Release Date: 08/11/12
SYNOPSIS:
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. But dandy detective and Hero of the British Empire Ulysses Quicksilver is determined to get in his way; although he has problems of his own to deal with first before he can try to rescue the French capital from its earth-shattering fate. Arriving at a murder scene - with the dead man's blood on his hands - Ulysses is forced to go on the run, so that he might track down the real killer. His intention: to clear his good name, and get back to England in one piece and as quickly as possible; for the love of his life is about to take a most ill-advised trip to the Moon. But that might be easier said than done, for the terrorist known only as 'Le Papillon' is preparing to bring chaos to the capital. When a butterfly flaps its wings, a wise man prepares for stormy weather. And with Ulysses Quicksilver involved, it's bound to be the worst storm on record.
REVIEW:
I’m a huge fan of the Ulysses Quicksilver titles from Abaddon yet whist continuing in the same vein, this book is something that is totally unique, it was crafted by the author following the readers wishes as to what would happen in various parts. Its cleverly done, works wonders for the advancement of the world and with so many different options, it really does go to show the authors skills in allowing the reader to direct is whilst allowing it to appear organic alongside planned.
Add to this some wonderful twists, cracking prose and of course a storyline that just keeps you gripped. All in a cracking novel with a concept that could well catch on. Great stuff.
In recent years the popularity of Steampunk, as an aesthetic movement, has increased almost exponentially as the outlook for the future has become increasingly bleak. As renowned author Christopher Fowler put it recently, “When a nation is strong it tells stories of the future. When it's weak it tells stories of the past.”While this is all well and good for an author now probably best known for his series of Steampunk novels, there is a growing concern within certain quarters regarding the image that proponents of Steampunk are putting across to the rest of the world.At the heart of Steampunk culture are the ideals of elegance, good manners and a genial sense of decorum embodied by the Victorians and epitomised in the phrase, “Be splendid!” However, just as the Victorians harked back to a chivalric past of courtly romance that never really existed, so modern Steampunks are in danger of airbrushing out all that was bad about the 19th Century, and thereby alienating whole sections of modern society.I have heard certain authors and Steampunks declare that Victorian Britain was a much more pleasant place than today’s Big Society, that people knew how to behave back then, ignoring the fact that in the 19th Century the State still executed criminals whilst high class gentlemen sought the pleasures offered by children who were all too worldly-wise for their tender years.
I will happily admit to having only a narrow experience of Steampunks, and only in this country, but those I have encountered have been predominantly white and, just as tellingly, for all the top hats, corsets, goggles and Victorian laser guns, I have never seen anyone dressed as a chimney sweep or got us as a cholera victim.I realise I won’t make many friends by saying this, and may even risk losing some readers, but I am a Steampunk author. I am not a Steampunk. I do not personally feel the need to dress in a three-piece suit, carry a cane, or wax my moustache on a daily basis. But I can see how the elegance of an earlier age might appeal to people, enabling them to escape the mundane humdrum nature of daily existence in the 21st Century. After all, there are plenty of examples in modern life where a bit of glamour and basic good manners are sadly, and noticeably, missing.However, if you buy into the whole Steampunk aesthetic, togging yourself up in vintage frock coats, antique army uniforms, tailored waistcoats or bespoke ball gowns, there is a risk, I feel, of looking back at the past through rose-tinted spectacles (probably with extra lenses attached and a few cogs thrown in for good measure). Then what ends up being celebrated is Empire, and all the negative connotations that go with that particular word. After all, Imperialism is not known for its culturally, or ethnically, diverse outlook.Were the Victorians really any better or worse than us, or the people of any other period in history for that matter? Are we right to place them on pedestals akin to a pantheon of the Industrial Age. True, it was Victorians who brought us education for all, sewerage, mass communication and transportation, but what about the achievements of the hundred plus years since then – electricity in every home, the microchip, the Internet, all manner of medical vaccines, renewable energy sources and the like?Now this is where Steampunk literature comes in, if that’s not to grandiose and conceited a concept. It is in Steampunk novels, short stories and comic strips that you will find issues of equality, race, poverty, a divided society, and the industrial rape of the world addressed. Lavie Tidhar’s Bookman Histories, for example, deal with revolution in the Victorian world, while in my own Pax Britannia setting, scrape away the veneer of civilised society and you will soon discover that Magna Britannia – the British Empire itself – is in fact the enemy, pillaging the planet and its peoples of all they have in the name of science, advances in manufacturing and exploration.So is Steampunk guilty of glorifying a dark period in British history? I believe it is, but it’s not too late to reverse that trend, and the discussion begins in the books that themselves celebrate this burgeoning cultural phenomenon.To keep up to date with what Jonathan is working on now, visit his blog at www.JonathanGreenAuthor.com, and you can find about more about the dystopian steampunk world of Pax Britannia at www.PaxBritannia.com.
