Alphius Prime - Of Beasts and Monsters Released

It has been quite some time since I released a new book and this may come as a surprise as it is an entirely new series with a whole new cast of characters. Perhaps even more of a surprise is the book while based in my well established scifi universe, is actually more medieval fantasy.
Say hello to Alphius Prime, the story of the end of the world through very different eyes.

Available from:
Smashwords
Rakuten Kobo
Apple iTunes
Barnes & Noble
Amazon Kindle

Also available at other afflicated retailers priced at $4.99 for the Ebook
The book is suitable for Teens upwards.


Here is the Blurb:

"Meylon City was known to have been a jewel, home of the enlightened Vu'kno, yet it was not the only great city on Alphius Prime. There was another city, a city where life was not so idyllic. High in the Northern Mountains, in the cold wastelands of the Horik range of volcanoes stood the city of Eralon. It was a cold brutal place where nearly two million Usha lived, scraping a meagre existence from the soils, a place ruled over by the sadistic Warlord Thrax.

For Echo Sana, this was her home and a place she hated almost as much as she hated her father. Holding the bitter title of Daughter of the Warlord, Echo's goal in life was to cause him as much pain and suffering as she could. The truth was she was not Thrax's daughter, the Warlord having killed her real father and taken her mother as his prized possession. After seeing Thrax kill her mother in front of her, she vowed to see this psychopath pay for his heinous crimes.

Perhaps it was childish innocence to think that Thrax would tolerate her forever and after being caught red handed Echo finds herself sentenced to death by Thrax. Taken out of the city in to the mountains, Echo finds she has more friends than she realised, the young warrior charged with her execution letting her go in the hope she could finally break free of Thrax's brutality and start a new life far away from Eralon.

The path before her is fraught as she tries to find her way through the impossible snow storms, but there are far more dangerous things in the mountains. There are Kinar Beasts, monstrous killers that prey on the unsuspecting. The truth is Echo never reaches the far side of the mountains to start her new life.

Adopted by a pack of Kinars, Echo is about to start an adventure of a lifetime which will see her change the world even if she is utterly innocent of what the future holds for her as she gains a new name finds her, one that will bring hope to her people. She will become the legend only known as the Whisperer."

Set over three hundred years in the past, on the familiar world of Alphius Prime, the origin world of the Vu'kno from the Symbiotica and Proteus series, this new series takes you on an epic journey from a very different point of view. Alphius Prime's Whisperer's Saga is more a fantasy style series set in a medieval world where technology and big science have no part as you follow Echo as she learns not only about who she is, but about the unique family of Kinar Beasts that have taken in this lost girl in the snow.

Set in the final years of this unique world before their star collapsed the story is a very personal and touching journey as Echo tries and fails to escape her past but in the process learns of the legacy that is thrust upon her. With dragon like beasts, warlords, oracles and legends, Of Beasts and Monsters will throw you head first in to a strange and facinating world seen through the eyes of a girl as she become a woman, the legend known over the face of Alphius Prime as the Whisperer.

Alphius Prime "Of Beasts and Monsters" is by far the longest novel I have written to date at 130,000 words. It also includes a Proteus Unhinged Mini Story set in the present day entitled "How to Train your Kinar" as Norcee, one of the Proteus ships tries to learn how to care for and bond with her two wilful and naughty Kinar pups. This is the first of three books in the Alphius Prime series as you follow Echo in her youth in the first book, to her maturing in the second and her twilight years in the third as she takes you on a journey that is beyond imagination.

 

What Music would fit with my books?

I have been doing this on Twitter and it started with a question I saw.
If your books were turned in to films, what music would you want?

Now... to say I am a big electronica and rave fan is an understatement, but few groups really have the power and presence of Orbital and while I listen to a lot of different music, theirs really lends itself to my works. In fact I listen to the In Sides album as I write. I find it spurs on my creative thought process.

So... without further ado... here is my list.

Proteus:
As an overall theme one track really sticks with Proteus overall. It is Really Slow Motion's Worlds Afar. This is in a way the sister track to Shifting Skys which I felt was best suited to Symbiotica.

That said, each of the four Proteus Sagas also have their own themes too so...

Neo Alphius Saga (Books 1 to 3) - For this, I have Orbital - There will come a time Instrumental 
Endless Saga (Book 4 to 6) - For this, I have Orbital - Lost
Natural Selection Saga (Books 7 to 9) For this I have Orbital - Distractions

Okay... now I am teasing you...
The Destiny Saga (Books 10 to 12) - I have Orbital - Pants (Odd name, great track)


From here we move to the Proteus Unbound Series

As the Overall "Unbound" Theme for the whole series I have no choice really.
Two Steps From Hell - All Is Hell that End Well
It is worth noting that Proteus beyond the master theme uses Oribital tracks for each saga, but for Unbound I have slowly moved to Neoclassic Electronica from some of the greats of this field.

