In the absurd land of Nth, within the forlorn walls of Castle Grimstone, down the precarious steps of the Black Mountain dungeon, you can find Thisby Thestoop, gamekeeper and sometime friend for all creatures gruesome, grotesque, and uncommon.

Though she is often up to her rather pointy nose in griffin toenails, gnoll spittle, and troll meat, Thisby keeps track of it all the only way she knows how?by taking careful notes. So when her black-toothed Dünkeldwarf boss informs her that the prince and princess are arriving for a Royal Inspection, Thisby knows she'll need every note she's ever written to make sure everything goes according to plan.

But when Roquat stupidly rouses a tarasque, the much-too-good-looking Princess Iphigenia winds up lost in the Black Mountain dungeon without her guards, her staff, or her younger (by two minutes) twin brother. With the dungeon in shambles and all the easy paths home blocked, Thisby is the only one who can guide the princess safely past the ghoulish creatures that would love nothing more than to nosh the royal highness for dinner.

It's a dangerous adventure ahead for these two unlikely friends. And if they want to succeed, they'll have to trust each other. It's the first book in this rollicking new fantasy-adventure series from debut author Zac Gorman.

Zac Gorman is a cartoonist and author from Detroit, Michigan. He worked as a storyboard artist on the Emmy-winning series Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon Network) and was nominated for the Annie Award for Character Design for his work on Welcome to the Wayne (Nickelodeon). He wrote for the Rick and Morty comic series published monthly by Oni Press. Thisby Thestoop and the Black Mountain is his debut novel.