Description
Traveling home from Varum to Kiranesh across the post-apocalyptic Zensai Desert of the Mohaani Peninsula, young Gantsch and his companion unknowingly drink from a contaminated well at some abandoned ruins out in the middle of nowhere. After they succumb to the effects of the deadly microorganism, they are unexpectedly rescued from certain death by a wandering band of matriarchal Dimpai nomads, including the beautiful Balhudailadishtarya.
Together they all ride six-legged dromi lizards along the ruins of the ancient Imperial Highway to the famed Gompa Oasis.
But once they arrive at the essential oasis, they find they must first confront the henchmen of the evil warlord Kragston, and fight for the right to drink the life-giving waters that should be free to all travelers in the desert.
Fans of Douglas Adams will appreciate this zany “Frank Herbert with a twist” tale of otherworldly adventures. It’s like Dune meets The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
The Story of the Book
Although it was first published in 2020, Smith notes in his preface to The Gompa Oasis that “I wrote the original version of this zany otherworld story in sporadic sessions from the summer of 1996 through January of 1998: my senior year of college, and the year that followed. Then I shelved the project for more than 20 years.”
About the Author
Jesse S. Smith is a Nature-loving Pacific Northwesterner: a writer, musician, and multimedia creator.
