Day 24: Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all our faithful readers! As a Christmas present to you here is a roundup of all our free eBooks available to download from 2011 – a little something to enjoy before you kick off your Yuletide celebrations or even something to hide yourself away from the bedlam! Enjoy!


The End of The Line edited by Jonathan Oliver
A collection of some of the very best in new horror writing in a themed anthology of stories set on, and around, the Underground, the Metro and other places deep below. The Lure is an erotically-charged tale of voyeurism and dread sparked by Nicholas Royle that is included in The End of the Line and now available as a free download.

The Wizard’s Coming by Juliet E McKenna serves as a prequel for The Hadrumal Crisis – McKenna’s brand new trilogy that hit the shops in August with Dangerous Waters. Download now in ePub, Kindle and PDF.

Eric Brown’s The Blue Portal is the opening of his novel The Kings of Eternity, which began as this short story. The Kings of Eternity took SF great Eric Brown ten years to complete and is a space opera spanning decades. Download the first chapter The Blue Portal for free now using the epub file from our website.

Babylon Steel is Gaie Sebold’s debut novel and a brilliant start to an exciting new fantasy series. Ex-sword-for-hire, ex… other things, Babylon runs the best brothel in Scalentine; city of many portals, two moons, and a wide variety of races, were-creatures, and religions, not to mention the occasional insane warlock.

She’s not having a good week. The Vessels of Purity are protesting against brothels, women in the trade are being attacked, it’s tax time, and there’s not enough money to pay the bill. So when the mysterious Darask Fain offers her a job finding a missing girl, Babylon decides to take it. But the missing girl is not what she seems, and neither is Darask Fain. In the meantime twomoon is approaching, and more than just a few night’s takings are at risk when Babylon’s hidden past reaches out to grab her by the throat. To read the first chapter follow the links for epub and mobi.

Hell Train is the Hammer Horror movie they never made. In his first book for Solaris, Christopher Fowler, the multi-award winning author of the Bryant & May mysteries conjures up bizarre creatures, satanic rites, terrified passengers and the romance of train travel, all in a classically-styled horror novel that evokes the real-life spirits of this most British of movie studios.

When American screenwriter Shane Carter is asked to revive the classic studio’s fortunes and, inspired by an old board game, writes a script where four strangers who meet on a train journey through Eastern Europe during the First World War must solve a terrifying mystery if they are to survive.
As they race through the war-torn countryside, they must uncover the secrets of a locked casket and of the veiled Red Countess who travels with them. And what exactly is the devilish riddle of the train itself?! Read the first chapter here and see if you get hooked! epub and mobi

And to round things off, we present the first chapter of the next book in the Twilight of Kerberos series – The Wrath of Kerberos by Jonathan Oliver – which will be the first time the imprint has published a brand new title as only an ebook.

The Twilight of Kerberos is a shared-world fantasy series set on a planet inhabited by the remnants of lost civilisations, orbiting the gas giant Kerberos. The Wrath of Kerberos will be the series’ ninth book.

The Wrath of Kerberos will be released early next year and the first chapter is available in epub and mobi formats.

Thanks for sticking with the Abaddon and Solaris Advent Calendar. We hope you've found something you like.

Merry Christmas, readers! See you in 2012!

Day 23: The Best of 2011

We love all out books and authors here at Abaddon and Solaris but we wanted to showcase a few worth noting from 2011:

Solaris Rising edited by Ian Whates. Solaris Rising is the first in an exciting new series of anthologies that are set to reaffirm Solaris’s proud reputation for producing high quality science-fiction. The book feature's all original short stories from some of the foremost authors in the field; stories guaranteed to surprise, thrill and delight, demonstrating yet again why science fiction remains the most innovative, satisfying, and downright exciting genre of all.






The Recollection is Gareth L Powell’s debut SF novel with Solaris
When his brother disappears into a bizarre gateway on a London Underground escalator, failed artist Ed Rico and his brother's wife Alice have to put aside their feelings for each other to go and find him. Their quest through the 'arches' will send them hurtling through time, to new and terrifying alien worlds.
Four hundred years in the future, Katherine Abdulov must travel to a remote planet in order to regain the trust of her influential family. The only person standing in her way is her former lover, Victor Luciano, the ruthless employee of a rival trading firm.
Hard choices lie ahead as lives and centuries clash and, in the unforgiving depths of space, an ancient evil stirs...


The Black Chalice by Steven Saville is the beginning of Abaddon Books' brand new The Malory’s Knights of Albion Series
Son of a knight and aspirant to the Round Table, Alymere yearns to take his place in the world, and for a quest to prove his worth. He comes across the foul Devil's Bible – written in one night by an insane hermit – which leads and drives him, by parts, to seek the unholy Black Chalice. On his quest he will face, and overcome, dire obstacles and cunning enemies, becoming a knight of renown; but the ultimate threat is to his very soul. Malory’s Knights of Albion: The Black Chalice is the start of an exciting new series of never-before-seen Arthurian adventures.



