Army of Brass

A Collaborative Writing Challenge novel

Blurb:

When the mad conqueror haunting Elaina’s dreams invades her adopted homeland, the real nightmare becomes what she’s willing to do to stop him.

The dreaded Hunter Baron has landed on the shores of Mailderet, but Master Tinkerer Elaina Gable believes she has the solution. Giant automatons sit rusting in the valley, waiting for someone with the drive and ingenuity to bring them to life. But the king, swayed by the destruction his ancestors wrought centuries before, harbors a deep-seated fear of the machines. Though he will not allow the alliance of Tinkerers and Smiths to complete the work, Elaina and a famous airship pilot resolve to bring the machines back to life in secret.

From the safety of the swamps, a woman with silver skin jealously guards the secrets of the automatons. Though the Silver Woman also wishes the past to remain buried, she must weigh the value of secrecy against the thousands of innocents her hesitation might send to the grave.

As they discover the link between the toxic valley and the inner workings of the automatons, Elaina and her allies are drawn into a web of deceit threatening the balance of power across two continents—and proving the truth behind the deadly legends surrounding the Army of Brass.

Review:

As a growing Steampunk fan, I was really excited to read this book. I was not disappointed. From the very first chapter, I was hooked and couldn’t put the book down til the very last page, and even then I didn’t want to leave it. A book filled with likable (and unlikable), well developed characters and action seems impossible to me the way this Collaborative works, but it worked. Each chapter works with the last seamlessly. You would never know it was written by so many different authors.

Another thing I really love about this story is the use of a strong female character. I mean, we knew they have always existed but during the traditional era, women never had much of a voice, so its especially good to see that not only is Elaina a powerful leader, but a respected one too. Any woman that can call a whole village to her aid and they willingly assist, is a woman I want to be.

Buy the book, take a day, and entrench yourself in this world. You won’t regret it.

The Collaborators:

This book was written by members of CWC, an international writing project that invites everyone with a love of collaborative writing to sign up and take part. This is our seventh collaboration. If you enjoyed this, look out for CWC’s other genre novels. Please visit: www.collaborativewritingchallenge.com

Chapter Authors:
Chapter 1 – Jason Pere
Chapter 2 – AJ Millen
Chapter 3 – Jim O’Loughlin
Chapter 4 – Tina Gill
Chapter 5 – Ruth Hernandez
Chapter 6 – Jone Schlangen
Chapter 7 – Jean Grabow
Chapter 8 – Jone Schlangen
Chapter 9 – Michael Gieslak
Chapter 10 – Jason Pere
Chapter 11 – Dorothy Emry
Chapter 12 – Alex Andrew
Chapter 13 – E.A. Hennessy
Chapter 14 – P.R. Chase and Mav S.F.
Chapter 15 – Jeremiah Rickert
Chapter 16 – Patricia Loofbourrow
Chapter 17 – Alex Andrew
Chapter 18 – Jeremiah Rickert
Chapter 19 – Mav S. F.
Chapter 20 – James Caputo
Chapter 21 – Kathrin Hutson
Chapter 22 – P.R. Chase
Chapter 23 – Phoebe Darqueling
Chapter 24 – Jean Grabow
Chapter 25 – Crystal MM Burton
Chapter 26 – Michael Cieslak
Chapter 27 – Crystal MM Burton
Chapter 28 – Catherine Arne
Chapter 29 – E.A. Hennessy
Chapter 30 – James Caputo
Chapter 31 – Jeremiah Rickert
Chapter 32 – Jeremiah Rickert
Chapter 33 – Kathrin Hutson
Chapter 34 – Jeremiah Rickert
Chapter 35 – Kathrin Hutson
Chapter 36 – Jeremiah Rickert
Chapter 37 – Kathrin Hutson
Chapter 38 – Alex Andrew
Chapter 39 – Kathrin Hutson
Chapter 40 – Jeremiah Rickert
Chapter 41 – Phoebe Darqueling
Chapter 42 – Jean Grabow
Chapter 43 – Phoebe Darqueling
Chapter 44 – Jean Grabow
Chapter 45 – Phoebe Darqueling
Chapter 46 – Kathrin Hutson
Chapter 47 – Kathrin Hutson
Chapter 48 – Phoebe Darqueling
Chapter 49 – Jean Grabow
Epilogue – Jeremiah Rickert

A Giveaway!

Order your e-book copy of Army of Brass for $.99 for a limited time. 10% of the Collaborative Writing Challenge’s proceeds go to the charity IBBY, which promotes literacy in children.

There’s a giveaway going on until May 13, so don’t miss your chance enter to win e-books from the Army of Brass contributing authors.