Announcing Sea of Spheres - Glory, Gunpowder and Gold

 

You all knew it was coming when I announced my previous Sea of Spheres book, but it's finally official. The second collection of short stories from my skypunk Sea of Spheres setting, rendered unmistakably through amazing illustrations from Windlass, is out now.

The book contains the three stories The Right to Know, The Silent Approach and Choose Your Weapons wisely. As with the previous book, it'll be a convention exclusive for now, but online availability, as well as getting it in the hands of some retailers is something I'll be exploring further down the line.

I will be at Harrogate Thought Bubble THIS WEEKEND, and if you buy both volumes you get them at a discounted price. See you there!

Announcing Sea of Spheres - Conspiracy, Conflict and Conscience

 

I've been hinting at it here and there for a long time and now I'm finally happy to announce that a print edition of my Sea of Spheres series, with artwork by the ever amazing Windlass, is finally seeing print.

Conspiracy, Conflict and Conscience collects the first three stories in the series. No Route to Guide You, A Question of Conscience and Matter of State, along with the short comic Night Shift. The book includes all of the artwork Windlass produced for those stories, in high detail and full colour.

For now the print editions will be purely for sale at conventions and possibly a couple of local retailers, but depending on interest the possibility of online purchasing may materialise further down the line. A second volume, collecting the other three stories, will also be going into production very soon.

It's a thrill to finally hold this thing in my hand, remastered and fully tightened up. I can't wait to introduce a wider audience to Windlass' art. As mentioned previously, I'll be at the BFS Fantasycon in Chester this coming weekend and Thought Bubble in Harrogate in November, so if you're in the area and want a copy that is hot off the press, you can find me right there, ready to shove it in your face.

Thanks for reading!

Sea of Spheres - Choose Your Weapons Wisely

 

All things come to an end, which is why it's bittersweet for me to bring you the final (for now) story in my Sea of Spheres series. So far we've seen stories from the point of view of those within the various factions and societies across the elevated sea, but in this final tale we get to witness it from the perspective of an outsider

With amazing art once again by Windlass, I bring you the conclusive Choose Your Weapons Wisely.

Grigda Longstride has been running and fighting for a long time, first from her home world of magic and myths, then from the gothic city of Haemoheim, besieged by war machines and fighter jets. As Grigda seeks to cut and run once more, a chance encounter leads her to travel to the mysterious and physics-defying Sea of Spheres, where everything she though she knew about survival would quickly be put to the test.

(more info below)

Sea of Spheres - The Silent Approach

 

Welcome folks. We are once again taking a trip to the physics defying Sea of Spheres, where we finally delve into a sky-ship centric story following a motley crew of ambitious pirates as they sail through the skies in search of adventure and fortune.

I'm continued to be blown away by the fantastic artwork by Windlass, and can't wait for you to see more of the artwork created for this story.

Captain Brenda Loggins has lived a long and storied career as one of the pirates of New Wherewithal, and can count her continued survival on caution, nerve and pragmatism. Yet even she is not immune to the tantalising pull of fame and fortune. When she is told of plans to raid a Ratakaran skyberg, one of the titanic mobile vaults of the Sea of Spheres' largest banks, the temptation proves too much.

Propelled into a high steaks, low survival raid against almost impossible odds, Loggins must rely on her unlikely set of allies. Her faithful raid chief Maggie-Anne, her hated rival Captain Daxxon and Ratakaran turncoat Contrammiraglio Babette. The risk is high, but the reward even higher. Can Loggins pull off the raid while preventing her disparate accomplices from killing each other before the adventure is through?

Inspired by pirate epics both current and classic, The Silent Approach explores the idea of freedom and obligation and the tension that exists between these nebulous ideas. You can start reading it here, and it'll update over four parts every Thursday. 

Sea of Spheres - The Right to Know

 

Welcome, once again, dear readers, to the next instalment of the Sea of Spheres series. This story, The Right to Know, is a bit of a departure from the previous stories in the sense that it leans into a more science-fiction influenced part of the setting. I've tried to balance the writing in such a way as to make it believable that this takes place in the same, more fantasy influenced world of the previous stories.

Of course, as ever the artwork is by the fantastic Windlass, who has if anything absolutely nailed the balance and really stuck the right aesthetic of 'fantasy world with modern technology' that I'm trying to go for.

In the aftermath of a catastrophe that left an advanced dimension jumping ship crashing into the savage sphere of Gemini, the Horns that reside there soon found themselves with technology far in advance of their rivals, but with little practical knowledge of how it all worked. A half-century later, detectives Garrick Ceraface and Cardina Mordang, while on the trail of a missing scientist, soon find themselves on the wrong side of the law, and learn that the cost of keeping their civilisation afloat might be far greater than they could ever conceive.

