It’s been a busy week for steampunk-related Kickstarter campaigns, including a new pirate-themed SFF anthology, a YA steampunk “romantasy” tale, a steampunk fantasy comic book series, and a new RPG.
Pirate-Themed Anthology
Zombies Need Brains, a small press in Binghamton, New York, is crowdfunding Skull X Bones, an anthology of science fiction and fantasy stories about pirates. It will feature approximately 14 original works by established authors and newcomers. The anchor authors include R.S. Belcher, Alex Bledsoe, Jennifer Brozek, C.C. Finlay, Violette Malan, Misty Massey, and Alan Smale.
The anthology is edited by David B. Coe and Joshua Palmatier. Palmatier, an author and mathematics professor, is the founder of Zombies Need Brains.
Pledges begin at US$7 for an e-book version and $25 for a trade paperback. The publisher estimates delivery in December.
Palmatier remains open to submissions for the anthology. “We want writers to give us their best science fiction or fantasy pirates, whether they be on the sailing ships of the deep wide ocean or the spaceships of the black void,” he says.
Maximum length is 7,500 words. Pay is 8 cents per word plus royalties. Stories can be submitted via the Moksha Submissions System.
The campaign launched March 1 and reached its US$5,000 funding goal within two days. It runs through March 31. See the Kickstarter page for more info about the campaign.
Steampunk Fantasy Prequel
Author E.R. Paskey launched a Kickstarter campaign for A Tale of Star-Crossed Hearts, described as a “YA Romantasy with a dash of steampunk.”
The novel is a prequel to the author’s steampunk fantasy The Other Side of the Horizon. It tells the love story of Raphael and Elena, two characters from the latter tale.
Pledges begin at US$9 for a digital edition, $35 for the retail paperback edition, and $50 for the retail hardcover edition. Special paperback and hardcover editions are also available, beginning at $60 and $75 respectively.
Paskey expects to deliver digital editions in April and printed copies in July.
The campaign launched March 4 and reached its US$300 funding goal within 16 minutes. It runs through March 20. See the Kickstarter page for more info.
New Comic Book Series
Eagle Eye Comics is on Kickstarter with Volume 1 of Tales of The Witch Hunters, a steampunk fantasy series about a group of vigilantes who are “sworn to fight against the misuse of magic by any means necessary.”
In the first volume, they are tasked “to face a looming threat when a power-enhancing drug known as ‘pixie dust’ causes citizens to go berserk across the world.”
The 60-page graphic novel is written by Justice Wright and drawn by Ian Waryanto, with coloring by Michael Woods.
Pledges begin at US$10 for a digital edition and $15 for a print version.
The campaign launched March 4 and seeks US$5,000 by April 3. Learn more on the Kickstarter page.
Latest from Gearwheel Grimoires
Gearwheel Grimoires, the French game developer, is back on Kickstarter with a new steampunk-themed RPG. Aerathain - The Shards of Souls is the first entry in a trilogy set in the same world as the creator’s Ars Mechanica series, but 30 years later. As with their previous games, it’s a steampunk setting for D&D 5e.
Some illustrations in the book are AI-generated.
Pledges begin at €5 (US$6) for a PDF edition. The creator estimates delivery in April. Rewards also include a 186-page novel set in the same world.
The campaign launched March 4 and quickly reached its €100 (US$108) funding goal. It runs through April 3. See the Kickstarter page for more info.
Ongoing Campaigns
Dracula 2168: Shadows On The Future – A new comic book series from a Marvel vet places Dracula in a dystopian steampunk future ruled by artificial intelligence. The campaign easily reached its US$5,000 funding goal. It runs through March 22.
Legacy of the Brightwash – A deluxe edition of a dystopian Gaslamp fantasy novel originally published in 2021. The campaign quickly reached its CA$12,000 (US$8,357) funding goal. It runs through March 18.
