Sherlock Holmes vs the Undead

What more could any discerning fan of the Pax Britannia and Tomes of the Dead series from Abaddon Books ask for? Unfortunately it wasn't my idea, but kudos to ace comics scribe Ian Edginton who has scripted the strip for Wildstorm.


To find out what happens when the world's number one consulting detective comes up against the brain-munching hordes of the Zombiepocalypse, click here.


Have to say, I'm loving this cover by Simon Coleby. It is one of my dreams to one day write a comic strip that he then illustrates.

Unnatural History - SFcrowsnest's 16th most popular book of the year!

I'm feeling rather pleased with myself right now, to be honest. The reason is I found out today that Unnatural History (the very first Pax Britannia adventure, starring dandy action hero Ulysses Quicksilver) is at number 16 in SFcrowsnest's top 100 Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction Books of 2009, as voted for by SFcrowsnest.com's readers.

(In case you don't know, SFcrowsnest is author Stephen Hunt's popular online SF, Fantasy and Horror magazine, which polls its readers every year to assemble a "top 100" books list.)

And in at number 34 was Al Ewing's El Sombra, so well done that man too! And if you enjoyed El Sombra, you'll be pleased to here that the sequel - Blood and Thunder - will be out next year!

Bizarrely Unnatural History and the Pax Britannia series were launched at Alf.Fiction in Derby a couple of years ago. And Stephen Hunt was also there promoting The Court of the Air. It really is, as they say, a small world...

Oh and I'm also feeling chuffed because Emerson (a.k.a. Zeo-X) Tung's rendition of the Steam Golem from Stormslayer has made it into Design Your Way's Best collection of robots illustrations. So champagne all round, I feel! Don't you?

Pax Britannia on your eReader

You can now pick up all of my Pax Britannia books for your eReader. To find out more click here.


One of the most gratifying things about this news item is Andy Severn's comment about the third Ulysses Quicksilver adventure: "I’ve just finished reading the BRILLIANT Pax Britannia book Human Nature..."

Gotta be happy with that!

Blood Royal & Dark Side

For various reasons (including Abaddon Books getting a new book distributor and possibly also because I just finished the final version of the manuscript today), the next Ulysses Quicksilver Pax Britannia adventure, Blood Royal, will not now appear in the shops until April 2010, but I think you'll find it's going to have been worth the wait.



For one thing, it kicks off a new story arc for the dandy detective which will continue to be developed in next June's Dark Side, in which Quicksilver takes a trip to the Moon - steampunk style! But before then there's vampires, werewolves and clockwork killers to enjoy in Blood Royal, so why not reserve your copy now?

Evolution Expects reviewed

Came across this review of Evolution Expects the other day.

"Awesome." (4 out of 5 stars)

Nice and succinct, I think you'll agree.

One to watch...

The Fastest Steam Car in the World, tonight at 7pm on BBC 2.

An eccentric team of British engineers attempts to break the longest standing land speed record in the world in a steam-powered car built in a shed in Hampshire.

Driven by Hampshire-based tycoon Charles Burnett III and grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell, Don Wales, the attempt takes place at Edwards Air Force Base in California as the team goes in search of a runway big enough to break records on.

Abaddon Books gets a facelift

Exciting news! The Abaddon Books* website has had a make-over - and very cool it looks too. To check it out for yourself, along with news of Abaddon's first ever competition, click here.

* Publishers of the Pax Britannia series.