What is The Automata Wars?
The Automata Wars is a steampunk/ science fiction trilogy, set in a nearly-familiar world - but not quite. A civilisation at war, hopelessly outmatched by an unknown aggressor. Disease is rife. Monsters are at hand, nearly as monstrous as the war itself.
They fight to protect their families, though they do not know why they should need to. Yet within their walls, not everyone is who they seem, and without, not all enemies are hell-bent on their destruction.
Can they survive? Should they survive? Only time will tell...
As of April 2020, all three volumes of The Automata Wars are available in kindle format via Amazon. Volume 3, Back to Front may also be ordered in paperback from Amazon. Volumes 1 & 2 are published via The Last Line publishing house.
They fight to protect their families, though they do not know why they should need to. Yet within their walls, not everyone is who they seem, and without, not all enemies are hell-bent on their destruction.
Can they survive? Should they survive? Only time will tell...
As of April 2020, all three volumes of The Automata Wars are available in kindle format via Amazon. Volume 3, Back to Front may also be ordered in paperback from Amazon. Volumes 1 & 2 are published via The Last Line publishing house.
The Automata Wars Volume III: Back to Front
The explosive conclusion to The Automata Wars.
There are three sides to this story. But which side is the right side?
The Citizens certainly think they are in the right. After all, they are fighting a war that they do not understand, and did not start. A war in which they are dreadfully outmatched, with nothing to throw at their foe but courage and heart. But their enemies - the puppet masters behind the deadly automata, and the monstrous, insidious Others, lurking in the shadows - have their own agendas. Meanwhile, the mysterious plague is spreading like wildfire throughout the population. Can anything stop it?
When the lines between white and black grow blurred, then something must walk between them. Something - or someone - like Lt. Greyson, the good officer. The infiltrator. But Greyson is a machine too, and his allegiances are known only to himself.
It’s up to a boy soldier, a woman and a girl with her dog to save their people. They must make both alliances and sacrifices along the way - especially as a fourth agenda, that of the mysterious and dangerous Madame Jewel emerges…
#Automata Wars
Published April 2020.
Available in Kindle or paperback format from Amazon (link is for Amazon.co.uk, but the book is available in all Amazon regions)
See below for footage of the embarrassing 'Covid-19 Lockdown launch' of Back to Front
Due to lockdown restrictions, I launched the book in a live facebook event, into which me and various musical talents streamed performances. It was a very odd experience, as you'll see below. The rest of my segments in the event are available on my Youtube channel
There are three sides to this story. But which side is the right side?
The Citizens certainly think they are in the right. After all, they are fighting a war that they do not understand, and did not start. A war in which they are dreadfully outmatched, with nothing to throw at their foe but courage and heart. But their enemies - the puppet masters behind the deadly automata, and the monstrous, insidious Others, lurking in the shadows - have their own agendas. Meanwhile, the mysterious plague is spreading like wildfire throughout the population. Can anything stop it?
When the lines between white and black grow blurred, then something must walk between them. Something - or someone - like Lt. Greyson, the good officer. The infiltrator. But Greyson is a machine too, and his allegiances are known only to himself.
It’s up to a boy soldier, a woman and a girl with her dog to save their people. They must make both alliances and sacrifices along the way - especially as a fourth agenda, that of the mysterious and dangerous Madame Jewel emerges…
#Automata Wars
Published April 2020.
Available in Kindle or paperback format from Amazon (link is for Amazon.co.uk, but the book is available in all Amazon regions)
See below for footage of the embarrassing 'Covid-19 Lockdown launch' of Back to Front
Due to lockdown restrictions, I launched the book in a live facebook event, into which me and various musical talents streamed performances. It was a very odd experience, as you'll see below. The rest of my segments in the event are available on my Youtube channel
The Automata Wars Volume II: The Front Line
The second volume of the Automata Wars trilogy
Deadly automata infiltrated the city in The Home Front... what horrors await the soldiers on The Front Line?
New recruit Private Reynolds never thought that war would be a pleasant experience - but neither did he realise the true extent of the terror he would face in the rain drenched trenches. The monstrous enemy killing machines seem unstoppable; and a deadly, mystery sickness is spreading amongst the beleaguered troops. Meanwhile, there are rumours of dark things lurking in the surrounding swamps, where a second enemy may be waiting to pounce. Even the usually dependable modified Beasts grow less trustworthy.
There is confusion in the military. What business do the nurses of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry have dictating policy? Who is really in charge? And what are the ladies of ill-repute, under the tutelage of the sinister Madame Jewel, brothel owner and spymistress, doing at the fighting front?
For Reynolds, at least, there are some distractions. Amethyst, the beautiful – if strangely composed – nurse who shipped over to the lines at the same time as he, for one. And his commanding officer, the admirable Lieutenant Greyson, a man prepared to stand up for his men against all odds.
