The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus (Vol.1) - review round-up

The first omnibus of my Pax Britannia novels has been getting some good press of late - better than some of the books that appear within it received when they first came out. (Go figure.)

Anyway, here are just some of the very nice things some very nice people are saying.*

First up there's this from the Midwest Book Review:

The Ulysses Quicksilver series is a land of a unique world with many twists. "The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus" will prove an excellent way to break readers into this series, a steampunk world where Queen Victoria is nearing a two century reign, diving into the deep sea is a vacation, and where even the thieves are a bit off kilter. A riveting read of three novels that should definitely prove quite fascinating, "The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus" is a volume that will prove very hard to put down and very highly recommended.

And then there's this the Falcata Times:

Having been a fan from the beginning of this quirky character, I really couldn't help but rediscover the joy of this dashing dandy of a secret agent in Steampunk Victoriana glory. After all that's what this title is all about and to be honest whilst some may not be the biggest fan of this literary hero, he's got a hell of a lot to offer the modern reader in a similar sort of way that Moore brought when he did his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to the screen.

Add to the mix that this is an omnibus and you know that it has value for money built in. It's an ideal stocking filler if you love action and when backed with a hero that readers will just love to hang out with alongside the full extent of everything from Darwinism gone wrong, a touch of reanimator and a whole host of interesting supporting cast and it really is a spiffy read.

If you need to get up to speed with the Pax Britannia series before picking up either Evolution Expects, Blood Royal or Dark Side, you can pick up a copy of the omnibus here.

* And if you're one of those nice people, sorry for using the adjective 'nice' to describe you. It's been a long day and I'm right out of other adjectives. My cupboards are metaphorically bare. Sorry.

Steampunk Batman revisited

Apparently this costume was inspired by the DC one-shot Gotham by Gaslight, in which Batman goes head to head with Jack the Ripper. And very impressive it is too.

And while we're on the subject of Batman, the villains Bruce Wayne's alter ego will be up against in the forthcoming The Dark Knight Rises have been confirmed as Catwoman and Bane. You can read more about this announcement here.

Steampunk Abraham Lincoln

I want one, simple as that.

I wouldn't mind one of these too.

Human Nature at the Sacremento Book Review

It's been up a while, but I've only recently come across this review of Human Nature, posted on the Sacremento Book Review.

Equal parts Sherlock Holmes, Oliver Twist, Edgar Allen Poe, and Frankenstein, this Victorian-flavored fantasy manages to cobble together a helter-skelter collection of gas lamp thriller inspired themes into a rollicking modern take on the good old-fashioned penny dreadful.

Set in late 1990s Magna Britannia, an alternate England enveloped in the Smog and closely resembling the set of a Dickens novel, Agent of the Empire Ulysses Quicksilver and his unflappable manservant, Nimrod (a close literary relative of Lord Peter Wimsey’s Bunter and Bertie Wooster’s Jeeves), battle criminal monkeys, crazed vivisectionists, and lousy ale as they attempt to uncover the truth behind the theft of an alleged mermaid specimen in the seaside town of Whitby.

To read the rest of the review, click here.

Pax Britannia Lego

As long time readers of this blog will know, I have a certain fondness for Lego and recently ran a competition challenging Pax Britannia fans to create a steampunk Lego scene inspired by the forthcoming Anno Frankenstein.

Well now I've gone one better, by creating some original Pax Britannia Lego kits inspired by already published books in the series. So far there's Ulysses Quicksilver's Rolls Royce Mark 4 Silver Phantom, the lunar rover Copernicus (from Dark Side) and Oddfellow's Sphere (from the climax of the same book).

The Silver Phantom

The Copernicus

Oddfellow's Sphere

If you think you'd like to own one of these kits yourself, drop me a line via info@jonathangreenauthor.com.

Pax Britannia at Graeme's Fantasy Book Review

Graeme Flory of Graeme's Fantasy Book Review has faithfully reviewed all of my Pax Britannia adventures published to date. And they've all received very favourable reviews.

Here's a round-up of his reviews along with rankings based on the scores he gave each of them (out of 10).

1st - Blood Royal (9.5)

2nd= - Unnatural History (8.5)

2nd= - Dark Side (8.5)
4th - Human Nature (8.25)
5th= - Leviathan Rising (8)
5th= - Evolution Expects (8)

I'm intrigued to discover how Anno Frankenstein fares when it's released later this year.

Living the Vida Steampunk

I want one of these...

New Forum Added

If you're a regular follower of this blog, or new to the site today, I know what you're probably thinking right about now, and that is, "Where can I chat with other like-minded individuals about the works of author Jonathan Green?"

Well, have no fear, for you can now visit the official Jonathan Green, Author forum by clicking on this link (or the one in the sidebar to the right).

As well as discussing everything from the latest Pax Britannia release to future plans for the series, over on the forum you'll also find news on event appearances and book signings. There will also be exclusive competitions for forum members from time to time, so why not register today? It only takes a minute and doesn't cost a thing.

Maybe I'll see you over there some time soon.

Pax Britannia: Dark Side at Graeme's Fantasy Book Review

You may have read this fantastic review of Pax Britannia: Blood Royal by Graeme Flory on my blog recently.

Well, having enjoyed Blood Royal so much (I still can't get over the fact that Graeme awarded it 9.5 out of 10!) he didn't delay in picking up a copy of Dark Side. As you'll see from this review, he didn't enjoy it as much - but 8.5 out of 10 is still a very respectable score, if you ask me.

I particularly liked this part:

Green attacks the plot with his usual zest and vigour, giving us a story that rockets along with a mix of heady spectacle (I’m thinking of the giant robots here, loved that bit) and murderous intrigue. Mysteries abound and Quicksilver has to solve them all; the plot moves far too quickly for the reader to have any choice left but to come along for the ride and what a ride it is. There is plenty going on but Green has no trouble keeping everything in the air and ticking along nicely. And what a cliff-hanger ending!

Pax Britannia: Dark Side - SFRevu's best cover of the month

Ever since it was first released, Mark Harrison's fantastic cover for Pax Britannia: Dark Side (that pays homage to Georges Méliès Le voyage dans la Lune) has caused a bit of a stir. Some hate it (or rather are disturbed by it), but most love it.

And science fiction and fantasy review site SFRevu loved it so much they proclaimed it best cover of the month!

Pax Britannia: Anno Frankenstein

Abaddon Books have released their catalogue for 2011, which includes a page promoting my next Pax Britannia adventure Anno Frankenstein.

You can download the catalogue for yourself here.