Malory

Sci-Fi, LitRPG & Progression Fantasy

Winner of the 2026 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award

Welcome to the Dark Ages cover — Morgan & Merlin Book 1 by Malory
Morgan & Merlin · Book 1

Welcome to the Dark Ages

Reincarnated into Dark Age Cornwall with Merlin's ghost offering “helpful” commentary. Our timeline is probably doomed.

Progression Fantasy Cultivation LitRPG
Audiobook Sample

Read by Jess Nahikian

Free on Kindle Unlimited

About the Book

Morgan wakes up in the wrong body, the wrong century, and the wrong end of Britain. The ghost of Merlin is in his head, offering commentary that is neither helpful nor optional, and the cultivation system he’s now stuck inside has rules nobody told him about. Dark Age Cornwall is everything the textbooks promised: filthy, dangerous, and uninterested in his complaints.

The catch is that this isn’t a one-way trip. Choices Morgan makes in the sixth century ripple forward through every century that follows. Merlin knows it. The locals don’t. And the timeline isn’t exactly built to take this kind of pressure.

Audiobook performed by Jess Nahikian.

For Readers Who…

love Will Wight’s Cradle, Primal Hunter, or any progression fantasy where the protagonist has to earn every advantage. Strong British humour, a snarky narrator, and a cultivation system that takes itself just seriously enough.

What Readers Are Saying

via Goodreads
Comedic gold. This definitely got me out of a horrendous reading slump. I haven't giggled and laughed so hard when reading a book in so long. A great LitRPG story with all the snark, sass and Medieval war you could dream of.
Gabrielle CravenGoodreads
The delightful chaos of Monty Python mixed with a modern dark sense of humor, all crammed into traditional Arthurian garb. Some fantastic one-liners and an irreverent, delightful approach to the myth of the once and future king.
Shawn WeeksGoodreads
Combine a foul-mouthed sword, a disembodied Merlin, and a self-destructive main character, throw them into the Early Middle Ages with a pinch of pop culture and a dash of cultivation, and you might come close to the farcical chaos that is Welcome to the Dark Ages.
LordTBRGoodreads
A laugh-out-loud fantasy adventure that drops a very modern woman into a very muddy, medieval mess. What follows is a whirlwind of reluctant wizardry, ancient prophecies, and wildly inappropriate banter.
Zowie NorrisGoodreads
Sarcasm, swords, and spiritual mayhem. The reluctant hero's voice is sharp, sarcastic, and delightfully self-aware. It somehow finds moments of real depth and growth. Bold, bizarre, and brilliantly fun.
DonnaGoodreads
Incredibly funny. I could not put it down. I actually LOL'd multiple times.
Kallista HammerGoodreads
See All Reviews on Goodreads →
This is Book 1 of Morgan and Merlin's Excellent Adventures. The series continues with Journey to the Dark Tower, plus a full library on the books page.
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