Steampunk - takes you back to the future

'Speculating on the possible futures of bygone ages is both easier than predicting what's coming tomorrow, and more fun,' says David Barnett over at guardian.co.uk.

He goes on: 'It could be argued – and people have – that the 19th century was quite exciting enough without these speculative bolt-ons, but nevertheless, 20 years after The Difference Engine was published, it appears to be back with a vengeance. Two recent anthologies – Steampunk, edited by Jeff and Ann Vandermeer, and Extraordinary Engines, from Solaris Books – whetted genre fans' appetites, and steampunkish novels are following at a rapid rate: Stephen Hunt's series of books that began with the Court of the Air; Dan Simmons' literary fantasy Drood, in which Charles Dickens begins to suspect the hero of his unfinished novel is up to no good; and George Mann's Affinity Bridge novels all spring quickly to mind.'

What about Pax Britannia, eh? There are five PB books out already and another three due this year! And there are more planned! And it is steadily building up a loyal following... You get the idea.

If you would like to show your allegiance to Pax Britannia, then send your name and address to www.paxbritannia@hotmail.co.uk and I'll send you some Pax Britannia badges and try to include your name in passing in a forthcoming Pax Britannia adventure. Now, you can't say fairer than that, can you?

Have your say

It's a wet Tuesday morning in West London and I'm feeling reckless, so here goes nothing...

As you may well already know, the next Pax Britannia Ulysses Quicksilver is entitled Dark Side in which our dandy detective-hero travels to the Moon. Now I already know what's going to happen - obviously - but here's your chance to possibly influence how the story progresses.

To put it simply, what would you like to see happen in a Pax Britannia steampunk adventure on the Moon? Now I'm not promising that any of your suggestions will make it into the finished book, and you may well come up with something I've already thought of myself, and anything that does make it in will obviously be copyright Abaddon Books/Rebellion Developments, so if you do suggest anything, you'll be giving up your moral rights to the ideas and all that...

So, if I haven't scared you off, drop me a line by replying to this blog and we'll see what happens. You might just find your idea making a cameo appearance...

Oxford Steampunk'd

Remember that the Steampunk exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science is running until the 21 February, so if you've not been along yet, why not put it in your diary now?

Abaddon & Solaris Books podcast

The first Abaddon & Solaris Books podcast has been released and can be downloaded from iTunes. Simply click on your iTunes browser and search for Abaddon or Solaris.

Listen to editor-in-chief Jonathan Oliver and desk editor David Moore talk about all things genre in fiction, including Jon's first novel, The Call of Kerberos. Oh, and Pax Britannia gets a mention too.

And dig those tribal rhythms!

So what are you still doing here reading this? Check it out now!

Pax Britannia is just great

Not my words, but the words of Pablo Cheesecake, who says other very nice things about the Pax Britannia books - and Evolution Expects in particular - here!

Rebecca Levene's Infernal Game

M'colleague, fellow writer Rebecca Levene has created her own original series for Abaddon Books. It's called The Infernal Game and the first book in the series, Cold Warriors, is out later this year.

You can read more about Cold Warriors here, while over at Pornokitsch you can read an interview they've conducted with Rebecca. Part one is here and part two is here. Enjoy, and check out her Afterblight book Kill or Cure and her Tomes of the Dead title Anno Mortis as well!

Creating a buzz

It would appear that with five books in the series in print already and another three due over the next 12 months or so, Pax Britannia is starting to create something of a buzz.

The books have received consistently good reviews from the SF press and was even voted Unnatural History SFcrowsnest's 16th most popular book of the year!

And now one senor Pablo Cheesecake has even list the forthcoming Blood Royal and Dark Side as two of the publications he is most looking forward to this year.

If you're inspired, intrigued or simply incredulous about Ulysses Quicksilver's adventures and the world of Pax Britannia why not drop me a line. You never know, you could end up with a cameo in a forthcoming adventure, rather like Michelle Powell.

Anyway, here's to 2010 (or 1998, as it is in the World of Pax Britannia)!