House of Fear edited Jonathan Oliver is our 2011 horror anthology
The tread on the landing outside the door, when you know you are the only one in the house. The wind whistling through the eves, carrying the voices of the dead. The figure glimpsed briefly through the cracked window of a derelict house. Editor Jonathan Oliver brings horror home with a collection of haunted house stories by some of the finest writers working in the horror genre, including Joe R. Lansdale, Sarah Pinborough, Lisa Tuttle, Christopher Priest, Adam L. G. Nevill, Nicholas Royle, Chaz Brenchley, Christopher Fowler, Gary Kilworth, Weston Ochse, Eric Brown, Tim Lebbon, Nina Allan, Stephen Volk, Paul Meloy and more.

Dangerous Waters is the first novel in a brand new series for The Hadrumal Crisis by Juilet E. McKenna. The Archmage rules the island of wizards and has banned the use of magecraft in warfare, but there are corsairs raiding the Caladhrian Coast, enslaving villagers and devastating trade. Barons and merchants beg for magical aid, but all help has been refused so far.
Lady Zurenne’s husband has been murdered by the corsairs, and a man she doesn’t even know stands watch over her and her daughters. Corrain, former captain and now slave to the corsairs, knows that Zurenne’s guardian is a rogue wizard.

If Corrain can only escape, he’ll see justice done. Unless the Archmage’s magewoman, Jilseth, catches the renegade first...

Viking Dead by Toby Venables is a typical example of the fresh eyes theTomes of the Dead series bring to Zombie literature
Northern Europe, 976 AD. Bjólf and the viking crew of the ship Hrafn flee up an unknown river after a bitter battle, only to find themselves in a bleak land of pestilence. The dead don’t lie down, but become draugr – the undead – returning to feed on the flesh of their kin. Terrible stories are told of a dark castle in a hidden fjord, and of black ships that come raiding with invincible draugr berserkers. And no sooner has Bjólf resolved to leave, than the black ships appear... Now stranded, his men cursed by the contagion of walking death, Bjólf has one choice: fight his way through a forest teeming with zombies, invade the castle and find the secret of the horrific condition – or submit to an eternity of shambling, soulless undeath!
 

Day 22: Galactic Tales

Only a couple of days left for Christmas shopping! Lucky for you, eBooks can be brought and delivered in one click!

Today’s recommendation is for Solaris Author, Eric Brown. Not only has he written a huge volume of novels for Solaris Books but he is described by Peter F Hamiliton as ‘the name to watch in SF’.

The Kings of Eternity
1999 on the threshold of a new millennium, the novelist Daniel Langham lives a reclusive life on an idyllic Greek island, hiding away from humanity and the events of the past. All that changes, however, when he meets artist Caroline Platt and finds himself falling in love. But what is his secret, and what are the horrors that haunt him? 1935. Writers Jonathon Langham and Edward Vaughan are summoned from London by their editor friend Jasper Carnegie to help investigate strange goings-on in Hopton Wood. What they discover there – no less than a strange creature from another world – will change their lives forever. What they become, and their link to the novelist of the future, is the subject of Eric Brown’s most ambitious novel to date.
To read the opening chapter of The Blue Portal, the story that inspired The Kings of Eternity, download the .epub file from our website, or find the book on Apple’s iBookstore. If you haven’t got an e-reader, just read the book in PDF format!


Helix
Helix
Helix is a grandiose space opera, a story of exploration, alien contact and desperation. It follows the plight of a group of humans who crash land on a desolate alien planet. Daylight brings the discovery that the planet is merely one of thousands arranged in a vast spiral wound around a central sun. The group set off to discover a more habitable Earth-like world, encountering bizarre alien races on the way. But they must also find a means to stay alive.





Proving that good things come in threes - The Bengal Station Trilogy is set on an exotic spaceport that dominates the ocean between India and Burma and follows Jaded telepath, Jeff Vaughan. In the first novel,Necropath, Vaughan discovers a sinister cult that worships a mysterious alien god. The Church of the Adoration of the Chosen One uses drugs to commune with the Ultimate, and will murder to silence those who oppose their beliefs. The story follows Vaughan as his mistrust of his fellow humans is overturned by his love for the Thai street-girl Sukura, while he attempts to solve the murders and save himself from the psychopath out to kill him.