Release Date: 25/03/11
SYNOPSIS:
The language of crime has a long and venerable history - in fact, the first dictionary of words specifically used by criminals, Hye-Way to the Spittel House, dates from as early as 1531. Jonathon Green is our national expert on slang, and in Crooked Talk he looks at five hundred years of crooks and conmen, from the hedge-creepers and counterfeit cranks of the sixteenth century to the blaggers and burners of the twenty-first. Not to mention a substantial detour behind bars into the world of prisons, and, of course, the swag, the hideouts, the getaway vehicles and allied 'tools of the trade' - not forgetting the cops, peelers, fly cops and all other varieties of the boys in blue. Arranged thematically, the book shows where particular words came from, how they have evolved and why they mean what they do. If you have ever wondered when the police were first referred to as pigs (the eighteenth century), why prison guards became known as redraws ('warder' backwards), or what precisely the subtle art of dipology involves (pickpocketing), then this book has all the answers.
REVIEW:
From what I know of a lot of fantasy readers, many have a secret yearn to be a writer (I know I do) and whilst my own efforts are more for personal pleasure than to ever see the light of day, I’m always looking for something a little different that can help add not only authenticity but also add a unique cast upon the characters. Whilst this usually requires a great deal of research there are occasional titles that not only jump out but also are books that are pretty hard to put down. Such is the case with this title by Jonathan Green which whilst aimed more as a factual curiosity for the coffee table is one that’s going to be utilised time and again by myself.
Split into helpful chapters, I can easily flick through and locate thief parlances that will add a flavour of something dangerous as well as believable to the characters and once you have your timeline to hand (roughly the time period to which the technology has advanced within your writing) you can pick up some cracking phrases to utilise that add another flavour to your work. Add to this a wonderfully fascinating look at a section of humanity, answers to curious questions (for example I always thought a Grass was a shortened version of snake in the grass, however it actually comes from 1920’s Rhyming Slang for Grasshopper meaning shopper) and all in it’s a cracking title that you really can’t pass by.
Release Date: 12/05/11
SYNOPSIS:
In 1998 Magna Britannia remains the undisputed superpower of the world whereas, since the Second Great European War, Hitler's Nazi party has been reduced to the status of an underground terrorist movement. But fifty-five years ago... The Nazis are at the height of their power. Much of Europe has fallen beneath their inexorable march, but with the automaton armies of Magna Britannia poised to invade and bring about a swift end to the war, Germany finds its resources stretched to the limit. What Hitler's legions need now is a miracle. And a miracle may be what they are about to receive; a gift from the future, something that should not exist in the year 1943, for one man has stolen fire from heaven. But another has followed him back from the future to ensure that history follows its pre-determined course. Ulysses Quicksilver finds himself in Anno Frankenstein where the bodies of the fallen are reconstructed and resurrected that they might fight again. Behind enemy lines, Ulysses Quicksilver must infiltrate the most heavily-defended fortress on the planet, and there face an age-old enemy one last time. Should he fail, history will be re-written and Ulysses Quicksilver will cease to exist, having never even been born at all.
REVIEW:
One of Abaddon’s most inventive series out there is the Pax Britannia and no one does it so well as main author Jonathan Green. You get Steampunk, you get a dandy Flashman like hero and above all else you get a series with a story arc that is not only exciting but one that you just can’t put down.
This, the seventh outing for series hero Ulysses Quicksilver picks up where the last one left off with him flung through the time portal chasing Dashwood into the Second World War where the villain gives futuristic aid to the Nazi’s. Whilst Ulysses is usually the main character in this title he’s more secondary to his father (and also Agent of Magna Britannia, Hercules Quicksilver) takes the lead role and proceeds to keep the stiff upper lip and heroics on auto.
Add to this Dr Jekyll (who ala League of Extraordinary Gentlemen turns into the Hulk like Mr Hyde), the original creation of Baron Viktor Frankenstein as well as modern German interpretations named after the original Creator (the Frankenstein Corps) and it’s a title that really doesn’t let up. Finally add the twist of an ending that’s reminiscent of a certain popular in the late 80’s to early 90’s and it pretty much ticks all the boxes. As usual with the author the prose is neat and snappy, the characters a lot of fun to hang around and above all else the dialogue and tips of the hat to modern interpretations alongside other Steampunk outings make this series what it is. Definitely one to get in on the ground floor and work your way up although if you wish to start her you can do although you’ll miss a lot of the defining moments of our agents career to date.
