The Shadow War of the Night Dragons

The Shadow War of the Night Dragons, Book One: The Dead City is a parody fantasy short story by John Scalzi.

It was first published on Tor.com on April 1, 2011, and presented as an excerpt from a nonexistent larger work.

The Shadow War of the Night Dragons was a finalist for the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.

[1] GamesRadar considered that the story "affectionately skewers the heroic fantasy genre".

[3] Jim C. Hines praised Tor for supporting the joke by commissioning cover art for the non-existent novel, and noted that there was "an actual story (...) amidst the jokes and the over-the-top fantasy tropes", such that "when (he) finished reading, (he) wanted to know what happened next;" Hines did, however, note that "some of the humor felt a little forced", and correctly predicted that the story would not win the Hugo.