The Kickstarter to support three of the titles Shadowpaw Press is publishing this fal, two science fiction novels and one fantasy, funded at $1,805 of the $1,500 CDN goal. Thanks to everyone who kicked in!
You can still be part of it! Kickstarter now accepts late pledges. Here’s the link:
One fantasy, two science fiction novels from Shadowpaw Press
And here are the three titles in detail:
I, Brax: 1. A Battle Divine (A Dragon Assassin Adventure)
By Arthur Slade
Brax, hero of several Dragon Assassin tales, finally gets to tell his own story . . .
On a diplomatic mission, Brax and his rider, Carmen, encounter a ghostly vision of The Nameless Goddess. She’s a part leopard, part crocodile deity, who warns them she is coming to conquer their world. Brax, in his usual snarky way, makes fun of her hairy legs and, after she vanishes, dismisses this threat.
But things soon get a lot worse . . .
When the duo arrives at the capital of the Akkad empire, they discover the emperor has been horrifically murdered by what looks to be an astral servant of that goddess, and his young nephew ascends to the throne. Both Brax and Carmen swear to protect the wetling from the Nameless Goddess. But power-hungry enemies circle the throne. Those dangers, along with the creatures sent from the netherworlds, makes protecting the emperor almost impossible.
Their only choice it to battle this goddess face to face . . .
Once they discover the true name of The Nameless Goddess, the hunt is on. Will they be able to destroy her before she rises to take over their world?
About the Author
Arthur Slade was raised in the Cypress Hills of southwest Saskatchewan (on a ranch). He wasn’t raised by wolves. It was elves. And one grumpy dwarf. He began writing at an early age. It took a few years but he is now the author of more than thirty novels, including Dust (which won the Governor General’s award), Dragon Assassin, and The Hunchback Assignments. He currently lives in the mythical city of Saskatoon and does all of his writing on a treadmill desk while he listens to heavy metal. Really. It’s true.
Find him online at arthurslade.com, on Facebook @arthursladefan, or on X @arthurslade.
The Sun Runners
By James Bow
“Hello, people of Mercury. This is planet Earth. Are you receiving this? Please respond.”
Lieutenant Adeheid Koning was only twenty-three when the Earth’s long fight against its environment ended in collapse and nuclear war. Earth’s sudden silence leaves the colonies of the inner solar system without lifelines, in various stages of self-sufficiency.
Or, in Mercury’s case, not.
To help her fellow stranded colonists of Mercury survive starvation and a breakdown of order, Adelheid fights some cold equations and makes some hard choices, ending up wearing an iron crown as queen of one of the rail cities of Mercury, constantly moving to stay ahead of the Sun.
Fifty years later, Adelheid’s granddaughter, Frieda, is a seventeen-year-old princess who would rather be an engineer. Frieda’s life is shattered when a suspicious accident takes one of her arms—and is then turned upside-down when her mother dies from that accident. Frieda is left a young and vulnerable queen, locking horns with her grandmother, who is now regent and dowager.
When the Earth makes contact again, after fifty years of silence, Frieda is eager to end Mercury’s isolation, but Adelheid is suspicious of the Earth’s sudden return, and wary of the other latitude towns’ desires to accept all that the Earth is offering, without question.
With thousands of lives on the line, is it wise to hope for healing? Or are we forever defined by what we do in the dark?
About the Author
James Bow writes science fiction and fantasy for both kids and adults. He’s been a fan of science fiction since his family introduced him to Doctor Who on TV Ontario in 1978, and his mother read him classic sci-fi and fantasy from such authors as Clifford Simak and J.R.R. Tolkien. James won the 2017 Prix Aurora Award for best YA Novel in Canada for Icarus Down.
By day, James is a communications officer for a charitable land trust protecting lands from development in Waterloo Region and Wellington County. He also loves trains and streetcars.
He lives in Kitchener, Ontario, with his two kids, and his spouse/fellow writer/partner-in-crime, Erin Bow. You can find him online at jamesbow.ca.
Ashme’s Song
By Brad C. Anderson
Ashme is a New Mesopotamian-a “Meso.” She dreams of being a hero, fighting against the brutal Ostarrichi ruling her country. She is an indigo child, her DNA modified by sentient AI, enabling her to control computer systems at will. With this power, she has something to offer the Meso resistance. Her twin brother, Shen, however, suffers from a neurological disorder and needs someone to care for him. Increasingly, that task falls on her.
How can she become the hero her people need when her brother’s needs are overwhelming? If she continues caring for Shen while joining the resistance, she risks leading Ostarrichi forces to her home. If she leaves, then looking after Shen will fall to her cousin, who is already overworked caring for his frail grandmother.
As her society collapses into violence, Ashme must choose between her fellow Mesos, her family, and her values…and making the wrong choice could destroy everything and everyone she loves.
About the Author
Brad C. Anderson lives with his wife and puppy in Vancouver, Canada. He teaches undergraduate business courses at a local university and researches organizational wisdom in blithe defiance of the fact most people do not think you can put those two words in the same sentence without irony. Previously, he worked in the biotech sector, where he made drugs for a living (legally!).
His stories have appeared in a variety of publications. His short story “Naïve Gods” was longlisted for a 2017 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. It was published in the anthology Lazarus Risen, which was itself nominated for an Aurora Award.
His first novel, Duatero, originally published by Bundoran Press, was re-released in a new editioni from Shadowpaw Press in 2022.
You can find Brad online at bradanderson2000.com.
Rewards!
That’s the lineup you’re supporting, and there are great rewards to be had–not only the books, but additional ebooks by the authors, your choice of ebooks and print books from Shadowpaw Press, and even the opportunity for online chats with the authors.