Xenopath - Happily married to Sukara with a child on the way, Vaughan now works for a telepathic detective agency and is investigating a series of murders linked to the colony world of Mallory, and the slaughter of innocent aliens there by the Scheering-Lassiter colonial organisation. But not only does the investigation put his own life in danger, back on Bengal Station Sukara’s life is threatened too.

Finally in Cosmopath, Jeff Vaughan comes out of retirement when he is hired by a ruthless businessman to find out what happened to a lost crew. When he arrives on Canopus VII, the investigation takes a strange turn as they are captured by a group of humans inhabiting the planet. They take him to an underground city, where the true reason for the investigation becomes clear.
 

Day 21: Christmas Chronicles

‘Royal intrigue, court politics and outlawed magic make for an exciting adventure.’

Rowena is an award winning fantasy author and her Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin has everything a great fantasy needs - kings and queens, beasts and warriors, magic and politics. Rowena set out to write the ideal book to curl up with during the winter months and we think that makes for a great Christmas gift.

The King’s Bastard: Book One of The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin
The Kingdom of Rolencia, By royal decree, all those afflicted with Affinity must serve the Abbey or face death. Sent to the Abbey because of his innate Affinity, the King’s youngest son, Fyn, trains to become a warrior monk. Unfortunately, he’s a gentle dreamer and the other acolytes bully him. The only way he can escape them is to serve the Abbey Mystic, but his Affinity is weak.
Fiercely loyal, thirteen year-old Piro is horrified to discover she is also cursed with unwanted Affinity. It broke their mother’s heart to send Fyn away, so she hides her affliction. But, when Fyn confesses his troubles, Piro risks exposure to help him.
Even though Byren Kingson is only seven minutes younger than his twin, Lence, who is the king's heir, Byren has never hungered for the Rolencian throne. When a Seer predicts that he will kill Lence, he laughs. But Lence Kingsheir sees Byren’s growing popularity and resents it. Enduring loyalty could be Byren’s greatest failing.


The Uncrowned King: Book Two of The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin
Rolencia’s ancestral enemy, Merofynia, has invaded and marches on King Rolen’s castle. Powerless to help, thirteen yeard old Piro watches as her father, King Rolen, listens to poisoned whispers concerning his son Bryen. How could the King doubt his second son? Determined to prove his loyalty, Bryen races across the path of the advancing army to ask the Abbot to send the warrior monks in defense of the castle.






Usurper: Book Three of The Chronicles of King Rolen's Kin
Now a slave, Piro finds herself in the Merofynian Palace where, if her real identity is discovered, she will be executed. Meanwhile, Fyn is desperate to help his brother, Bryen, who is now the uncrowned King. Bryen never sought power but now he finds himself at the centre of a dangerous resistance movement as the people of Rolencia flee vicious invaders. How can Byren defeat the invaders, when half his warriors are women and children, and the other half are untrained boys and old men?

Day 20: Other Worldly Giveaway

Today we have a giveaway of Science-Fcition of the highest order! Packed with quality stories, Solaris Rising is the first in an exciting new series of anthologies that are set to reaffirm Solaris’s proud reputation for producing high quality science fiction!

Not only are we giving away three copies of Solaris' latest anthology - We are giving away three copies signed by Ian Whates, Alastair Reynolds, Eric Brown, Lavie Tidhar, Pat Cadigan, Jaine Fenn, Dave Hutchinson.


In a book full of boundless variety, energy and imagination, editor Ian Whates gathers together the most accomplished writers in science fiction including Ian McDonald, Dave Hutchinson, Paul di Filippo, Ken Macleod, Tricia Sullivan, Stephen Baxter, Stephen Palmer, Adam Roberts, Lavie Tidhar, Jack Skillingstead, Mike Resnick and Laurie Tom, Steve Rasnic Tem, Ian Watson, Pat Cadigan, Richard Salter, Jaine Fee, Keith Brooke and Eric Brown, Alastair Reynolds, Peter F. Hamilton.

From bizarre futures and surreal present day to gritty other worlds and strange realms, Solaris Rising exemplifies the diversity and innovation that make science fiction the most exciting genre of all time.


“A cliché it may be, but there really is something for everyone here... an ideal bait to tempt those who only read novels to climb over the short fiction fence.”
– Interzone


To win please email abaddonsolaris@rebellion.co.uk and answer this other worldly question.

What is the name of the Earth-like planet found earlier this month by the Kepler Telescope?

Day 19: Post-Apocalyptic Present?

The Afterblight Chronicles is a post-apocalyptic series in which a devastating epidemic has ravaged the world. In the Afterblight pockets of humans attempt to continue civilization amidst the mounting chaos of the collapsed infrastructure. Mobs run rampant while cults and warlords fight for authority over the survivors of the global plague.

