FantasyCon 2012 - Day 3

So... Sunday... Day 3 of FantasyCon 2012.

Not so much going on today (other than the British Fantasy Society AGM, the BFS Banquet and Awards Ceremony, and the World FantasyCon 2013 Dead Dog party) but then it is the day after the (already notorious) FantasyCon Disco!

Today you'll find me in Room 134 of the Royal Albion Hotel reading from 10.30-11.00am. As to what I'll be reading, I am as yet undecided. It might be an extract from the final part of Time's Arrow - White Noise - or it might be a short horror story (just what you want on a Sunday morning), or maybe a bit of both. Anyway, if you're up do come along and keep me company.

Maybe I'll see you there...

Steampunk Thursday: White Noise released today!

The third and final part of my eighth Ulysses Quicksilver Pax Britannia novel Time's Arrow (a.k.a. White Noise) is available for download now! You can get yours here.

PAX BRITANNIA

TIME’S ARROW

Part Three

White Noise

In which the city of Paris faces destruction, and our hero is faced with a deadly dilemma.

But is Cadence Bettencourt to be trusted or not? Is she the friend she appears to be, or does she have a hidden agenda in offering to help our hero?

Steampunk Week: Weekend at the Asylum

Weekend at the Asylum kicks off for some today although I won't make it up to Lincoln until tomorrow (Friday 7 September).

On Friday night I'll be catching up with friends, and no doubt making some new ones, and probably partaking of a drink or two (as is my wont).

On Saturday I'll be selling my wares in the Ballroom of the County Assembly Rooms, so if you're coming along why not stop by and say hello? (And buy a book or a badge.)

And then on Sunday morning at 11.00am I shall be reading from Part 3 of Time's Arrow - White Noise - and taking part in a Q'n'A session.

Lastly, at 1.00pm on Sunday I shall be taking part in the panel 'Write a cog on it' with Raven Dane and Jema Hewitt.

I look forward to seeing some of you there.

Steampunk Week: White Noise

The third part of my eighth Ulysses Quicksilver Pax Britannia novel Time's Arrow (a.k.a. White Noise) is coming to a eBook reader near you soon. And here's the finished cover by artist/designer extraordinaire Simon Parr.

PAX BRITANNIA

TIME’S ARROW

Part Three

White Noise

In which the city of Paris faces destruction, and our hero is faced with a deadly dilemma.

But is Cadence Bettencourt to be trusted or not? Is she the friend she appears to be, or does she have a hidden agenda in offering to help our hero?

Steampunk Week

With Time's Arrow Part 3 - White Noise - due for release very soon, and Weekend at the Asylum only days away, this week I shall be focusing purely on all things steampunk on my blog.

Check back every day for more news about Pax Britannia and my appearance at the largest steampunk convention in Europe.

Steampunk Thursday: Steam Kong!

Last Friday, Pye Parr (Abaddon Books' designer and cover artist par excellence) posted this comment on Twitter: "Did this today, pretty chuffed with it!"

And the image he posted with it?

Time's Arrow Part 3 is on its way...

Steampunk Thursday: International Steampunk Day

That's right, in case you didn't already know, 14 June (H G Wells' birthday) is International Steampunk Day. And I'm celebrating with another great review of Time's Arrow: Black Swan that's appeared on the Geek Syndicate website:

In 1988 Sylvester McCoy hosted a programme on Children’s BBC called What’s Your Story. For those not old enough to remember, the premise was that you watched a story unfold before you and, when the cliffhanger came at the end, you phoned in with your choice of where the story went next. A great interactive approach and one which Jonathan Green, author of the Pax Britannia series, is adopting himself. 


The Time’s Arrow trilogy, published by Abaddon Books, reunites us with one of Green’s standout characters in Ulysses Quicksilver, general dandy and all round hero. Released as e-books, this steam punk trilogy allows the reader to vote to decide the direction of the story which is a great way to engage with your readership. Part one and two are out now. Read on for Geek Syndicate’s review of part two, Black Swan.


Black Swan follows on from where part one, Red-handed, left off with Ulysses Quicksilver in the Parisian apartments of Monsieur Lumiere as he hunts the killer involved with the Rue Morgue murders. A number of prominent individuals have prematurely shuffled their mortal coil and Quicksilver, prime suspect of the local gendarmes, is out to clear his name and bring the real killer to justice. 


The story rattles on at a fair pace with little time to draw your breath between the action. Rampaging gorillas, mechanical parrots, steam-powered flying bicycles and damsels firmly in command all play their part with a sinister villain plotting worldwide destruction all in the heart ofParis. Gaston Leroux, Conan Doyle and Poe are all paid homage to, amongst others, as we are drawn excitedly towards the cliffhanger ending in readiness for part three. 

I have to admit to not having read Red-handed in advance of this, possibly not the wisest of things when tackling a series but such is the life of a reviewer, so was worried I might be slightly lost starting with book two. However, having previously read Green’s Evolution Expects, well worth a read by the way, I was well acquainted with Mr Quicksilver and found the writing dropped enough previous plot points into the narrative to allow me to catch up quickly. 

Black Swan is a fun story, one which engages you from the off, and you can tell that Green is enjoying his writing. Quicksilver, agent for the British government, is a fantastic character, full of dare-doing, and carries the day with an air of optimism and a stiff upper lip throughout; think James Bond as a Victorian toff. The villains are painted equally well and are just on the right side of moustache twirling dastardliness without being corny. 

There are some parts of the story where the escapes are fortuitous and far fetched but, hey, that’s all part of the playfulness of the writing. Go into this with a complete suspension of disbelief and you’ll come out smiling at the other end. 

I really enjoyed this and would recommend that you pick it up but possibly start with book one like a sane person would do! 

Voting for where part three, White Noise, heads closes on Friday 15 June. To influence where the story goes next visit www.abaddonbooks.com but obviously after you’ve read the book which is available for download now. 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

You can download the eBook of Time's Arrow: Black Swan here.

Steampunk Thursday: Time's Arrow - the non-eBook edition

Pax Britannia: Time's Arrow - the print edition of Ulysses Quicksilver's eighth daring adventure - is available for pre-order now.

Paris. City of lights. City of lovers. City of dreams. Yet if one man gets his way, its inhabitants will soon be forced to endure a nightmare such as they have never known. But Hero of the British Empire Ulysses Quicksilver is determined to get in his way... although he has problems of his own to deal with first, before he can try to rescue the French capital from its earth-shattering fate. Arriving at a murder scene, Ulysses is forced to go on the run, so that he might track down the real killer. His intention: to clear his good name, and get back to England in one piece and as quickly as possible; for the love of his life is about to take a most ill-advised trip to the Moon. But the terrorist known only as 'Le Papillon' is preparing to bring chaos to the capital.

Remember there's still time to vote for how you want the story to end in Part 3 - White Noise. Simply follow this link to find out more.

Happy Birthday, Isambard Kingdom... BRUNEL!

Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Reckless Engineer himself, was born 206 years ago today. And to celebrate here's the awesome new single by The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing.

By the way, Brunel's Trans-Channel Tunnel makes an appearance in the final part of Pax Britannia: Time's Arrow. Just thought you might like to know.