International Steampunk Day 2021

Happy International Steampunk Day!

Having been a part of the UK Steampunk scene for several years, from the late Noughties to the mid 2010s, I have not produced as much Steampunk fiction in recent years.

That said, both Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland and NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! have some Steampunk trappings, while The Wicked Wizard of Oz features elements of the genre's slightly younger cousin Dieselpunk.

You can still read my Pax Britannia series, courtesy of Abaddon Books, and the first novel, Unnatural History, is only 99p on Kindle at present.

In other news, I can't believe I missed World Dracula Day on 26th May! Bizarrely, I was utterly absorbed finishing a new supplement for 'TWAS the RPG on that day. But have no fear, I will be ready for it next year! After all, Dracula - Curse of the Vampire will be out by then.

Speaking of which, here's a never-before-seen piece of art from the adventure, by the gamebook's illustrator, Hauke Kock.

Dracula - Curse of the Vampire will be published in October 2021, by Snowbooks.

International Steampunk Day - Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland

Coming soon to

Steampunk Thursday moves to Friday: International Steampunk Day 2013!

14 June is (or was) H G Wells' birthday, and as Mr Wells is one of the godfathers of the Steampunk movement, 14 June is International Steampunk Day.

And it just so happens that tomorrow is the start of Steampunk Doncaster*. In the lead up to the UK's newest Steampunk event, I wrote a guest post for Craig Hallam's blog**.

If you are going to Steampunk Doncaster, maybe I'll see you there...

* Anybody'd think they'd planned it that way.

** Craig Hallam is the organiser of the Litarium element of Steampunk Doncaster.

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.

A Steampunk Evening and the Phobophobia launch

Just a quick reminder to let you know that I shall be attending A Steampunk Evening, at Blackwell's Charring Cross alongside such luminaries as Kim Lakin-Smith, China Miéville, Philip Reeve, Adam Roberts, Lavie Tidhar and Plarchie the Squid this evening (Thursday 8 December).

And then tomorrow (Friday 9 December) you'll find me at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, and later at the British Fantasy Society open night at the Mug House, for the launch of Dean M Drinkel's Phobophobia horror anthology (published by Dark Continents).

Maybe I'll see you at one, or t'other... or both!

Happy Steampunk Day!

Yes, it's June 14th which means it's International Steampunk Day!

And to celebrate all things steampunk, why not check out the most recent Pax Britannia releases from Abaddon Books?