Promotional Information

A tale of high adventure, set in a Victorian-style world -- a fantastical version of Dickens. Featuring a gutsy Indiana-Jones style heroine, and filled with perilous quests, dastardly deeds and deadly intrigue. Professor Amelia Harsh is obsessed with finding the lost civilisation of Camlantis, a legendary city from pre-history that is said to have conquered hunger, war and disease -- tempering the race of man's baser instincts by the creation of the perfect pacifist society. It is an obsession that is to cost her dearly. She returns home to Jackals from her latest archaeological misadventure to discover that the university council has finally stripped her of her position in retaliation for her heretical research. Without official funding, Amelia has no choice but to accept the offer of patronage from the man she blames for her father's bankruptcy and suicide, the fiercely intelligent and incredibly wealthy Abraham Quest. He has an ancient crystal-book that suggests the Camlantean ruins are buried under one of the sea-like lakes that dot the murderous jungles of Liongeli. Amelia undertakes an expedition deep into the dark heart of the jungle, blackmailing her old friend Commodore Black into ferrying her along the huge river of the Shedarkshe on his ancient u-boat. With an untrustworthy crew of freed convicts, Quest's force of female mercenaries on board and a lunatic steamman safari hunter acting as their guide, Amelia's luck can hardly get any worse. But she's as yet unaware that her quest for the perfect society is about to bring her own world to the brink of destruction! Lead title / Brilliantly written original fantasy with an uttely engaging narrative voice / Set in a Victorian-style world reminscent of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy / Potential crossover for readers of historical fiction and thrillers / Competition: Susanna Clarke, Neal Stephenson, Philip Pullman, G W Dahlquist

About the Author

Stephen Hunt is the author of ‘The Court of the Air’. He set up one of the first science fiction and fantasy websites, www.SFcrowsnest.com, in 1994. Today the site has 700,000 readers a month. Stephen Hunt is in his thirties and lives with his wife and children in Surrey.

Reviews

‘Hunt has created an immersive and action-packed fantasy world’ The Age Praise for ‘The Court of the Air’: ‘An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels’ Lisa Tuttle, The Times ‘The characters are convincing and colourful, but the real achievement is the setting, a hellish take on Victorian London … the depth and complexity of Hunt’s vision makes it compulsive reading for all ages’ Guardian ‘Wonderfully assured … Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension’ Time Out ‘Rich and colourful … keeps you engrossed … a confident, audacious novel’ SFX ‘Like a magpie, Stephen Hunt has plucked colourful events from history and politics and used them for inspiration … Hunts tells his full-blooded tale with lip-smacking relish, revealing a vivid, often gruesome imagination … ‘The Court of the Air’ brims with originality and, from the first, its chase-filled plot never lets up’ Starburst ‘Hold on to your hat for a frenetic ride through a fantastic world that is a mind-boggling and hypnotic mixture of the familiar and the bizarre … ‘The Court of the Air’ is a tour de force of the imagination. Fast paced with a cast of interesting and beguiling characters.’ Newcastle Herald (Australia) ‘The best book of 2007 … Think Joan Aiken for grown-ups, with echoes of Susanna Clarke … hugely enjoyable’ Historical Novels Review

Praise for 'The Court of the Air': 'An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels' Lisa Tuttle, The Times 'The characters are convincing and colourful, but the real achievement is the setting, a hellish take on Victorian London ! the depth and complexity of Hunt's vision makes it compulsive reading for all ages' Guardian 'Wonderfully assured ! Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension' Time Out 'Rich and colourful ! keeps you engrossed ! a confident, audacious novel' SFX 'Like a magpie, Stephen Hunt has plucked colourful events from history and politics and used them for inspiration ! Hunts tells his full-blooded tale with lip-smacking relish, revealing a vivid, often gruesome imagination ! 'The Court of the Air' brims with originality and, from the first, its chase-filled plot never lets up' Starburst 'Hold on to your hat for a frenetic ride through a fantastic world that is a mind-boggling and hypnotic mixture of the familiar and the bizarre ! 'The Court of the Air' is a tour de force of the imagination. Fast paced with a cast of interesting and beguiling characters.' Newcastle Herald (Australia) 'The best book of 2007 ! Think Joan Aiken for grown-ups, with echoes of Susanna Clarke ! hugely enjoyable' Historical Novels Review

A delightful, thrill-packed adventure set in the world of 2008's Court of the Air, this charming steam-pulp yarn chronicles the journey of archeologist Amelia Harsh as she searches for the fabled kingdom of Camlantis. Bad-boy tycoon Abraham Quest finances the journey; does he merely want to test his new airships, or is something more devious going on? Amelia is joined by Commodore Black and his crew, who have escaped a horrifying underwater debtor's prison, as well as Amazon-like warrior Veryann, but even they may be no match for sabotage, fierce native attacks (spurred by the actions of the expedition's lunatic steamman guide, Ironshanks), furious thunder lizards and forced service to the insectile Daggish. Wildly imaginative and compelling, Amelia's journey plays out against a backdrop of civil war and failed rebellion, layered and complex treachery and love in surprising corners. (Aug.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.