Jonathan Green's Blog, page 131

Gamebook Friday: Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland - cover reveal!

Coming soon...

Steampunk Thursday: The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus - Vol. 2

Look what arrived in the post today!




Each book in the omnibus is prefaced by a black and white/monochrome/grey scale image of the original cover in each case.

I like what Abaddon have done with the introductory pages of the different acts in the stories.

The omnibus also includes  White Rabbit , which backers of the  Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland  Kickstarter have been enjoying recently as one of their rewards.

Mark Harrison's homage to Georges Méliès A Trip to the Moon features inside and out.

I really should have sent Abaddon an up to date biog.  The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus: Volume 2  is my 59th published book!

So how long is  The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus: Volume 2 ?

Seeing this doorstep of a book makes me realise just how many words I've written about the  Pax Britannia  universe.

The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus: Volume 2  (incorporating Evolution Expects, Blood Royal and Dark Side) is due to be published by  Abaddon Books  on 3rd December 2015.

Thought for the Day

"Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference."


~ Nolan Bushnell, co-founder of Atari

Forthcoming...

Seeing as it's a new month, I thought it timely to review what's coming up in the next six weeks, or so...

Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland
Several years after the events of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Alice finds herself back in Wonderland and called upon to save the world of playing cards and talking animals from the increasingly deranged Queen of Hearts. But all is not as it first appears in the fluctuating dream world and soon Alice is battling to save herself from the nightmare that is rapidly overtaking the realm.

 Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Alice hadn’t drunk from the bottle labelled ‘Drink Me’, or if she hadn’t joined the Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse for tea? Well now you can find out. In  Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland , YOU decide which route Alice should take, which perils to risk, and which of Wonderland’s strange denizens to fight. But be warned – whether Alice succeeds in her quest or meets a dire end as the nightmare escalates will be down to the choices YOU make.

Are you ready to go back down the rabbit-hole?

Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu
Imagine if it had been William Shakespeare, England’s greatest playwright, who had discovered the truth about the Great Old Ones and the cosmic entity we know as Cthulhu, rather than the American author Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

Imagine if Stratford’s favourite son had been the one to learn of the dangers of seeking after forbidden knowledge and of the war waged between the Elder Gods in the Outer Darkness, and had passed on that message, to those with the eyes to see it, through his plays and poetry.
Welcome to the world of Shakespeare vs Cthulhu! An anthology of tales of cosmic horror and the Elizabethan men and women who find themselves battling to resist the call of Cthulhu. Coming soon to Kickstarter.
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.
Evolution Expects: After more than 150 years as the supreme power on the planet, the British Empire has become stagnant and corrupt. The new Prime Minister, Devlin Valentine, promises change, but there are those who lack the patience for politics. With a dangerous vigilante stalking the streets, a monster on the loose in the East End and rival gangs fighting for control, there may be nothing Ulysses – trapped in the notorious Bedlam Hospital – can do to prevent a catastrophic metamorphosis!
Blood Royal: With the city, and the Empire, reeling from the transformations of a month before, a twisted new religion rises from the devastation. In the meantime, in Europe, the spectre of war rears its ugly head; and rumours hint at monsters, things of myth, on both sides. Ulysses Quicksilver, fighting for peace and for reason – for civilisation itself – follows a path that leads him from the shattered streets of London to the icy wastes at the heart of a dark and bloody empire.
Dark Side: Searching for his missing brother Barty, Ulysses heads to the British Lunar colonies. The trail leads him and his faithful butler into the path of unsolved murders, battling robots, shady millionaires and uncanny inventions. Stalled when he ends up on the wrong side of Lunar law and hunted by a mysterious eyepatch-wearing stranger, the dandy adventurer will uncover, in a secret base on the dark side of the moon, truths that will challenge everything he knew about Britannia…
The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus: Volume 2  will be published on Thursday 3rd December 2015
Dragonmeet 2015
I shall be one of the guests attending Dragonmeet this year on Saturday 5th December. This will be one of the first occasions you will have of buying Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland which I will also sign for you, of course. So, if you're in the area, why not stop by?

Short Story Saturday: Halloween Thrills - SHARKPUNK and GAME OVER

If you're looking for some chilling reads this Halloween you could do a lot worse than to check out these two titles...


