Sir Richard Hammerman, gentleman-adventurer, his most excellent companion Doctor Hamilton Gooding and his loyal manservant Obadiah Crabb, have plans to explore an ancient pygmy temple in the depths of Africus, though things take a turn for the unexpected in this alternate Earth steampunk fantasy adventure.
I was digging through some files and came across this completed 10,000 word story I’d written some time back. It was my first attempt at having a go at a steampunk style story, but, as is normally the case, I added other elements in that I felt would be fun to the setting. I had planned to write a collection of novelettes, all stand-alone but with an over-arcing plot, though they haven’t materialised yet, so until they do I felt I’d release this one into the wild as a free book to get some reactions.
The setting is an alternate Earth, where a number of fantastical elements mingle alongside historical events and people. Alchemy exists, and science is a mix of it and steampower. Mermaids and other sea monsters play in the seas, there are djinns in the desert and pygmies who ride pterodactyls in the heart of the Dark Continent. Normally any type of historical accuracy annoys me, especially Hollywood histories which play really fast and loose with the truth. This gives me the chance to go wild and really mix things up. For example, the Empire of Albion is ruled over by the Immortal Queen Elizabeth the First, though true power lies with the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. George Washington, Duke of New England, is a Hero of the Realm for defeating separatist rebels. Other historical personages, such as the Duke of Wellington, Charles Babbage and Sir Joseph Banks are also all mixed in together.
Mist and Shadows 