The first installment of Michael Chabon’s 16-part fiction serial Gentlemen of the Road will debut in The New York Times Magazine this Sunday.

Previously known under the working title “Jews with Swords,” the action serial takes place in the kingdom of Arran around 950 A.D., situated in the Caucasus Mountains between the Black and Caspian seas. The story is basted on historical research into a little known era in the Middle Ages, according to The New York Times Company.

At The New York Times’ Web site, fans can also listen to a podcast of Chabon reading the first chapter. He will also participate in an online Q & A session.

The serial can be found in the “Funny Pages” section of the magazine.