With the arrival this month of our fourth installment – “Negotiation, or, The Various and Sundry Businesses of Mister Jonathan Guess” – we introduce a new character and a new tone to the stories. Unlike Palm, Timriel, See, and Gelgarth, there’s nothing heroic about Jonathan Guess, unless you choose to describe his tolerance for drugs and booze that way (and you really shouldn’t.) He’s a deeply untrustworthy man, filled with dark habits and even darker regrets. That’s all reflected brilliantly in the cover portrait by Bella Bergolts, and the stunningly creepy interior illustration by Dean Calusdian. While the pivot away from the romantic cover art of Chapter 3 may be unexpected, dark and horrific elements are certainly nothing new to the genre. Michael Moorcock’s “Elric” books, R. Scott Baker’s “Prince of Nothing” series, and Fritz Leiber’s “Fahfrd and the Grey Mouser” stories regularly delved into darkness, and even Tolkein’s Smeagol / Gollum jonesing for the One Ring can be seen as a portrait of addiction not too dissimilar to Jonathan Guess’ quest for the strongest psychedelic mushrooms he can find. In that grand tradition, we add this pitch black streak to the palette of ‘The Elect Stories.” We hope you dig it.