As one reviewer has said of SHARKPUNK, "Once you bite, you’ll be hooked."

And James Lovegrove in the Financial Times described GAME OVER  as "An anthology with byte."

You can buy both books direct from the publisher  Snowbooks .

And also coming very soon from Snowbooks is Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland , the title of which tells you all you need to know really.

Gamebook Friday: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain

Exciting news, Fighting Fantasy fans... It's here at last!


That's right, Tin Man Games' Kickstarter to complete work on The Warlock of Firetop Mountain* is now live, and in under 24 hours has already raised almost half its funding target of $15,000AUD.
I'm sure you'll agree that that's an amazing achievement and if you are a fan of Fighting Fantasy, RPGs, or Tin Man Games' previous gamebook apps, then you will want to be a part of this! 
Rewards on offer include having your name appear in the credits, unique digital miniatures to use in the game (which also unlock additional content and story), and even having your name appear on the wall in Zagor's crypt!
So click this link and be a part of this project! And may your STAMINA never fail!


* I might have had my own small part to play in this project.

Steampunk Thursday: Vanishing Point

German fans of Steampunk - or Fluchtpunkt - can now enjoy a free taster of my Pax Britannia stories courtesy of Luzifer-Verlag.


Click this link to download your free copy of my Pax Britannia novella Vanishing Point now!

Warhammer Wednesday: Herald of Oblivion reviews

My first Warhammer 40K gamebook/app has been out for a while now and has garnered some great reviews, including a Silver Award from Pocket Gamer*. So here's what people have been saying about Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion .


"There's a gore-sodden wallop to Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion that makes it difficult to dislike. And if you know your Storm Bolter from your Lightning Claws you're going to absolutely love it... Another solid turn from Tin Man, Legacy of Dorn uses its licence well, and shakes things up enough to make it feel fresh. 8/10" (Pocket Gamer)

"Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion is an enjoyable, creepy adventure with a great setting and a fun combat system. It's steeped in its license... it's an easy recommendation to Warhammer 40K fans, those who like sci-fi horror stories, and players who enjoy battle-heavy gamebooks. General RPG fans will likely appreciate the battle system more than the usual gamebook fare, too. Even though I'm not a big fan of the wider Warhammer 40K universe, I'll definitely be looking forward to further installments in this series. 4/5" (Touch Arcade)

"I bought this product with a big risk but what I have found in it is unbelievable. Keep up the good work and I do recommend this title to anyone that loves WH40K, kill the mutant, burn the heretic, purge the unclean... 5 stars" (Google Play)

"If you love 40K and space hulks then this will be a gem. Instabuy for me... Great writing, and fighting is quite fun. Also, you get to fight all Xenos... even necrons and Eldar... been awhile since I've seen these factions in a 40K game so they're very welcome! Lovin' it! 5 stars" (iTunes)

"This is a big step forward for Tin Man Games over their other gamebooks. The polish on the graphics and the audio is much improved and the new combat system gives additional choice. I especially like the soundtrack in Herald of Oblivion, it's a definite space theme with hints from the Alien movie soundtrack which really set the mood of exploring and battling on a ancient space hulk! The graphics for combatants are excellent. I do like the painted art in other titles but being a 40K story the computerised pict graphics really work with the storyline which is right up there with the good work done in the Horus Heresy novels. 5 stars" (Google Play)

"Interesting combat mechanics with dark story and quality 3D graphics and artwork. This game book is a great step forward for TMG. Keep up the good work. 5 stars" (Google Play)

You can download your copy of Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion  here.


* To go with the one I got for Temple of the Spider God.

Tie-in Tuesday: World of Warriors Official Sticker Book

It's New Book Day again for me on Thursday, when the World of Warriors Official Sticker Book is released.


The book is full of stuff like this...

Crammed to bursting with historical facts...

And all manner of puzzle too...


You can pre-order your copy of  World of Warriors Official Sticker Book  here and have it arrive on the day of publication*.


* Hopefully.

Thought for the Day

“If a character that you have written comes to life, this is unnatural and an abomination in the eyes of God. As its author, it is your duty to destroy the creature before it is able to escape and wreak unfathomable havoc upon the world. And believe me, it will try to escape. They always do.”

~ Jonathan Franzen, Author