Link under the cut:

Sea of Spheres - Matters of State

We're back at it again folks. While it's been a long time coming for a lot of reasons, I'm finally ready to start releasing the next Sea of Spheres story, Matters of State. As always, artwork is by the fantastic Windlass.

Sophia Sloan left the Empire of Arcadia in the wake of her father's disappearance, leaving behind a prestigious naval career and many societal obligations. Having worked as an independent bootlegger, sailing the Sea of Spheres for years, Sophia is pulled back into Acadian society through a proposal of marriage. Initially suspicious, Sophia soon discovers that in the intervening years Arcadia may have changed more than she expected.

Matters of State has a little bit of action, a little bit of romance and, of course, a whole heaping of political subtext. You can read the whole thing here.

Part one is now up, with parts two to four dropping every Monday. Hope you all enjoy reading it.

Sea of Spheres: A Question of Conscience - Part One

 

Today sees the release of Part One of my second Sea of Spheres story, A Question of Conscience. This story takes us far from the bustling metropolis of Icon and instead takes place on the dusty wasteland of The Basin, a massive concave, bowl-like landmass.

Once again a big thanks to Windlass, for not only the accompanying artwork but also giving me feedback on forming the direction of the story.

As with No Route to Guide You, this story takes inspiration from all fields and genres, but is heavily influenced by works like Dune, The Witcher and, as ever Planescape: Torment.

The details follow:

Oleanna Pathox once served in the Special Intelligence Corps, the secret police of the ancient kingdom of Arcadia. After a lifetime of watching, and having to administer, violence committed in the name of a kingdom that claimed it had a divine right to rule, it didn't take much for Oleanna to defect. With no real rebellions to throw her weight behind, the Anarchists became her choice almost by default.

However, when a contingent of Arcadians set down on the Basin for unknown reasons, Oleanna is forced to take a journey and ask herself what she really stands for, and where she really belongs.

You can read part one here. Part two will be coming, next Sunday.

Night Shift - A Sea of Spheres Comic

 I told you we would be seeing more from the world of Sea of Spheres.

While a short story taking a look at another part of the setting is in the works, I thought I would commission Windlass to do a little comic book homage to Brooklyn Nine-Nine. 

While No Route To Guide You was a serious story about corruption and the untenability of police reform, that doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun with the characters. Here, Eva oversteps a little in speaking her thoughts on Leo's current bout of frustrations.

More adventures in the Sea of Spheres will be coming this year.

Sea of Spheres: No Route To Guide You Complete

No Route To Guide You, my Sea of Spheres short story, with illustrations by Windlass, is now fully up and available to read in it's entirety, you can find the links to each individual part below.

Part One: On her first case, what appears to be a simple break-in reveals a scheme that stretches far beyond the city's borders, and Eva discovers that the civilisation she was born into is far more corrupt and unjust than even she had ever suspected.

Part Two: Eva and Leo's investigation into greater Waykeeper corruption continues, but they soon discover there is more to the Map Emporium's break in than meets the eye. Meanwhile, Eva struggles to find stability in a city constantly determined to grind her down, but hope for a found family might be just around the corner.

Part Three: With their leads drying up, Leo and Eva seek help in Icon's high society, where the truth of the city's wealth inequality is laid bare. Eva comes face to face with old heartbreak and new temptations, while Leo's crusade to bring light to Waykeeper corruption begins to reach it's full momentum.

Part Four: Eva and Leo close in on their suspect, yet as they face the worst corruption and evil their city inflicts upon the helpless, they are forced to ask themselves if a simple arrest can truly resolve the crime. Ideologies clash and hard decisions must be made as this tale comes to it's uncomfortable conclusion.

I've really enjoyed working on this story and collaborating on the art, so it certainly seems like a world we'll be revisiting very soon. As always this blog will keep developments fully up to date. 2020 has been an awful year for near everyone, so here's hoping we can get back on track in 2021. An update for the coming year will be posted in January.

Sea of Spheres: No Route To Guide You - Part One

 

Today's the day for the start of a brand new story. I'd talked a while ago about working on a webcomic called Sea of Spheres, and while that's still on the backburner, this new short story, No Route to Guide You, should give you a window into this world of floating landmasses and flying ships, and most importantly, man's inhumanity to man.

A big thank you to Windlass, who not only did the artwork but was also instrumental in forming the direction of the story and the themes I wanted to explore. They really helped me bring this world to life.