For your entertainment we have decided to showcase The Afterblight Chronicles: The St Marks trilogy. Scott Andrews’ series follows a bunch of kids in post-Cull Britain who must not only survive in the post-apocalypse world – they must survive school in these harshest of conditions.

School’s Out
"After the world died we all sort of drifted back to school. After all, where else was there for us to go?" It's never easy being fifteen, but when your teachers are killing each other, the prefect who loves to bully you is experimenting with crucifixion, and the rival gang from across town have decided that ritualistic cannibalism is the way to go, spots and BO don't seem like such big problems after all. These are the final days of St Marks' School For Boys, and the punishment for disobedience is death!

Operation Motherland
"I celebrated my sixteenth birthday by crashing a plane, fighting for my life and facing execution, again." Lee Keegan travels to Iraq on the trail of his missing father, only to find himself caught between desperate rebels and a general who wants to strap him into an electric chair. In England, Jane Crowther, one time matron of St Mark's School for Boys, attracts the wrong kind of attention and has to fight to protect her new school from unlikely enemies. And in a bunker underneath Washington, a madman issues orders that will tip two devastated countries into total war.

Children’s Crusade
The orphaned children of post-Cull Britain have always been easy prey for gangs, cults and killers. But now something has changed. Organised teams are roaming the country, taking children from their homes and villages, spiriting them away into the night. Jane Crowther is willing to risk everything to rescue them, but to save the children, Jane must confront the woman she used to be, and the man who killed her. This is the third and final year of St Mark's school for Boys and Girls. But it's not going down without a fight!
 

Day 18: Medieval Merriment

The Malory’s Knights of Albion is an Arthurian adventure perfect for our fans of the Sword in the Stone legends.

The Black Chalice
Son of a knight and aspirant to the Round Table, Alymere yearns to take his place in the world, and for a quest to prove his worth. He comes across the foul Devil's Bible – written in one night by an insane hermit – which leads and drives him, by parts, to seek the unholy Black Chalice. On his quest he will face, and overcome, dire obstacles and cunning enemies, becoming a knight of renown; but the ultimate threat is to his very soul. Malory’s Knights of Albion: The Black Chalice is the start of an exciting new series of never-before-seen Arthurian adventures.

The Savage Knight
Sir Dodinal the Savage is more at home in the wild forest than in the tilting yard or the banquet hall. Keenly attuned to the natural world, but burdened with a terrible rage, he turns his back on Camelot to find peace, or a just death. In a quiet village on the Welsh border, Dodinal believes he may have finally found a home, but the village is struck by child-stealing raiders from the hills, and he must take up arms once again in his new friends’ aid. His quest will take him into the belly of darkness, as the terrible secret hidden in the hills comes to light...

Dark North
The latest novel in the Abaddon series by Paul Finch is due out next year. A new Empire has risen in Rome, and the Emperor, Lucio Bizerta, is determined that Britain shall kneel before him as they once did to the Caesars. As Lucio’s forces mass in France and his ambassadors come to Camelot, Arthur hurriedly convenes his court to meet them. Sir Lucan, one of Arthur’s most stalwart supporters, comes from his cold northern home with his squire, Alaric. Lucan’s beautiful wife Trelawna has come as well, for among the Italian delegates is her lover, the noble Rufio. The world stands poised on the brink of a terrible war, in which the fates of lives and hearts will play as great a role as those of nations...

Day 17: Need something with a kick this Christmas?

Andy Remic is our hard-talking, hard-fighting author whose novels are always full of action packed, gun-blazing hardcore SF. His long-running Combat-K Series is "Fun and fast-paced ass-kicking action."

War Machine
In a time of post-Singularity and FTL travel, the Helix War has raged across galaxies. Ex-soldier Keenan is now working as a private investigator on a planet at the peaceful fringes of the Tri-Gal. Following the death of his family he's run up debts and become a heavy drinker, but he cannot refuse business. Especially when a prince from the Jervai Province offers him a case on a dangerous colony world in exchange for clues that may lead him to his family's murderer. However, to have any chance of success he must gather together his old military unit, a group who swore they'd never work together again...

Biohell
On a planet teeming with corruption, a global technology corporation manufactures the Biomod Human Upgrade. However, when hackers break the code it heads onto the black market, creating a zombie population packed with hardcore weaponry. The Combat-K squad must uncover what's really turned this planet into a wasteland of murder and mutations, and they focus on the darkness at the heart of the corporation that created the upgrade.






