Clockwork Britannia Rules!

SF&F Literati step into the Doomsday Vault Monday 23rd

Steven Harper's Steampunk novel is
the April feature for SF&F Literati. 

When: April 23, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Barnes & Noble #2352, 11323 W 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214, 2nd Floor. 


SF&F Literati meet every fourth Monday of the month at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park. 


The Barnes & Noble's overview says of their featured selection, The Doomsday Vault, by Steven Harper: 


“In a clockwork Brittania, Alice's prospects are slim. At 21, her age and her unladylike interest in automatons have sealed her fate as an undesirable marriage prospect. But a devastating plague sends Alice off in a direction beyond the pale-towards a clandestine organization, mad inventors, life-altering secrets, and into the arms of an intrepid fiddle-playing airship pilot.” 


This recent release (November 2011) is the first of the new "Clockwork Empire" series from Harper, a prolific and established writer. You can buy the book from Barnes & Noble online.


May: Different Day, Special Book

Balance of Trade is the May selection.

When: May 21, 2012, 7:00 p.m. (Note: THIRD Monday!)
Where: Barnes & Noble #2352, 11323 W 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214, 2nd Floor. 


ConQuesT Guests of Honor Steve Miller and Sharon Lee wrote the May selection, Balance of Trade, available from Barnes & Noble online. The Barnes & Noble overview says: 


“Assistant Trader Jethri Gobelyn was an honest, hardworking young man who knew a lot about living onboard his family's space-going trade ship; something about trade, finance, and risk-taking; and a little bit about Liadens.


“It was, oddly enough, the little bit he knew about Liadens that seemed like it might be enough to make his family's fortune, and his own, too. In short order, however, Jethri Gobelyn was about to find out a lot more about Liadens... like how far they might go to protect their name and reputation. Like the myriad of things one might say-intentionally or not-with a single bow. Like what it would take to make a Liaden trade-ship crew trash a bar. Like how hard it is to say ‘I'm sorry!’ in Liaden.


“Pretty soon it was clear that as little as he knew about Liadens, he knew far less about himself. With his very existence a threat to the balance of trade, Jethri Gobelyn needed to learn fast, or else help destroy all he held dear.”

Come talk about it in May!

You may also enjoy the April 26 interview with Miller and Lee, conducted by writer and KaCSFFS member Bryan Thomas Schmidt, posted on the "Grasping For The Wind" blog. 

IMAGE CREDITS: Both covers are courtesy of Barnes & Noble Booksellers.

Next Stop: Mars! (via Overland Park)

A Princess of Mars Headlines SF&F Literati Program 

The 1917 edition featured a cover by
Frank E. Schoonover

When: March 26, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Barnes & Noble #2352, 11323 W 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214, 2nd Floor

As announced several weeks ago, the SF&F Literati group will celebrate the release of the John Carter movie by reading Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars, first in the "Barsoom" series.

Carol Doms writes, "This is a repeat book. It was discussed in January 2003. But I am sure [the] release of the John Carter movie this month was the deciding factor in selecting this book again.  Beth reports that it is available as a free Kindle book."

It also is available as a Nook book and mass market paperback, from Barnes & Noble Booksellers online.

The Barnes & Noble overview says, "A Princess of Mars is the first book in Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom series. It is also his first novel, predating his Tarzan series.

“John Carter, a Confederate veteran, goes prospecting in Arizona immediately after the end of the Civil War. Having struck a rich vein of gold, he runs afoul of Apaches. While attempting to evade pursuit by hiding in a sacred cave, he is mysteriously transported to Mars. 

"Carter finds that he has great strength and superhuman agility in this new environment, as a result of its lesser gravity. He soon falls in with the Tharks, a nomadic tribe of Green Martians. Thanks to his strength and combat abilities, Carter rises to a high position in the tribe and earns the respect and eventually the friendship of Tars Tarkas, one of the Thark chiefs.

“Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan, ‘Lost Worlds,’ and the heroic Mars adventurer, John Carter.”

Order next month's book now!

Steven Harper's The Doomsday Vault Featured in April!

Harper's Steampunk opus is
the April selection.

When: April 23, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Barnes & Noble #2352, 11323 W 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214, 2nd Floor

This recent release (November 2011) is the first of the new "Clockwork Empire" series from Harper, a prolific and established writer. You can buy the book from Barnes & Noble online.

The Barnes & Nobles overview says, "“In a clockwork Brittania, Alice's prospects are slim. At 21, her age and her unladylike interest in automatons have sealed her fate as an undesirable marriage prospect. But a devastating plague sends Alice off in a direction beyond the pale-towards a clandestine organization, mad inventors, life-altering secrets, and into the arms of an intrepid fiddle-playing airship pilot.”

COVER IMAGES: The vintage Schoonover cover for A Princess of Mars is courtesy of Wikipedia.  The cover shot for The Doomsday Vault is from Barnes & Nobles.