Heroic fantasies like Game of Thrones, The Name of the Wind, and Lord of the Rings are huge, sprawling epics, with dozens of characters. But what about when you want something a bit shorter and lighter?

Writer on Demand Vol. 6: Not-So-Heroic Fantasy includes five shorter tales about less heroic fantasy characters: "Fellow Traveler: (approximately 3,040 words) is a tale a bard who makes the most of his limited skills to impress a horde of barbarians of limited intelligence and less hygiene. This story originally appeared in "Fantasy Gone Wrong," edited by Brittiany A. Koren and Martin H. Greenburg (DAW Books. Inc. 2006).

"Means to an End" (approximately 4,950 words) is a cautionary tale about getting exactly what you planned and schemed and worked and wished for, but with unforeseen results. This story originally appeared in "Blue Kingdoms: Mages and Magic," edited by Stephen D. Sullivan and Jean Rabe (Walkabout Publishing 2010).

"Remembering Well" (approximately 4,230 words) demonstrates that not everyone likes the idea of change, even in the medieval times of most fantasy realms. This story was originally published in The Bard's Tale, Edited by Doc Meyers (Blackspoon Press 2015).

"MAKESHIFT" (approximately 5,100 words) mixes fantasy and magic with imagination and the science of noetics in the tale of a very special young man recruited to a world of wonder and weighty responsibility.

"Kayla's Quest" (approximately 2,630 words) shows that every day can be an adventure, even if you don't want it to be. This story originally appeared in in Dragons!, Edited by Jean Rabe (Origins Game Fair Anthology 2017).

Don has ten books and over seventy shorter works published in the thriller, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, steampunk, comedy, and memoir genres, including his Writer on Demand TM and other story collections. He even has two books in Morse Code. More on Don and his writing can be found at www.donaldjbingle.com.