Hardcore
Sick World was a planet dedicated to the ill, the deformed, the dying and the dead. Humanity as an organism was not the most durable chassis. After mixing it up with aliens, the human shell developed a host of unwanted and incurable ailments… esoteric diseases, curious viruses, life-changing bugs, vomit-inducing deformations. So a beautiful planet, Sick World, was terraformed with limitless funding, state-of-the-art research centres, gleaming wards and towering operating theatres providing unparalleled care, a perfection of medicine and a pinnacle of repair for the plethora of grotesque diseases and mutating conditions. However, a thousand years ago something happened, and the planet was evacuated in totality. Today, it lies uninhabited. Combat K: Keenan, Franco and Pippa, forced by implanted logic cubes into an unholy alliance of cooperation. Mission: to infiltrate Sick World and carry out a simple fact-finding mission prior to SLAM excavations to research the new Junk threat. It should have been safe, simple, secure. As the first day fades, so a long hibernation ends. The Medical Staff of Sick World, the doctors, the nurses, the patients, those abandoned long ago, a thousand year gestation of hardcore medical mutation and accelerated healthcare technology… they can smell fresh meat, and begin to awake…HARDCORE. You’ll never look at a nurse the same way again.


Cloneworld
Junks, an ancient evil alien scourge, are flooding Quad-Gal with terror as they spread their toxic plague. Combat K, proficient in infiltration, assassination and demolition, are sent on a mission to find an elusive alien retrovirus which can be used against an enemy. SLAM-dropped to CLONEWORLD, a planet ravaged by violent civil war, not only are Combat K hunted by elite junk assassins, but they get caught in a global conflict between ORGS, huge augmented mechanised war machines, and GANGERS, slick, genetically modified humans who have the ability to ganger, or clone themselves at will.

Through a mash of constant battle and vast, war-torn landscapes, through mechanised ORG factories and G.U.N. workshops, through GANGER SlushPits and CloneCities and SexVats, Combat K must think and fight their way to victory, to save the planet, and save the Four Galaxies. But how can Combat K possibly succeed, when their main foe are their own elite and deadly clones?

Day 16: Strong Female Characters

Strong Females Characters can take many forms. Here are some of Solaris’s leading ladies.

The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin by Rowena Cory Daniells
Rowena Cory Daniell’s trilogy centres on King Rolen and his family, written from the view-point of his three children. His 13 year old daughter, Piro is headstrong and fiercely loyal. Her unwanted affinity soon becomes integral to her family's survival and her decisions and actions are a driving force throughout the trilogy.






The Chronicles of the Lescari Revolution by Juliet E McKenna
In Juliet E McKenna's epic tale of fantasy rebellion, women are at the heart of the conspiracy with just as much at stake as the men. Branca is a strong-minded scholar whose humble origins won't stop her studying lost magic to help the cause. Failla is one duke's mistress while spying for his enemies. Charoleia is an enigmatic trader of invaluable information and contacts. Set against them and their allies, can Duchess Litasse of Triolle find common cause with Duchess Tadira of Carluse or Ridianne, the Duke of Marlier's mistress and captain of his mercenaries?




Dangerous Waters - Book One of the Hadrumal Crisis by Juliet E McKenna
An acclaimed magewoman of Hadrumal, Jilseth has long been trusted by the Archmage to safeguard the wizard isle's interests, travelling the realm of Caladhria with no need to fear the corsairs who ravage the coastline. Lady Zurenne by contrast has lived a sheltered and cosseted life. But now she's bereft of her husband and any other protector for her fatherless daughters.

As two of the few who know the truth of a scandal which could bring down the Archmage, will these women work together to help defeat the corsairs and keep such perilous secrets or find themselves on opposite sides?

The Sentinel Mage by Emily Gee
Shapeshifting Innis is the youngest ever female Sentinel Mage. Her abilities are unique along with their strength. So much so it must be her that does the forbidden and take the form of a human to save the Seven Kingdoms.







Desdaemona by Ben Macallan
Desdaemona is a sassy leading lady who takes no prisoners. Half demon, half human she has enough powers to not be messed with and enlists protagonist Jordan to help her find her missing sister Faye.

'Twilight' series sees an e-book first for Abaddon

Abaddon Books is to publish its first ever ebook-only title, while capitalising on the recent success of its series omnibuses.

The next book in the Twilight of Kerberos series – The Wrath of Kerberos by Jonathan Oliver – will be the first time the imprint has published a brand new title as only an ebook.

The Twilight of Kerberos is a shared-world fantasy series set on a planet inhabited by the remnants of lost civilisations, orbiting the gas giant Kerberos. The Wrath of Kerberos will be the series’ ninth book.

With its READ ANYTHING campaign and commitment to producing first rate genre fiction, the Abaddon Books team are firm believers in new forms of publishing. The Twilight of Kerberos series is a perfect fit for experimenting with an ebook only release.

And with the success of the recent series omnibuses – including the The Best of Tomes of the Dead and Afterblight: America – and capitalising on the growing US readership who are finding our shared-worlds through them, Abaddon Books has decided to focus the Twilight range on this format.

