COVER REVEAL: Level: Unknown (Level: Unknown #1) by David Dalglish

Blurb

The magical world of Yensere holds the key to saving humanity from a horrific apocalypse. Too bad Nick can only get there in his dreams. 

When an ancient alien artifact chooses research cadet Nick to explore the world stored within it—a place full of forgotten empires, heroes with strange powers, and monstrous creatures that he is automatically transported to when he sleeps—he finds he has no choice but to grow stronger within the realm of Yensere to uncover its mysteries. 

But Yensere isn’t all fun exploration. In this land guided by statistics and levels, Nick is seen as a demonic threat by its diseased inhabitants and always killed on-sight. When he dies in Yensere, he awakens in his bed upon the research station, his body in a state of panic; when he sleeps again, Yensere drags him back for another life…and another death. 

Nick can only keep this up for so long before he dies for real. But there’s a good chance Yensere holds the key to saving humanity from a terrible fate, and so he ventures on, getting stronger and stronger with each new enemy defeated. And there are a LOT of enemies to defeat…

About the series: Join Nick as he adventures through the incredible world of Yensere in this progression fantasy isekai. Featuring multiple POVs, traditional LitRPG elements, magic and fantasy weaponry combat, friendships, light romance, and sarcastic robot guides, this is the perfect series for anyone wishing they could explore the galaxy and fight terrifying liches at the same time.

Q+A w/ that Dalglish fellow

Who are you again?

DD: I assume you don’t want me to get all existential here, so let’s say I’m David Dalglish, father of three wonderful daughters, an addicted gamer, and a full-time author of over a decade.

I know you’ve written, like, a ton of books. Fantasy, right?

DD: All but a few little short story collections, yeah. I would honestly have to stop to count, but I think, if you include the upcoming releases of Level: Unknown and Radiant King, it’s up to…thirty three? It’s been a bit of a journey, from self-publishing my weird, trope-filled dark fantasy books of the Half-Orcs to trade-publishing multiple trilogies to now venturing into brand new genres like LitRPGs.

LitRPG, huh? You sure you can do this?

DD: Hell if I know, but I’d like to think there’s a chance something fun occurs from this sprawling project. I’ve already finished two books in the series, and should be hitting the end of the rough draft of the third, Level: Apocalypse, by the end of the month. To say there’s been some growing pains would be putting it mildly, but it’s been a lot of fun thoroughly embracing every dumb, goofy, over-the-top RPG instinct I’ve developed over a lifetime of playing D&D and JRPGs. It seems people are having fun over in this LitRPG space, and hopefully readers will enjoy my own dabbling within.

Not that I care, but what are your, say, top 5 video games?

DD: All right, this is a list that moves around a lot but if I were forced to nail it down, right now it’d be something like… Bloodborne FFXIV Factorio Hades Chrono Trigger

If you were dropped into a video game, you’d probably die immediately, right?

DD: Really gonna depend on the game. I’m toast if it’s a soulsborne game, that’s for sure. I’d go hollow within a week. I might do all right if I can avoid blue shells in Mario Kart, maybe thrive in an MMO where you are meant to start off weak and need time to grow. Not much chance I survive most single-player RPGs, though. I’m no longer young enough to be the plucky hero. I’m gonna be the dad in the peaceful village that dies when it gets burned to the ground.

I guess you can tell people about your book that FINALLY has a cover… Go ahead

DD: How generous of you lol (it is a good cover, though, so happy I can finally share it). In Level: Unknown, researchers on a space station above a barren planet discover an alien object they dub the Artifact. When they activate it, it projects the consciousness of their youngest member, Nick, into a world that is seemingly backwards in time, where the impossible is possible, with magic and monsters and living gods. When he dies, he wakes on the space station, where he’s been comatose during his adventure. When he sleeps, he returns to the world to try again. And what starts as an exploration into what they believe to be a time capsule of the barren world’s past becomes a race against time as the threats that destroyed the previous civilization return anew, and the only place Nick knows to find answers are within the strange, collapsing world of the Artifact.

If you pick up a few new readers, where do you suggest they start in your backlog?

DD: I suppose it depends on what they enjoyed about the book! If they loved the heavy emphasis on action and over-the-top swordplay and spells, they’re probably best diving into my Shadowdance series, starting with A Dance of Cloaks. If they’re more into the unique world-building, then I’d say try the Keepers Trilogy, starting with Soulkeeper, where you’ll find even weirder and wilder stuff.

About the Author

I was born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, then moved to the small town of Purdy, Missouri when I was about four years old. This town’s claim to fame was a Supreme Court fight over whether or not the school could forbid dancing. The anti-dancers won.

I was a bookworm growing up. Solid A’s, was reading Crichton and Clancy by the fourth grade. Thankfully I had a very supportive family, ones who nurtured and cherished my intellect. And by that, I mean they once put me in pocket protectors and gigantic fake glasses as a nerdy Halloween costume.

In High School, I had the best Creative Writing class ever. The teacher booked us the computer lab every day of the week, then told us “Write something.” Didn’t matter what. I went crazy and wrote a 60k word novel. Whole time, I had a ball, convinced I was the most super-amazing writer ever.

In college, I actually met real writers, ones who could write circles around me while half-asleep. I thank God for that much-needed blast of humility. I thank God even more for the hottie I ended up meeting and marrying. Why she puts up with me, I’ll never know. Wait. Yes, I do know. It’s because we get to raise our daughters Morgan, Katherine, and Alyssa.

So that’s basically my life, uber-shortened. My writing tends to be dark, but really, I’m a boring guy with a decent sense of humor and a desire to tell some over the top stories.

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