Thursday 3 December 2015

The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus - Vol. 2... OUT TODAY!

I love the smell of Steampunk in the morning! That's right, today is new book day - again!

I've actually got three books out this week, and they're all Steampunk-related - Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland the gamebook, the Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Colouring Book, and today's release from Abaddon Books, The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus Volume 2!


In his ongoing adventures in the services of the Empire, Ulysses Quicksilver - hero and dandy - is increasingly confronted with the darkness at the heart of Britannia.
This worthy tome collects three tales of desperation:

Thursday 26 November 2015

Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland

26 November 1865, the mass market edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published. And now, 150 years later, this is on the horizon...



Friday 2 October 2015

Thursday 17 September 2015

Steampunk Thursday: The Countess of Computing

Ada Lovelace Day maybe still be almost a month away, but fans of Steampunk and Pax Britannia should check out BBC Four at 9.00pm tonight. Calculating Ada: The Countess of Computing tells the story of 'mad, bad and dangerous to know' Lord Byron's daughter, Ada Lovelace, who is recognised today as the world's first computer programmer.

When Charles Babbage designed the world's first steam-powered computers, most famously the analytical engine, it was Ada who realised the full potential of these machines. And she went on to inspire other computer pioneers like Alan Turing.

Fans of my Pax Britannia books will already recognise the influence that all of these individuals have played on the development of my Steampunk world, so I for one will be tuning in at 9.00pm tonight.

Saturday 29 August 2015

Pax Britannia at the Asylum

Just a quick reminder that I am at Weekend at the Asylum VII this weekend.


I will be based at the Westgate Academy, home to the literature and gaming zones, along with the other authors, publishers, games companies and gamers who are also attending this year.

On Saturday 29th at 3:00pm, I will be giving a talk about my latest Steampunk-related project, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland. So if you want to find out more about what I have in store for our heroine (150 years old this year!) and maybe have a play through of part of the book, then why not pop along?

On Sunday 30th at 12:00pm, I will also be giving a reading from my first brand-new Pax Britannia short story in three years! An opportunity not to be missed I am sure you'll agree.



So, be splendid, and I'll see you there!

Thursday 27 August 2015

Unnatural History still feelin' the love!

The very first Pax Britannia novel Unnatural History may have been published over 8 years ago(!) but some people are still discovering it - and loving it - for the first time.

The following quotes are from just some of the people who've enjoyed Ulysses Quicksilver's opening adventure in the last year.

"A real Boy's Own type adventure story from a bygone era. Loved the characters."

"A real rip-roaring adventure full of spills, thrills and quite little digs at modem society... an excellent read."

"The characters are well rounded and interesting, the hero's are both square jawed and stiff upper lipped."

"Very much enjoyed this adventure, well worth it. The characters are fun and the story moves at a fast pace that keeps the eager hooked."

"A rip-roaring read of a Steampunk alternate modern day universe."

"The pace is quick, and the action exciting."

"This is an effortlessly entertaining pulpy read."

And do you know what else? Unnatural History is currently ranked
#14 in Kindle Store > Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Steampunk.

You can download your copy here, for free!

Friday 21 August 2015

Weekend at the Asylum VII

Calling all Pax Britannia fans! I will be attending Weekend at the Asylum VII on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th August this year.


This will be my fourth stay at the asylum and this year I will be based at the Westgate Academy, home to the literature and gaming zones, along with the other authors, publishers, games companies and gamers who are also attending this year.

Admission is by wristband only, and there is going to be a mini street food festival in the grounds of the Academy.

On Saturday 29th at 3:00pm, I will be giving a talk about my latest Steampunk-related project, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland. So if you want to find out more about what I have in store for our heroine (150 years old this year!) and maybe have a play through of part of the book, then why not pop along?

On Sunday 30th at lunchtime, I will also be giving a reading from my first brand-new Pax Britannia short story in three years! An opportunity not to be missed I am sure you'll agree.

So, be splendid, and maybe I'll see you there.

Thursday 20 August 2015

Lovelace and Babbage build the first computer - in LEGO!


If you are able to, please do support the various Steampunk-inspired LEGO kits that are currently being proposed on the LEGO Ideas site, such as the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the model above.


Thursday 6 August 2015

A new 3-star review of The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus appeared on Amazon recently.

Now, I'm used to Pax Britannia not being everyone's favourite thing - each to his own - but I have never read a review that claimed the Steampunk elements of the books are bolted on before.

"This omnibus volume provides a perfect introduction to Jonathan Green's series of Pax Britannia Steampunk adventure novels. I say "Steampunk", but to me, most of the Steampunk elements seem rather bolted on; these are fine and entertaining adventure novels using a retro-science fiction approach, but much of the late 1990s setting of Magna Britannia is vague, sketchy and doesn't really convince me."

