‘Inkerman’

My new short novella, ‘Inkerman’, is out today on Amazon. You can get it here.

It’s free with Kindle Unlimited or costs 0.99 (US/UK). This is kind of an experiment, my first title via Kindle Unlimited, which allows you to borrow up to ten books at a time for a reasonable monthly fee. If you love to read, it’s a great way to explore new books without having to commit to buying them.

‘Inkerman’ is set in my alternate Victorian (steampunk) universe, in 1867, in an alternative version of the Crimean War.

The Crimean War is best known for the ill-fated Charge of the Light Brigade, immortalised in poems and paintings as a symbol of futility - 600 cavalrymen charging the Russian guns. As with most aspects of history, it was slightly more complicated than the nugget which survives in our collective memory, but there’s history for you.

In my Crimean War, which takes place later than the real one, I’ve created the Engine, the most expensive piece of military technology in existence, which is sitting at a British base behind the lines in a small town called Inkerman, just outside the more famous port of Sevastopol (sometimes seen in English as Sebastopol).

Essentially, the British are losing the war, contrary to the best-laid plans of the generals who have installed the Engine - an unusual kind of artificial intelligence - to run the war (and save money!).

When the Army’s telegraph network breaks down, our hero, a young captain called James Thurston Vandermeer of the First Anglian Steam Infantry, is sent to Inkerman to find out what’s happening.

No spoilers, but let’s just say he finds a LOT more than he or anyone else bargained for.

I deliberately kept ‘Inkerman’ short (and cheap/free!) to give people the opportunity to see what I have to offer.

If you like it, please feel free to leave a review - I can’t tell you how important they are - or let me know by email. As always, your honest appraisal is what is most important. That’s the only way writers like me can learn and develop.

Thanks as always!