When Stanislaw Gombrowicz falls into a coma he finds himself in the strange land of Pileck with a new name and no memory. In this new world, a war is raging between the people of Pileck and their monstrous enemies the Sinistrians and the Curzonians. Danger seems to be everywhere but as Stanislaw's strength grows so does the threat when it becomes clear that it he is actually the single greatest weapon of the war; a weapon that the enemies of Pileck will do anything to possess in order to destroy everything he has and will ever love. As this is happening, in the real world his grandson, Jonathon, is attempting to find a way to write a book about Stanislaw's experiences during World War II. The obstacles he faces are not insignificant. The facts he has are fragmented, distorted by the old man's Alzheimer's ravaged memories. Perhaps more significantly though, Jonathon is consistently derailed by an ability to find excuses not to complete the task he has set himself; by the distractions of his life and the twin intoxications of drink and women. Separate and almost unknowingly the two of them must find a way to reach the end. To survive long enough to keep the past and present alive even as life itself is slipping away. The Dark Era is an exhilarating story that combines elements of history, memory, fantasy, and reality to uncover the lengths some people will go to both preserve and let go of the past in order to create a better future.