Pax Britannia was conceived as a Steampunk series, and the Victorian-styled tech has always been integral to the stories. The reviewer goes on to say:

"Green's plots - at least in the three novels and two short stories that are contained here - read more as detective/adventure stories than hardcore, Steampunk sci-fi."

What I want to know is, why can't Steampunk stories also be detective/adventure stories? What do you think? Is Pax Britannia Steampunk or not?

Thursday 9 July 2015

Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland & Pax Britannia: White Rabbit

If you back Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland on Kickstarter at the £10 WHITE RABBIT level pledge or above, you will receive an eBook of the Pax Britannia novella White Rabbit as part of your reward, courtesy of those thoroughly decent chaps at Abaddon Books - the home of Pax Britannia.


In White Rabbit, dandy, detective and adventurer Ulysses Quicksilver journeys into a world of madness and murder, meeting some sinisterly familiar characters along the way.

So what are you waiting for? ;-)

Thursday 2 July 2015

2 days to go until Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland goes live!


Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland is a brand new adventure gamebook with a dark Steampunk twist. To give you an idea of just what that means, here's the first draft of the introduction to the adventure... (click to enlarge)


“You’re late! Wake up!”
                Alice woke with a start and sat up, blinking in surprise and looking about her in bewilderment. It was a balmy summer’s afternoon and she was sitting beside a river, the long grass that had formed her bed dotted with daisies. The waters gurgled softly as they passed by on their way downstream.
Something about the scene seemed very familiar.
                “Don’t just sit there! Get up! You’re late!” came the shrill voice again.
                The hot weather making her feel sleepy and dull-witted, Alice’s gaze followed the sound to its source. There, standing in the shade of a chestnut tree, was a white rabbit.
But this wasn’t just any white rabbit. This particular rabbit was dressed in the manner of an English gentleman – jacket, waistcoat and all. The rabbit’s ears were a little threadbare, the stuffing poking out through holes worn in the skin, and as it tilted its head to one side to observe her with its glassy pink eyes, Alice thought she heard a grating of gears.
Alice started to her feet, as it flashed through her mind that, once upon a time, she has seen something like this rabbit, wearing a waistcoat and carrying a pocket-watch, on some previous occasion. But there was no timepiece clutched in the rabbit’s paws this time.
“Who are you to say I’m late when you are not even carrying a pocket-watch?” Alice asked, not one to be outdone by an animal that looked like nothing more than a taxidermist’s test subject.
The rabbit said nothing, but simply unbuttoned its waistcoat, and Alice gasped as her former cockiness was consumed by gut-wrenching terror. Where the rabbit’s stomach should have been, a huge watch ticked – a clock large enough to fill the cavity from ribcage to pelvis – raw and ragged scrags of meat poking between the wire stitches that bound watch and rabbit together.
“How can I be late,” Alice asked the rabbit, “when I don’t even know what it is I’m late for?”
She was suddenly aware of the wind having picked up, as scuds of cloud raced each other across the sky, a sky which had changed from sapphire blue to a seething, bloody claret colour.
“You are needed in Wonderland,” the White Rabbit informed her, the twitching of its nose accompanied by a mechanical whirring sound.
“Wonderland?” There was something familiar about that name, Alice was sure of it, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.
“It’s the Queen of Hearts. The whole realm has suffered the ravages of her tyrannical reign, and if you thought things were bad before, they are considerably worse now. It’s a miracle I managed to escape her Tick-Tock Men.”
“Before?” Alice whispered in a daze. “Tick-Tock Men?”
“Yes, Tick-Tock Men! How else do you think I ended up like this?” the rabbit said, looking down at his stomach and the ticking timepiece embedded within what little flesh remained there.
Alice stared at the creature in dumfounded amazement before finally finding her voice again. “Why are you telling me this? What do you expect me to do about it?”
“Why?” gasped the rabbit, in incredulity. “We need you, Alice. Wonderland needs you.”
“But what do you need me to do?”
“We need you to kill the Queen, of course.”
“Kill the Queen?” Alice echoed. “But why me?”
The White Rabbit gave an exasperated sigh and took a deep breath, in an attempt to compose itself, before speaking again.

“Because it’s your nightmare!”


If that sounds like your sort of thing (and if you're a fan of my Ulysses Quicksilver Pax Britannia novels then, let's face it, it probably is) you should definitely check out the Kickstarter page and plan your pledge.



Thursday 4 June 2015

Another Unnatural History review

Someone else has just discovered Pax Britannia: Unnatural History for the first time, and here's what they had to say about the book.

