Saturday 17 November 2012

Resurrection Engines

Scott Harrison, editor of Resurrection Engines, dropped me an email the other day with the final cover for the paperback edition attached. And very smart it looks too...


The guys at Snowbooks have done a fantastic job and I can't wait to hold this book in my hands - and read everybody else's stories!

In case your eyesight is going the same way as mine, my contribution is a steampunkification of the classic American novel Moby Dick, called There Leviathan.

You can pre-order your own copy of Resurrection Engines here.

Friday 16 November 2012

Pax Britannia Week: Steampunk Badges

The badges I designed and had made for this year's Weekend at the Asylum proved so popular that, based on customer feedback, I've had some more made.


So when you see me selling my books at a con in the future make sure you pick up one, or two... or more.

Thursday 15 November 2012

Pax Britannia Week: Time's Arrow - the first review!

The following review (and the first, as far as I am aware) is by Matt Sylvester, founder of the Exonian Friendly Society of Steam & Burlesque. Take it away, Matt!


First things first, Jonathan Green is one of the most humble authors I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, almost as if he truly is not aware as to just how good he is. Fortunately, this makes writing this review easy.

Time's Arrow - released on November 13th 2012 - is the eleventh book in the Pax Britannia series under the Abaddon banner and the eighthUlysses Quicksilver adventure. For those not aware of who Ulysses is, the easiest way to describe him is as a mix of Bertie Wooster, the Scarlet Pimpernel, James Bond and the Saint. Only far cooler as he lives in a present-day Victorian Empire (if you want to know more, buy the books!). Not only that, this book was originally written in three parts and, this is what makes the book unique in my not so humble opinion, it was entirely driven by the wishes of the readers.

Jonathan initially started by writing the first third. When that was completed, he released it and asked the readers what they wanted to happen in the next installment. When this was written he did the same and wrote the third and final installment. I know of no other author that has approached writing his book in such a way and I have to say that I love this approach. Despite being broken down into three parts when he was writing it, the reader would never know that it had been broken down in such a way.

Time's Arrow, as with all of Jonathan's Pax Britannia books is packed with popular culture references. It was at a reading that he gave whilst speaking at Asylum 2012, that I asked whether he used to play a certain video game obliquely referenced in a pivotal moment of the story, and there were a number of other references, both subtle and unsubtle liberally sprinkled through the story, some of which made me chuckle and some that made me groan.

The story as a whole is just like the other Ulysses Quicksilver books, they start off at a nice quick trot and then start to canter. Before you know it, trumpets are sounding, lances are lowered and you find yourself charging full pelt in a flurry of excitement and action that keeps you turning the pages until you either reach the end of the book, or your legs turn numb and you realise that you have become one with Armitage Shanks.

Full of love-sick whores, terrorists, animal abuse, murder, bombs and beautiful women, as well as some time travel, this book is a perfect addition to anyone's bookcase - or kindle - and I heartily recommend that you purchase it, it is truly a tale of valour to divert and enthrall.

I heartily recommend that you get this book.http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=practicalmart-21&l=as2&o=2&a=178108064X Now.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

The Next Big Thing -Time's Arrow

Last week, both Steven Savile and Sarah Pinborough tagged me on blog posts of theirs as part of an ongoing chain of book/author recommendations called The Next Big Thing. So today it's my turn to answer the ten questions originated by Paul Magrs, then pass the reins on to five other writers who will be doing the same on their own blogs in a week's time. So, here goes...


1) What is the working title of your next book?

Pax Britannia: Time's Arrow, my eighth steampunk novel set within that particular universe.


2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

A combination of things really, as is the case with any book. There's a bit of King Kong in there, but Donkey Kong too, and Van Helsing, as well as the Hunchback of Notre Dame... But the driving force behind the plot for this book was the need to get the hero Ulysses Quicksilver back to Blighty having been away for the best part of three books!

I originally intended to go further, tying up elements that first appeared as far back as book 6, Dark Side, but then I realised I was trying too hard and decided to focus on telling a simpler story well, rather than a more complex one badly.


3) What genre does your book fall under?

Mostly definitely Steampunk. That said, anyone who's heard me speak on the subject before will know that I consider Steampunk a flavour as much as a genre, so you could also say that Time's Arrow is a sci-fi-crime-thriller-action-adventure story, with added French people.


4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Hmm... Tricky...