The long-awaited third book of the Lucius Kane Trilogy by Matthew Sprange, Legacy’s Price, will see print in March 2012 as part of the first Twilight of Kerberos Omnibus, with two more omnibuses in the series to collect the titles by Mike Wild and Jonathan Oliver.

Jonathan Oliver said: “It’s great to be part of this experiment in publishing, and Wrath of Kerberos is a perfect fit.”

“A remarkably creative debut.” – Un:Bound on The Call of Kerberos

Day 15: Silent Night - Twilight

We have too much high fantasy for just one calendar day so today’s recommendation is Abaddon’s long-running Swords and Sorcery series. The Twilight of Kerberos currently spans nine books and the final novel, Children of the Pantheon, is due out in 2012.


Rocked by war and religious schism, Twilight is a fantasy world like no other, a land girt by impassable mountains and impenetrable storms, dimly lit by a distant sun and dominated by great Kerberos, an azure gas giant that fills the sky... Or is it? To some, Kerberos is a god. To others, another world. Its nature is a mystery, and uncovering its secrets - as, it is whispered, the Elder Races strove to do before they were wiped out - is sure to rock the world of Twilight to its core.

Jonathan Oliver’s contributions follow Silus Morlader, a simple fisherman with a horrifying legacy.

The Call of Kerberos by Jonathan Oliver.
Silus is a fisherman working the Nurn coast; a simple man leading a simple life. But there is more to Silus than even he himself realises. When a mysterious man on the run from the Final Faith tries to persuade Silus on an extraordinary voyage, his world begins to change. And when an ancient and evil race bursts from the sea to try and claim Silus as one of their own, he is forced to flee his home. Soon Silus becomes a pawn in a deadly game played between ancient races. On the forbidding Twilight seas, Silus begins to discover the extraordinary truth behind his burgeoning preternatural abilities. As he battles alongside the crew of the magical galleon the Llothriall, Silus will find out more about his world and his legacy than he could ever have imagined. Hearing the call of Kerberos, he will fight to save existence itself!

The Wrath of Kerberos by Jonathan Oliver (due for release January 2012 in e-book)
Silus Morlader and the crew of the Llothriall find themselves beached in the middle of a desert after a magical storm envelops their ship. Stranded with dwindling supplies and half their crew missing, Silus leads his companions across the harsh landscape in search of civilisation. What they find will change their view of the world forever.
A new race reveals to Silus that his god, Kerberos, is not all he appears to be; that everything they understand about life on Twilight may be wrong. When the truth is finally told, Silus and his companions must fight their way across a dying world, facing Final Faith fanatics, orcs and dragons. They must find a way to deliver a very important message to Katherine Makennon, head of the Final Faith, before war tears Twilight apart.

Day 14: We’re got plenty of S-Punk!

Not only do we have plenty, Abaddon Books is proud to publish Pax Britannia, the longest-running steampunk series.


Launched in 2007, Pax Britannia is a steampunk alternative history set in a late twentieth century in which Queen Victoria – now nearing the end of her sixteenth decade on the throne, and wholly dependent on steam technology for survival – rules over the vastly wealthy, powerful and decadent Empire of Magna Britannia. Airships ply the skies overhead as gentlemen of leisure admire the dinosaurs in London Zoo, while the Empire has extended to the Moon. Across the pond, the United Socialist States of America, loosely allied with the might of Magna Britannia, is home to dreamers, poets, madmen, and heroes, poised to usher in a new era.

Pax Britannia: Gods of Manhattan by Al Ewing
While his sidekick lies bleeding out in hospital, city saviour Doc Thunder and Maya, his beatiful companion, attempt to discover the identity of their friend's assailant. The clues lead to secrets altogether older and darker than they could ever have imagined.
The Blood Spider - a name that strikes fear into the hearts of criminals everywhere. But unlike Doc Thunder, this vigilante is willing to kill, and it can only be a matter of time before the two heroes collide.
Mexican masked swordsman El Sombra is visiting the Big Apple, but he's not just any tourist. El Sombra is on a mission of revenge that will take him all the way into the heart of the city's corrupt underworld.

Author, Tim Akers also creates his own steampunk universe of Veridon and the Church of the Algorithm.

Heart of Veridon by Tim Akers
Jacob Burn: pilot, criminal and disgraced son of one of the founding families of the ancient city of Veridon. When an old friend delivers to him a strange artifact, Jacob's world crashes down around him as he runs not only from the law but also from those who were once friends. But even as the array of machines and strange creatures stalk him through the streets of Veridon, something even more sinister and dangerous makes its move against him, an entity that will make Jacob question everything he thought he knew about himself and the city.