As the lines between friend and enemy become more confused in his head, Reynolds must decide whether to follow orders like a good soldier or to think for himself. His choice may change the face of the war... one way or another…
#AutomataWars
Published July 2013 by The Last Line Publishing House,
Price: £8.99 (plus p&p if applicable)
NOW ALSO AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EXCLUSIVELY VIA AMAZON
Digital version includes author after-word, and updated author info.
(Video footage of the launch event, including readings from the book, can be viewed below)
Deadly automata infiltrated the city in The Home Front... what horrors await the soldiers on The Front Line?
New recruit Private Reynolds never thought that war would be a pleasant experience - but neither did he realise the true extent of the terror he would face in the rain drenched trenches. The monstrous enemy killing machines seem unstoppable; and a deadly, mystery sickness is spreading amongst the beleaguered troops. Meanwhile, there are rumours of dark things lurking in the surrounding swamps, where a second enemy may be waiting to pounce. Even the usually dependable modified Beasts grow less trustworthy.
There is confusion in the military. What business do the nurses of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry have dictating policy? Who is really in charge? And what are the ladies of ill-repute, under the tutelage of the sinister Madame Jewel, brothel owner and spymistress, doing at the fighting front?
For Reynolds, at least, there are some distractions. Amethyst, the beautiful – if strangely composed – nurse who shipped over to the lines at the same time as he, for one. And his commanding officer, the admirable Lieutenant Greyson, a man prepared to stand up for his men against all odds.
As the lines between friend and enemy become more confused in his head, Reynolds must decide whether to follow orders like a good soldier or to think for himself. His choice may change the face of the war... one way or another…
#AutomataWars
Published July 2013 by The Last Line Publishing House,
Price: £8.99 (plus p&p if applicable)
NOW ALSO AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EXCLUSIVELY VIA AMAZON
Digital version includes author after-word, and updated author info.
(Video footage of the launch event, including readings from the book, can be viewed below)
The Automata Wars Volume I: The Home Front
The first volume of the Automata Wars trilogy.
Home is where the heart is. Certainly for the soldiers on the front line, where winter is
fast approaching and their unknown enemy assails them with unspeakable tactics. In the face of a losing battle, all that keeps the troops sane is the thought of their loved ones, safe at home…
Home, where the fires are burning low, the wealthy keep stiff upper lips, travelling conspicuously in conveyances drawn by modified beasts, and parading their newly
invented technology to demonstrate that life can go on as normal. The lower orders turn to either the politicians or the nameless god for hope. On the street corners and in the houses of ill repute, working girls have other methods of keeping up morale.
The home front is not as safe as the soldiers imagine. Shadowy creatures hide in the unlikeliest of places. Killers stalk the streets. Enemy agents perpetrate acts of atrocity. From spoilt debutante to working man, no one is immune from the horror.
And behind the façade of everyday life, a secret war rages, hidden battles are won and lost far from the light of day…
The Home Front is where the heart is, and the heart needs protecting...
"...transcends genre limits to such an extent that if we didn't call it Steampunk we'd have to call it something like Gothic-Sciencefiction-Crime-Thriller-Horror." - The Last Line
#AutomataWars
Available from The Last Line publishing, and other outlets, including
Waterstones Online
Published September 2012
Price: £7.99 (Plus P&P if applicable)
NOW ALSO AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EXCLUSIVELY VIA AMAZON
Digital version includes author after-word, and updated author info.
A short video of a reading from The Home Front is available below
Home is where the heart is. Certainly for the soldiers on the front line, where winter is
fast approaching and their unknown enemy assails them with unspeakable tactics. In the face of a losing battle, all that keeps the troops sane is the thought of their loved ones, safe at home…
Home, where the fires are burning low, the wealthy keep stiff upper lips, travelling conspicuously in conveyances drawn by modified beasts, and parading their newly
invented technology to demonstrate that life can go on as normal. The lower orders turn to either the politicians or the nameless god for hope. On the street corners and in the houses of ill repute, working girls have other methods of keeping up morale.
The home front is not as safe as the soldiers imagine. Shadowy creatures hide in the unlikeliest of places. Killers stalk the streets. Enemy agents perpetrate acts of atrocity. From spoilt debutante to working man, no one is immune from the horror.
And behind the façade of everyday life, a secret war rages, hidden battles are won and lost far from the light of day…
The Home Front is where the heart is, and the heart needs protecting...
"...transcends genre limits to such an extent that if we didn't call it Steampunk we'd have to call it something like Gothic-Sciencefiction-Crime-Thriller-Horror." - The Last Line
#AutomataWars
Available from The Last Line publishing, and other outlets, including
Waterstones Online
Published September 2012
Price: £7.99 (Plus P&P if applicable)
NOW ALSO AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EXCLUSIVELY VIA AMAZON
Digital version includes author after-word, and updated author info.
A short video of a reading from The Home Front is available below
