Authors Aria and David Griffey, who write as A.D. Griffey, are planning a launch event next week for their new novel, The Heart of Resistance. It’s the first volume in what they describe as “a swashbuckling steampunk adventure trilogy.”
The book tells the story of former airship captain Arthur Pendington, who “is out for revenge against the empire that made him into a monster,” the blurb states. “His impossible plan pulls a disillusioned airship mechanic, a runaway workhouse orphan, and the princess of a fractured nation into his inescapable orbit, threatening to shatter the imperial establishment and tear apart the lives of his few remaining friends.”
The event is set for Tuesday, March 25, at 6 p.m., at Griffeys’ Book Emporium, 4 Troy Road, Delaware, Ohio, near Columbus.
As you might gather from the name, the authors own and operate the bookstore. They plan to answer questions, sign copies, and read selections from the novel. Paperback and hardcover editions will be available, as well as a limited number of handmade clothbound editions.
The book will also be available from Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, and independent booksellers.
First Novel for Oklahoma Author
Jill Archie, an author in Tulsa, Oklahoma, released an e-book edition of her debut novel The Timekeepers.
Aimed at young adults, it tells the story of Onyx, whose “life revolves entirely around the Clockwork Lands: a world made of five colossal clock gears that power eternal time. As the assistant to her father, the immortal Timekeeper, her days are measured by precise schedules and the rhythmic ticking of her heart gears.”
But then she has an opportunity to leave her sheltered life, and “learns of secrets and ideologies she has never heard of, beginning a journey that makes her question the reality she always thought she knew.”
Archie released a paperback edition last November. It’s the first book in a series entitled The Clockwork Chronicles. She previously authored three nonfiction books but this is her first novel. It’s available exclusively on Amazon.
New Historical Fantasy Series
Ruxandra Tarca released The Catcher of Souls, the first book in a new historical fantasy series known as The Cursed Arts. It tells the story of two London aristocrats—one “an assassin with a penchant for poisons” and the other “a gifted painter with a curse”—who find themselves in pursuit of Jack the Ripper.
The book is available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover editions. Find bookseller links on Goodreads.
Perdido Street Station Gets the Luxe Treatment
The Folio Society released a lavishly illustrated, 25th anniversary limited edition of China Miéville’s acclaimed steampunk fantasy novel Perdido Street Station, but it appears the book could already be sold out.
The 704-page volume, limited to 500 copies, includes a new afterword by the author. It’s packaged in a clamshell depicting a moth.
Artist Doug Bell contributed 12 full-color illustrations along with eight black-and-white illustrations that serve as chapter openers. Bell also designed the packaging and created a map of New Crobuzon, the city-state in which the story takes place. Each copy is signed by the author and artist.
The new edition was released March 18 at a price of US$600. The Folio Society website indicates that it is out of stock.
