Jonathan Green's Blog, page 56

Steampunk Thursday: Scarlet Traces on the 2000 AD Thrill-Cast

The latest 2000AD Thrill-Cast focuses on the new Scarlet Traces anthology . It consists of an hour-long discussion between Scarlet Traces  co-creator and anthology editor Ian Edginton, writer Maura McHugh, Rebellion commissioning editor David Moore join, and 2000 AD publicity droid Molch-R, about the world of Scarlet Traces , the legacy of H G Wells' original novel, imperialism and speculative fiction, and moving from comics into prose.

It's an interesting listen, but when the spectre of steampunk rears its ugly, cog-adorned head, it's clear that people have a problem with steampunk, to the point where Pax Britannia , Rebellion's own steampunk novel series, doesn't even get a passing mention.

You can purchase  Scarlet Traces: A War of the Worlds Anthology , which includes my story Wonderful Things , here.

Thought for the Day

"Wherever they burn books, they will also end up burning people."

~ Heinrich Heine, poet

Buy your Fighting Fantasy Fest 3 T-shirt here!

If you were unable to attend Fighting Fantasy Fest 3, or you did attend but didn't get the chance to pick one up, we have some event T-shirts left over that you can buy, if you wish.

The T-shirts are available in Small (34-36"), Medium (38-40"), Large (42-44"), Extra Large (46-48") and Double XL (50-52") sizes.


If you would like to purchase one (or more) simply click on the appropriate PayPal button below.

Small T-shirt (to fit chest 34-36")

Medium T-shirt (38-40")

Large T-shirt (42-44")

Extra Large T-shirt (46-48")

Double XL T-shirt (50-52")

Short Story Saturday: Wonderland Reviews

Editors Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane, along with the team at Titan Books, have done a really good job of promoting Wonderland: An Anthology , and a large part of that has involved the epic book blog tour it's been on.

Personally, I took a great deal of satisfaction from reading this review on Blue Book Balloon :

"Jonathan Green's The Hunting of the Jabberwock gives us the true story of this famous quest - in which things turn out to be both less, and more, heroic than the legend which has been handed down. Drawing on the possibilities for the Hunt as a self-contained episode Green creates what could almost be a Dungeons & Dragons module, complete with an eager young Squire, a battered, world-weary knight and an unfriendly Hermit. Liberally spattered with gyres and gimbles, more raths and fearsome Jubb Jubb birds, this story is fun and entertaining."

This one on Rising Shadow :

"The Hunting of the Jabberwock by Jonathan Green... This is one of the best and most entertaining fantasy stories I've read this year, because the story is gripping and the ending has a nice twist to it."

And this one over on Grimdark Dad :

"The Hunting of the Jabberwock by Jonathan Green was an absolute blast, and ended up being one of my favorites in the collection. It’s whimsical without being too cute, and really funny on top of it. It’s basically epic/heroic fantasy, and comes with a killer twist! This was awesome!"

And then there's this one posted by The Sassy Book Geek :

"This story tells the tale of a character named Nobody who is seeking out the Jabberwock to become a monster slayer and claim a reward. The “Alice” references here are very clear and I have to say I really enjoyed this one for the characters, plot, and writing. It’s got action and even a few twists, which for such a short story was definitely a nice surprise! The ending was one of those twists and while one was pretty satisfying the other was a little bleak but this is horror after all. Overall a creative and entertaining story!"

The Hunting of the Jabberwock was also one of Sarah's highlights at Feeling Fictional .

If you don't already have one, you can pick up a copy of Wonderland: An Anthology  here, and my own Alice-inspired book, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland here.

Gamebook Friday: Dracula - Curse of the Vampire

I've been sitting on this news for a while, but having already informed subscriber's to my Newsletter , and members of the ACE Gamebooks Facebook group, earlier this week, it's now time to tell the rest of the world.

The sixth title in the ACE Gamebooks series will be Dracula - Curse of the Vampire , and will be published by Snowbooks in the autumn of 2020, following a (hopefully) successful crowdfunding campaign, which will happen early next year.


And I am delighted to announce that Martin McKenna will be illustrating the book. This will be the first time we have collaborated on a gamebook in ten years, and anyone who knows Martin's art from such classic genre titles as Vault of the Vampire , Dead of Night , Howl of the Werewolf , and Night of the Necromancer , will know that we are in for a treat!


To be kept up to date with developments, subscribe to my  Newsletter  and make sure you sign up to of the ACE Gamebooks Facebook group too, just to be certain.

And yes, you will be able to play the adventure as Count Dracula himself.

Thought for the Day

"Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe."
~ H. G. Wells

Short Story Saturday: Tales from Wonderland and the Red Planet

Wonderland , the Alice in Wonderland -inspired anthology, has been been undertaking an epic blog tour of late, which has resulted in all sorts of positive comments. But the one which stood out for me was the one that appeared on Set the Tape , and that mentioned my own story, The Hunting of he Jabberwock .


Meanwhile, the latest issue of the Judge Dredd Megazine (#412), features a piece by Stephen Jewell about the Scarlet Traces anthology, which mentions my own story, Wonderful Things , and even includes a soundbite from Yours Truly*.


Wonderland : An Anthology  , published by Titan Books, and  Scarlet Trace s: A War of the Worlds  Anthology, published by Abaddon Books, are both available to buy now.


* Although I'm not keen on the rather pejorative use of the word 'claims' in that part of the article.

Tie-in Tuesday: Wonderland - out now!

Wonderland , the anthology of original works inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland , edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane, is published today by Titan Books.

Featuring 18 stories by the likes of M. R.Carey, Genevieve Cogman, James Lovegrove, Alison Littlewood, Cav Scott, George Mann, Catriona Ward and Yours Truly, reviewers and book bloggers have been going all Mad Hatter over the book.


Here's what one reviewer had to say: "There is something for everyone here... What the anthology tells me as a whole, is that Lewis Carroll’s story is a living entity, ripe for adaptation and inspiring to every new generation and reader."

Wonderland  is available to buy here .

Thought for the Day

"The most beautiful and deepest experience a man can have is the sense of the mysterious."

~ Albert Einstein

Thought for the Day

"It is huge fun writing a synopsis for a book that doesn't yet exist. It's like the work of those early map-makers who, lacking any knowledge of a particular ocean, spent their time making up sea monsters."

~ Rod Duncan , author