"A real rip-roaring adventure full of spills, thrills and little digs at modem society... an excellent read. The characters are well rounded and interesting, the heroes are both square-jawed and stiff upper-lipped, without being two dimensional. The villains equally have depth enough not appear cartoon-ish."

Thursday 21 May 2015

Pax Britannia at the MCM Expo, London

I shall be attending the MCM Expo again this weekend and, as usual, I will have some of my Pax Britannia books with me to sell.

If you've not picked up one of my Steampunk novels before, and you're going to be at London's Excel Centre on Saturday, why not stop by the authors area and grab yourself one?


Tuesday 31 March 2015

Ulysses Quicksilver and the Eiffel Tower

31 March 2015 marks the 126th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower being opened to the public. The tower, which was the largest building in the world until the Chrysler Building opened in 1930, welcomes more than 7 million tourists each year, with 75 percent coming from foreign countries, according to its website. 


Two levels of the tower now include restaurants. In addition to being one of the world’s most popular tourist attractions, the Eiffel Tower remains important to the world of science and technology. Radio and television stations still use the tower to broadcast their signals.

Google have marked the anniversary with a doodle, and I am marking it to with this post. Because, as readers of my Pax Britannia novels will already know, the eighth Ulysses Quicksilver adventure Time's Arrow is set in Paris and the climax of the adventure takes place at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

If you've not read the book yet, you can pick up a copy here. If you have read it, why not tell all your friends about it and encourage them to pick up a copy of the book?

Au revoir!

Thursday 5 March 2015

World Book Day 2015

Today is World Book Day, and this being 2015, you can now purchase many of my books through Google Play, to read on the Android device of your choice.

Latest additional to Google Play is YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, but you'll also find my Pax Britannia Steampunk novels on there, and my Nazi Zombie Army story Götterdämmerung.

Simply follow this link to find out more.

Friday 20 February 2015

Redemption '15

Redemption '15, the Multimedia Science Fiction Convention kicks off today at the Britannia Hotel in Coventry. The event runs until Sunday 22 February, and I shall be there this year as Guest of Honour.

The event programme has been released and I will be taking part in the following panels during the course of the weekend:

Friday 20 February
5.00pm - Meet the Guests (panel)
8.00pm - Opening Ceremony
10.00pm - It's sh!t but we like it (panel)

Saturday 21 February
12.00pm - How to Write an Adventure Gamebook (workshop)
4.00pm - Has Steampunk Had Its Day? (panel)
I may also be taking part in...
8.00pm - Mark Gatiss Appreciation Society (panel)

Sunday 22 February
11.00am - Guest Talk
12.30pm - Signing Autographs
4.00pm - Closing Ceremony

I will be selling my books - Pax Britannia and YOU ARE THE HERO mainly - over the course of the weekend, and will also have Archimedes the Steampunk Parrot in tow.

So maybe I'll see you there...



Thursday 12 February 2015

The Return of Ulysses Quicksilver?

Now don't get too over-excited. This is just a possibility at the moment, but talks have been taking place about possibly publishing a brand new Ulysses Quicksilver Pax Britannia novel. However, if such a thing is going to happen it's going to be down to the support of the fans. That's right, we're talking about running a Pax Britannia Kickstarter.

If you would be interested in backing such a project, you can show your support by commenting on this post on Facebook, or by replying to this blog post.

If you need reminding how cool the world of Pax Britannia and Ulysses Quicksilver really is* fan of the series Rockula Bacchus has posted this tribute on YouTube.




* Not that I'm biased or anything. ;-)

Tuesday 10 February 2015

25% off Pax Britannia!

There's currently 25% off everything at the Rebellion eBook store, and that includes my Steampunk Ulysses Quicksilver Pax Britannia novels.


So if you have a Kindle, or another eReader of choice, that's currently missing som quasi-Victorian action and adventure meta-fictional fun, then point your cursor this way and click here.

Thursday 15 January 2015

Steampunk Thursday: Redemption 15

In case this hasn't come onto your radar yet...


...in just over a month, I shall be one of the guests attending Redemption '15, the Multimedia Science Fiction Convention that's taking place on 20-22 February at the Britannia Hotel in Coventry*.

Among the panels that may possibly be taking place during the course of the weekend is 'Is Steampunk History?' So if you'd like to see me make a total fool of myself trying to defend the sub-genre of good manners, top hats, corsets, cog-laden goggles, steam-powered ray guns, and tea duelling, why not pop along?

You can find out more about the con here, and regular news updates are posted on the Red 15 Facebook page.


* I spent four years at the University of Warwick on the borders of Coventry, and it's been a while since I've been back there.