In my mind, Ulysses Quicksilver looks like Ulysses Quicksilver, and nobody else. That said, I could see someone like Julian Rhind-Tutt or Paul Bettany playing him on the big screen - or at least I could hear one of them playing him.

Maybe a young Sophie Marceau for the part of Cadence Bettencourt, or perhaps Louise Bourgoin.


5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Arriving at a murder scene, having travelled forward in time from the past, Ulysses Quicksilver is forced to go on the run through Paris, so that he might track down the real killer, clear his name, and save the woman he's loves from a most ill-advised trip to the moon - all befoer a terrorist known only as 'Le Papillon' brings the city to its knees.

(That's quite a long sentence, isn't it?)


6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It's published by Abaddon Books, who have published all my other Pax Britannia novels to date.


7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Now that's a hard one! The book was written in three distinct parts at three distinct times, over the course of about a year. But I suppose in total it took three months to write, which is pretty much how long any novel takes me to write.


8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

My other Pax Britannia books. ;-)

But seriously, I don't read particularly widely within the Steampunk genre for fear of subconsciously copying someone else's ideas. I've read George Mann's The Affinity Bridge, and Lavie Tidhar's The Bookman, but it's nothing like either of those.


9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Ulysses Quicksilver and his ongoing adventures, and the fans of the Pax Britannia series who had been so nice about my previous titles.


10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

As far as I am aware it is the first of its kind. Because it was written and published in three parts, after parts one and two became available, in each case fans were able to go online and vote for how they would like the story to continue. Their choices completely influenced the course of the adventure.

The challenge was making such a story seem like it had been written in one go when it was published in novel form. Of course, the only way to judge if I succeeded with this is to read the book yourself.


So that's me done. I'm now had to tag five other authors to take their turn at answering the questions for The Next Big Thing. As a result, next week you can read about the books coming out from John Craven's ghostwriter Cav Scott, literary mercenary Josh Reynolds, master of monsters C L Werner, World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar, and rising Black Library star Sarah Cawkwell.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Pax Britannia Week: Time's Arrow released today!

The long-awaited print edition of the eighth instalment in the ongoing adventures of Ulysses Quicksilver is released today!

In case you've been away in the colonies for the last year or so, you can get up to speed with what is so special about Time's Arrow here.



A RACE AGAINST TIME!
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.

Hero of the British Empire Ulysses Quicksilver is determined to stand in his way... even as he returns from the past to appear on the scene of a horrific murder!

Before he can hope to rescue the French capital from its fate, Ulysses must go on the run and track down the real killer. His intention: to clear his good name, and get back to England in one piece. And quickly, for the love of his life is about to take a most ill-advised trip to the Moon.

Can Quicksilver stop the terrorist known only as ‘Le Papillon’?


You can purchase Ulysses Quicksilver's eighth rip-roaring adventure here.

And once you've read it, do drop me a line to let me know what you thought of it, or post a review on Amazon.

Monday 12 November 2012

Happy Dieselpunk Day!

As well as being the commencement of Pax Britannia/Time's Arrow week on my blog, today is the very first International Dieselpunk Day.

12 November was chosen as the date of this event because the traditional start of the Diesel Era has been considered the end of World War I, which ended on 11 November of 1918. Hence, the day after the end of WWI is Dieselpunk Day.

You can find out more about this event here and here, and who knows... maybe one day I'll write a Dieselpunk story myself. ;-)

Pax Britannia Week: Thought for the Day

“Steampunk is...a joyous fantasy of the past, allowing us to revel in a nostalgia for what never was. It is a literary playground for adventure, spectacle, drama, escapism and exploration. But most of all it is fun!”

~ George Mann, author of the Newbury & Hobbes novels 

Sunday 11 November 2012

Pax Britannia Week

In honour of the release of the eighth Ulysses Quicksilver adventure Pax Britannia: Time's Arrow, next week this blog is going to be celebrating all things steampunk.

So, see you on Monday.

Thursday 8 November 2012

Dark Side - A Review by Mr Kit Cox

Kit Cox (author of How to Bag a Jabberwock) recently reviewed my sixth Pax Britannia novel Dark Side. Here's what he had to say about the book:
"Just finished book six of Jonathan Green's Pax Britannia series Dark Side and can only say that once again I'm hugely impressed. A lovely bit of modern pulp sci-fi fiction, with Nazis, the Moon, murder, sexy girls and big robots. If you're not reading this series I recommend it. So glad I already have book seven to go straight into."
You can pick up your own copy of Dark Side here.