The story takes inspiration from all fields and genres, but you'll notice in particular elements drawn from Planescape, Warhammer Fantasy, Judge Dredd and The Wire. If that sounds like your jam then read on.

The details follow:

In the city of Icon, centre of the skybound Sea of Spheres, Eva Reinheart is struggling to get by. As a Horn she has lived a life being dismissed by the city's administration and brutalised by the Waykeepers, Icon's ruthless law enforcers. Seeking a better life working for the Justices, Icon's detectives and investigators, she falls under the tutelage of the unpopular Justice Leo Gunter.

On her first case, what appears to be a simple break-in reveals a scheme that stretches far beyond the city's borders, and Eva discovers that the civilisation she was born into is far more corrupt and unjust than even she had ever suspected.

You can read part one Here. Part two will be uploaded next Friday.

Sea of Spheres FAQ

So some of you may have noticed that I've been talking about starting a webcomic for a while. Well gears are finally turning in the right direction for that (Though the whole idea of running a site is still a little daunting, so if anyone has any advice on that side of things feel free to PM me.)

A couple weeks ago I wrote about some of the characters, but now is the time to give you a better idea of what the comic will be like. Here's an FAQ.

So what is Sea of Spheres?

It's a fantasy story with elements of science fiction and steampunk in there. The first story arc is primarily a murder mystery.

Okay, what's the comic about more specifically?

The setting of Sea of Spheres is a cluster of small planetoids in a crack between dimensions. A breathable atmosphere connects these small worlds and people travel between them in air balloons and sky ships.

Occasionally travellers from other realities will pass through this crack, leaving behind magic and technology that the inhabitants adopt.

Most of the Spheres are ruled over by a large city called Icon (pronounced Eye-son) that hangs above them. Their biggest rivals are the largest Sphere, called Arcadia, and a tecnologically advanced Sphere called Gemini. Beneath the Spheres is a large concave desert called the basin.

Sea of Spheres is the story of these inhabitants, and the societies they form on the spheres themselves. To begin with though, we'll be following a couple of detectives call 'Justices' investigating a murder on one of these worlds.

 So what format is is going to take?

Each page will be about three to four panels. The artwork will be black and white, but I'll try and fit some colour in now and again. I'm trying to stick to the feel of old 'newspaper' style serials.

What's the planned update schedule?

One strip per week is what I'm aiming at. I hope to upload the prologue in full (about five pages) to start with.

I'm planning the main arc to last about three acts, at about fifty two pages each, not counting interludes. I'm writing it to be self contained so that it's concluded after about three years, and if it's picked up enough interest I have a larger story to tell after that.

How soon can we expect it to start?

I'm hoping some time during March, but more realistically it'll probably be April/May time.

Is this based on any of your other works?

It's not connected to the Modern Realms stories, and it's not connected to Cummings either.

It shares the same fictional universe as a bunch of Carnack short stories I'm writing, though they do not themselves take place in the spheres. Some of the characters might cross paths though.

What are your major influences for the comic?

Sea of Spheres actually started as an idea for a Planescape comic, so you'll see a lot of similarities both in the setting and the visuals. However, my original plot was playing fast and loose with the Planescape setting anyway, and became much more interesting once I changed it to an original universe.

Other than that you'll also see elements from things like The Wire, Judge Dredd, Doctor Who and the works of David Lynch and Terry Gilliam.

Hang on a moment, haven't I seen some of those characters from your old Dungeons and Dragons campaigns?

Yes! A few characters are re-worked from ideas that came about during a couple of our Dnd campaigns a few years back.

However, even though you might see some of those characters and events mentioned, you can consider any of the old Dnd stuff non-canon. The comic has no connection to Dungeons and Dragons or any of it's fictional settings.

Any other questions, feel free to get in touch.

So Hey, About that Webcomic Finally

As I mentioned a couple of times previously, I'm starting work on a webcomic. It's called Sea of Spheres, and it's a bit of a swashbuckling mystery story.

For now I'll be keeping things simple, with a short, relatively self contained, black and white story that might expand out into colour depending how successful it is and how it impacts my other projects.

I'll be discussing the setting in a later update, but right now I just thought I'd introduce the main characters of the first arc. It getting me into the swing of things and hopefully I'll only improve as time goes on. 

I've been sitting on ideas for a comic for years and in the grand scheme of things see no downside in doing it so... here we go I guess.

You'll know here first what the plan is when it starts. I'm hoping to get a dedicated site for it an all that kind of pro looking stuff.

In the mean time thoughts, questions and feedback are greatly appreciated.