Release Date: 30/11/10
BOOK BLURB:
Ulysses Quicksilver visits the British lunar colonies, searching for his missing brother, Barty, believed to be on the run from gambling debts on Earth. The clues lead our detective and his faithful butler into the path of unsolved murders, battling robots, shady millionaries and stolen uncanny inventions. Used to working inside the law, Ulysses is stalled when his pursuit puts him on the wrong side of the Luna Prime Police Force. But why is Ulysses' ex-fiancee Emilia also in the colonies? Who is the strange eye-patched man following Ulysses? And what is really happening in a secret base on the dark side of the moon? Used to meeting every adventure with a devil-may-care attitude and a snappy one-liner, Ulysses will be forever changed by the revelations he discovers on this most deadly of trips.
REVIEW:
Fan’s of Jonathan’s Ulysses Quicksilver will be rushing and demanding this title quicker than Nimrod can pour a stiff brandy.
As usual, Jonathan’s writing is wonderfully descriptive alongside bringing a more vulnerable Quicksilver to the fore. Green’s latest title bring Steampunk Victoriana to the readers imagination so much so, that it’s going to be a long wait for Anno Frankenstein.
Finally, add some great dialogue alongside a return of an old friend or two which makes this Quicksilvers finest exploit to date. Whilst you can read this without having read the previous five, you’ll have lost a lot of background as well as some serious world building which generates its own head of steam that will be hard to stop once you get going.
Release Date: 11/11/10
BOOK BLURB:
Ulysses Quicksilver, dandy, adventurer and agent of the throne. A steam-punk hero on a dark alternative universe where Queen Victoria has ruled for 160 years, sinister powers plot against the
British Empire and dinosaurs roam the Challenger enclosure at London Zoo. This is the world of Magna Britannia, a brave new age of steam populated by heroes and villains, monsters and grotesques.
Volume 1 in this series collect together the first three Ulysses Quicksilver novels: Unnatural History Leviathan Rising and Human Nature.REVIEW:
Having been a fan from the beginning of this quirky character, I really couldn’t help but rediscover the joy of this dashing dandy of a secret agent in Steampunk Victoriana glory. After all that’s what this title is all about and to be honest whilst some may not be the biggest fan of this literary hero, he’s got a hell of a lot to offer the modern reader in a similar sort of way that Moore brought when he did his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to the screen.
Add to the mix that this is an omnibus and you know that it has value for money built in. It’s an ideal stocking filler if you love action and when backed with a hero that readers will just love to hang out with alongside the full extent of everything from Darwinism gone wrong, a touch of reanimator and a whole host of interesting supporting cast and it really is a spiffy read.
BOOK BLURB:
Magna Britannia bestrides the globe and the solar system beyond like a colossus. Yet its capital, Londinium Maximum, still flounders in the aftermath of the unprecedented catastrophe that has so recently befallen it. St. Paul's Cathedral entertains a new congregation, one driven by its own unholy creed, while a coldly clinical killer is carving a name for himself across the city - a name that has been whispered upon the streets of Whitechapel for over a hundred years. At the centre of all the death and destruction stands a seemingly innocent child.
REVIEW:
As a huge fan of Jonathan’s Pax Britannia series (although I missed the last outing) I really can’t wait to get my teeth into a modern Victoriana Steampunk world where anything can happen. There’s tons of action, a wonderful turn of phrase and a principle protagonist that is technically a modern Flashheart to the masses. Great fun and backed up with a cracking overall story arc that really does make this series my favourite from Abaddon.
BOOK BLURB:
Ulysses Quicksilver is back in action. The dandy and Agent of the Throne faces one of his greatest challenges yet in a novel full of swashbuckling, horror and excitement. Fourth novel in the highly collectable steam-punk series. Jonathan Green is the author of two previous Pax Britannia novels: Unnatural History and Leviathan Rising.REVIEW:If you’re a regular reader of Falcata Times you’ll know that I am really a massive fan of Abaddon’s Pax Britannia. It’s a cracking series that takes the reader on an adventure in the alternate world had Steam punk become the norm. Great fun as a dandy adventurer and defender of the realm take on the twists and turns of events that became popular by authors associated with the genre. You want scientific bewilderment, you got it. You want a cracking adventure, you’ve got that. This tale really does deliver on many levels and as such makes this series a must. If you’ll only try one series by this publisher to get a flavour of the world, make it this one. It’s ideal and takes the imagination on an adventure that will return many a fan to the penny dreadfuls of the Victorian era. Cracking.