Dead of Veridon by Tim Akers

Trouble finds Jacob Burn: kicked out of his house, out of his comfortable life – out of everything that is familiar – even turned away from his circle of criminal friends and interesting enemies. Two years after he saved an ungrateful city from a mad angel, thwarting the plans of every powerful faction in Veridon, Jacob is still trying to pull his life together. And still trouble finds him. A bad job goes worse, and soon old enemies present themselves as allies, and former friends set themselves against Jacob as he tries to put the dead to rest and the living to justice. Things gets even harder when he’s appointed by the Council to investigate the rise of the cog-dead, while some hold him personally accountable, and others in the city work to use the chaos to their advantage.

Kultus by Richard Ford is a steam-powered burlesque of brutal demonic action!
Thaddeus Blaklok – mercenary, demonist, bastard and thug-for-hire – is pressed into retrieving a mysterious key for his clandestine benefactors. Little does he know that other parties seek to secure this artefact for their own nefarious ends and soon he is pursued by brutal cultists, bloodthirsty gangsters, deadly mercenaries and hell spawned monsters, all bent on stopping him by any means necessary. In a lightning-paced quest that takes him across the length and breadth of the steam-fuelled city of Manufactory, Blaklok must use his wits and his own demonic powers to keep the key from those who would use it for ill, and open the gates to Hell itself.

And today we are offering a fantastic short story, Masques and Lies by David Moore from our Pax Britannia Series. Enjoy on epub and mobi!

Day 13: Deck the Dead

Behind today’s door is the latest in Abaddon’s Tomes of Dead series, Double Dead.

Double Dead is a bloodthirsty ride through zombie-infested Route 66 that answers that age old question: what does a vampire eat during the zombie apocalypse?

Coburn has a problem – he’s just woken up from a five year sleep to find that human civilisation has fallen in the face of the zombie apocalypse. He likes blood. They like brains. So, yeah – problem.

And now he’s starving. So this vampire not only has to find human survivors but must become an unlikely shepherd with a shotgun. After all, a man has to look after his food supply...

A thrilling chase across a zombie-infested America – but with a twist – Double Dead is Chuck Wendig’s fantastically entertaining, blood-thirsty, brain-guzzling debut novel.

As a little ‘Merry Christmas’ present from Abaddon and Solaris, here’s a free preview of chapter one of Double Dead available for download! Check out the epub version, the Kindleversion or the .pdf version now.

Red-Handed: the Big Result!

Cover by Pye Parr...

Hey chaps-slash-chapesses,

You probably remember how, a couple of months ago, we announced a thrilling new experiment in publishing. Jonathan Green's eighth Ulysses Quicksilver book, Time's Arrow, is being released in three parts, and you - yes, you - yes, actually you right now, sitting there and reading this; I can see you, you know - can download each part as a separate mini-ebook and vote on the direction of the next part.

So you read the blog post, you bought the book (in the US or UK), you read and loved it, and you voted. And I want to thank you all. We've been really pleased with the response.

And that response, overwhelmingly - by a ratio of something like four to one - has been for Option B: Ulysses goes in search of the mysterious "M. Lumière."

Outstanding.

So, there you go. Green's been given his marching writing orders, and you get to wait a couple of months as he rolls the next one out for you to vote on. This is shaping up to be pret-ty exciting.

And it's not too late to get involved! Buy Red-Handed now, catch up, and wait with bated breath like the rest of us for Black Swan to come out, and next time your vote can be counted! It's like we're playing a massive game of Fighting Fantasy! Whee!

Time's Arrow: Red Handed (US Kindle Store)

Time's Arrow: Red Handed (UK Kindle Store)

Time's Arrow: Red Handed (US iTunes Store)

Time's Arrow: Red Handed (UK iTunes Store)

 Kick ass.

David

Day 12: Guns Galore

Behind today’s calendar door is our recommendations for military SF fans. First up is a title just published this month, which should have all fans of the genre drooling with delight...

Andy Remic’s Combat K books are kick-ass, action-adventure SF extravaganzas centring around a corrupt and slightly insane combat squad.Themeplanet is a particular delight. It’s better than sex! It’s better than drugs! If you haven’t been sick yet, you soon will be... Welcome to Theme Planet, an entire alien world dedicated to insane rides, excessive hedonism and dangerous adventure. Operated by the Monolith Corporation, Theme Planet is the No. 1 destination for fun-seeking human holidaymakers Galaxy-Wide! Amba Miskalov is an Anarchy Android, an assassin/torture model fitted with a Quantell Systems v4.7 KillChip. She is beautiful, merciless and deadly, and blends perfectly with her human superiors. Sent to Theme Planet on a dangerous assassination mission, Amba stumbles upon a plot to undermine and destroy Earth’s all-powerful Oblivion Government – and its Ministers of Joy. But Amba is twisted, damaged and decadent – and this rebellion poses Amba a problem: to remain loyal to her creators and tormentors, to support the enemy – or annihilate them all.

