...

This nitpicking aside, it was well written and edited.

[Ruth Jauregui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dorgo is a wonderful character. I love the way he's the good guy despite the challenges he faces in the fantastical city of Valdor. WONDERFUL trio of books. Highly recommended!

[Meville Canello · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

The mystery and action is well balanced. The characters are both amusing and scary. Dorgo is an amazing character. Read mad shadows.