The Future Imperfect Saga- Dealing with the Thousand Year War and refugees from that time, particularly Mobeius and the Hellions, I wanted something really dark and foreboding for this saga. Aptly enough Really Slow Motion's The Dark One provides that frightening air of menace.
The Unity Saga - Considering the whole story of Unity as it looks at Koli's lost years in space and the fallout from those lost years. Considering the fact I am introducing the utterly terrifying "Unity" in these books, I wanted a track that had a soft melody mixed with a frightening element. The only one I really fell for with this is Really Slow Motions Th3 Awak3n1ng with its techno military theme
The Legacy Saga - For this one, I move to a collab between two power houses. The Legacy Saga really works with Varien and Two Steps from Hell - Corus Grom (Sneaky bit - There is a really spooky vocal sound in this track that almost makes you wince. For those who are interested, that sound is what I imagine Nemesis to sound like when she tries to speak)
The Hyperion Saga - After much consideration, the track I think fits the best is Really Slow Motion's Bionic Souls. It fits with the whole three books as it tells the story of Hyperion


Symbiotica - For this, I wanted something that told the story of that brave group that left their home behind as it died. I needed something beautiful and evocative while mixing in some scifi elements, telling the story that would lead up to Proteus. To that end, going back to Really Slow Motion with a beautiful and haunting track called Shifting Skies
(Sneaky bit - not only do I do the artwork, but I also like to think what things sound like too. If you listen to shifting skies, there is this pulse like sound throughout the track. If you ever wondered what the sound of a Proteus ship jumping sounds like, this is it. Key to this time index and you will hear it at 1.36 onwards.)
For the Shadow War Saga (part of the Proteus Unbound Series although this falls under Symbiotica), I wanted to change things up a little bit. I picked Instrumental Core's Hybridisation of Humanity. This is one seriously dark and moving track and fits so well with the themes.


Pentalore - Radically changed my mind here. I really wanted something different for this and I came across Instrumental Core. They do Neoclassical Dubstep and it is just stunning. For Pentalore I fell in love with their mood and powerful Dark Angel track. Take a listen.


Dystopian Detective - For this series I break with the norm and I have a different group - LFO and their excellent and spooky "Think a Moment"


Alphius Prime - I originally chose a track by Orbital however another track actually sat right with me, even down to its name. I have changed my mind a few times until I came across a track on the Two Steps From Hell Dragon Album called Emerald Princess. This is a stunning piece of music that really encapsulates the whole Alphius Prime Two Cities Saga. It starts quite ancient, with an almost fantasy score, but it evolves introducing more modern instruments until in the end it effectively becomes almost modern electronica. In a way this evolution fits with the story of Alphius Prime although I really can't say more than that as it would give too much of this epic story away.


Olympus Initiative - Again, its not out yet, but for this I wanted something hard, classy and slapping you round the head - Magnetic Man's Karma Crazy is perfect.


Children of the Empire - Again this is still in the works, but it finally brings the Archal's out of the shadows and they have been haunting my books for a while now. This is a full on three part cross over series featuring Symbiotica, Dystopian Detective, Pentalore, Proteus and the Olympus Initiative as they fight for the very survival of Earth as we know it.
Music wise, I am returning to Intrumental Core with their epic track Angels Amongst Demons, almost as if the track was written for this series - by far one of the most powerful pieces of music I have heard.
This is a very haunting, jarring and somewhat sad track which really fits with the series and when you do finally meet the Archals you will see why the Aemon were so fearful of them.


Aioria - This new series in development is the journey of an Artificial Intelligence as it learn about our world in the backdrop of being hunted just because he exists. I wanted something beautiful and haunting for the theme and Really Slow Motion has their epic track Aeorian.


Finally... not a series, but a character theme tune, in the shape of Koli, my favourite bonkers little starship. For this, can't help but have the extremely fun and playful Orbital - Fun with the System

New Series Alert - Olympus Initiative & Alphius Prime

I know... It's been a while since I posted something. I have been very busy working on the latest batch of releases and while they are taking their time I do have some news.

Coming soon will be two brand new series to join my existing line up.

The Olympus Initiative will be getting its own series starting with the first book, One Small Step.

Secondly I am bringing you an entirely new series called Alphius Prime.
Filling you in I am very excited about the first of this three part series titled Of Beasts and Monsters.
I have nearly finished the first proof of the book... and here is the teaser

"Meylon City was known to have been a jewel, home of the enlightened Vu'kno, yet it was not the only great city on Alphius Prime. There was another city, a city where life was not so idyllic. High in the Northern Mountains, in the cold wastelands of the Horik range of volcanoes stood the city of Eralon. It was a cold brutal place where nearly two million Usha lived, scraping a meagre existence from the soils, a place ruled over by the sadistic Warlord Thrax.

For Echo Sana, this was her home and a place she hated almost as much as she hated her father. Holding the bitter title of Daughter of the Warlord, Echo's goal in life was to cause him as much pain and suffering as she could. The truth was she was not Thrax's daughter, the Warlord having killed her real father and taken her mother as his prized possession. After seeing Thrax kill her mother in front of her, she vowed to see this psychopath fall.

Perhaps it was childish innocence to think that Thrax would tolerate her forever and after being caught red handed Echo finds herself sentenced to death by Thrax. Taken out of the city in to the mountains, Echo finds she has more friends than she realised, a young warrior charged with her execution letting her go with the hope she could finally break free of Thrax's brutality and start a new life far away from Eralon.

The path before her is dangerous as she tries to find her way, but there are far more dangerous things in the mountains. There are Kinar Beasts, monstrous killers that prey on the unsuspecting. The truth is Echo will never reach the far side of the mountains to start her new life.

Meeting new and strange friends, Echo Sana is about to start an adventure of a lifetime which will see her change the world even if she is utterly innocent of what the future holds for her as she gains a new title, one that will bring hope to people. She will become the legend only known as the Whisperer."