Lego Goes Steampunk!

It's official - Lego is going to release its first official Steampunk set.

Lego has dabbled with Steampunk before - my son still refers to one of the Monster Fighters as Ulysses Quicksilver - but now the company is going legit.

Here's the official news 'leak' that has appeared on the Lego Club website.

The line will be part of the Lego Master Builder Academy, specifically Level 4, titled Invention Designer. (It's just a shame the official literature has fallen foul of the incorrect use of apostrophes in dates that is so prevalent now.)

TRAVEL TO THE PAST… AND DESIGN THE FUTURE!

Launch your Invention Designer adventure! LEGO Master Builders merge the futuristic idea of time-travel with the clockwork gears and puffing steam-engines of the Victorian 1800′s – Steampunk! Steampunk is a science-fiction art-form that imagines the future as people might have in the past. Let it inspire all kinds of new ideas, and pick up some tips from professional LEGO designers on how to make your creations look futuristic, industrial or just plain cool!

As followers of this blog will probably already know, I've been encouraging people to create their own Pax Britannia kits for years. Now it looks like we'll actually have some bespoke Steampunk pieces to use in such creations in the future. :-)

Steampunk Doncaster

A month today, I will be enjoying the second day of the UK's newest steampunk convention, Steampunk Doncaster.

The current plan is that I shall be undertaking a reading, and taking part in a Q and A session concerning my Pax Britannia books, on the Saturday, so on Sunday 16 June (other than selling my wares) I'll be able to enjoy the rest of what the Litarium has to offer.

To find out more about Steampunk Doncaster, follow this link.

What was the best novel of 2013?

Voting for the SFX Awards 2013 is now open. One of the categories you can vote for is Best Novel.

50 titles are suggested, including a couple of Steampunk novels (Lavie Tidhar's The Great Game and Cherie Priest's Boneshaker), but any title published in 2013 is eligible.

Pax Britannia: Time's Arrow was published in 2013. Just saying.

Pax Britannia: A New Review from Across the Sea

How cool is this?

I received an email yesterday from a fan of my Pax Britannia books. It started like this:

"I wanted to drop you a quick line to say how much I am enjoying your Pax Britannia books."

Which was very pleasing. It then continued thus:

"My ship is currently deployed on operations in [REDACTED] and the rollicking adventures of that dandy adventurer [Ulysses Quicksilver] are keeping me most amused in my limited time off. I had deliberately not read them before and saved them up to enjoy on this extended foray. Aside from the intrigue and action, I particularly enjoy all the cross references you have to period literature, such as the Challenger Enclosure filled with dinosaurs at the London Zoo. Wonderful stuff!"

I've received missives from those in the Armed Forces before, but this one was a little different...

"I thought it might tickle you to know that the bookshelf in this Captain's Cabin is not filled with dusty, boring regulations but Quicksilver. Not quite as many difference engines and brass instruments as I would like, but I suppose one can't have everything! Thank you again for the wonderful stories and chuckles, just when I need them most."

Yes, you read that right. It turns out that this particular review came from the commanding officer of an honest to goodness battleship, currently deployed on operations.

So, like I say, how cool is that? :-)

Signed

One Happy Author

Rusty

I came across this on my hard drive today, having not seen it for a looong time. Anyone who's read Pax Britannia: Dark Side should recognise who - or perhaps, what - it is.

Clemency Slaughter - The Last Hour

The Clemency Slaughter and the Legacy of D'Eath Kickstarter has one hour to run and clearly isn't going to make its £7,500 funding level.

But the good news is that more people are discovery Clemency all the time which means the likelihood of us trying this again in a few weeks or months is ever more likely.

So keep spreading the word and hopefully, one day, Clemency Slaughter and the Legacy of D'Eath will see the light of day after all...

Pax Britannia and Nerd Vs World

I enjoyed a most pleasant evening on Tuesday, in Oxford, taking part in the recording of the latest Nerd Vs World podcast. I had been invited by Mr Simon 'Spindles' Potthast, whom I met at the Sci-Fi Weekender*. Also in attendance were Mr Brendan Gylee, whose baby Nerd Vs World really is (and master of the hot drinks cabinet), and Mr Ady Wilce, who supplied some most welcome Yum Yums that kept us** energised during the course of the evening.

We ended up talking for a good couple of hours about everything from Star Wars chopsticks and retro kids TV to the Clemency Slaughter Kickstarter, Pax Britannia (and Steampunk in general) and must-see movies***. You can listen to the podcast here.

The Nerd Vs World podcasters: (from l-r) Ady, Brendan and Spindles.

The guys have very kindly offered to have me back again, at some point in the future, an offer that I plan to take them up on.



The evening's musical interlude was provided by The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, who also wrote this.


* In the video/slideshow, he's the one dressed as Professor Severus Snape.

** Well, me.

*** I was surprised none of the guys had seen Gareth Edwards' sublime Monsters. If you've not seen it, get hold of a copy and do so without further delay!