The No Mans World series by Pat Kelleher is a great military SF series based on a World War One battalion. Black Hand Gang is the first in the series, set in 1916. Nine-hundred men of the 13th Battalion of The Pennine Fusiliers vanish without trace from the battlefield, only to find themselves stranded on an alien planet. There they must learn to survive in a frightening and hostile environment, forced to rely on dwindling supplies of ammo and rations as the natives of this strange new world begin to take an interest. However, the aliens amongst them are only the first of their worries, as a sinister and arcane threat begins to take hold from within their own ranks!

Day 11: Time’s Arrow

Have you ever wished the characters in your book would just listen to your advice? Found yourself screaming “No you Idiot! Don’t go that way!” at the page?

Well, Abaddon Books is here to grant your wish with their new interactive novel, Time’s Arrow by Jonathan Green. Time’s Arrow allows you, the reader, to decide its hero’s next step! Quick, Hop, Run though – Today is the last day to download your free copy of Part One: Red Handed and decide Ulysses Quicksilver’s fate!



Time’s Arrow is the latest book from the world’s longest continuously running Steampunk novel series, Pax Britannia. Set in a world where the Victorian age never ended, Pax Britannia is an insane world of high technology and rip-roaring adventure.

Each instalment of Time’s Arrow is published as an ebook and, at the end of each of the first two, readers will be able to vote on where THEY want the story to go. Once all three instalments have been published, they will be bound together into a print edition.

Vote Today!
In the next thrilling installment of Time's Arrow, “Black Swan,” our hero - wanted by the French Police for murder - battles his way across Paris, from the Louvre to Notre Dame, in order to prove his innocence. But where he goes next is up to the reader to decide. Voting closes today!

Day 10: Swords and Sorcery

High fantasy has it all - Epic stories arcs, magic, politics and battles. Solaris and Abaddon Books are teeming with fantasy authors, so we've picked a select few for today’s calendar:

Thief With No Shadow by Emily Gee
Emily Gee is a compelling fantasy writer and Thief With No Shadow is a rich, romantic fantasy tale set in a world where the ordinary and extraordinary co-exist, where fire-breathing salamanders live alongside men, and magic runs in the blood of mortals. Melke is a wraith, able to walk unseen. Feared by all, hunted and hated, she has lost everything - except her younger brother. Now she is forced to do the unthinkable: in exchange for her brother's freedom, she must use her magic to commit a terrible crime.




The Sentinel Mage by Emily Gee
The Sentinel Mage is Emily’s latest book with Solaris. In a distant corner of the Seven Kingdoms, an ancient curse festers and grows, consuming everything in its path. Only one man can break it: Harkeld of Osgaard, a prince with mage's blood in his veins. But Prince Harkeld has a bounty on his head and assassins at his heels.

The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin is a brilliant trilogy that begins with The King's Bastard. In the Kingdom of Rolencia, by royal decree, all those afflicted with Affinity must serve the Abbey or face death. Sent to the Abbey because of his innate Affinity, the king’s youngest son, Fyn, trains to become a warrior monk. Unfortunately, he’s a gentle dreamer and the other acolytes bully him. The only way he can escape them is to serve the Abbey Mystic, but his Affinity is weak.

Fiercely loyal, thirteen year-old Piro is horrified to discover she is also cursed with unwanted Affinity. It broke their mother’s heart to send Fyn away, so she hides her affliction. But when Fyn confesses his troubles, Piro risks exposure to help him.

Even though Byren Kingson is only seven minutes younger than his twin, Lence, who is the king's heir, Byren has never hungered for the Rolencian throne. When a Seer predicts that he will kill Lence, he laughs. But Lence Kingsheir sees Byren’s growing popularity and resents it. Enduring loyalty could be Byren’s greatest failing.

The sequels, The Uncrowned King and The Usurper, are also available from the new Rebellion Store.

Chronicles of the Necromancer by Gail Z. Martin
This is the pick for fans of Robin Hobb, Lois McMaster Bujold and Terry Goodkind. The Summoner is the first in the series. The world of Prince Martris Drayke is thrown into sudden chaos and disorder when his brother murders their father and seizes the throne.

Cast out, Martris and a small band of trusted friends are forced to flee to a neighbouring kingdom where he believes they can regroup and plot their retaliation. With only a handful of loyal colleagues to support him, he must seek retribution and restore his father's honour.
But if the living are arrayed against him, Martris must call on a different set of allies: the ranks of the dead.