59426869The Ebon Warden is about to execute the wrong goblin.

The Ebon Warden has sentenced Captain William Blair to hang for another goblin’s crime. Thankfully, he’s got his sharp wits, his loyal crew, and a long history of dubious behaviour on his side. When the man who’s supposed to hang next to Wil offers his help, however, the crew of the Iron Rose is unexpectedly drawn into local politics. Soon, the stakes are far higher than any one goblin… and the only way out of a dreadful disaster is to steal from the Ebon Warden herself.

This short, exclusive novella is freely available to subscribers of The Atwater Adventure Column.

In short, this novella is a fun romp with a brilliantly diverse cast of audacious characters. The ominous start, the surprising twists, the building danger towards the end and the freaking expensive pineapples – they all amount to the most polite, most courteous yet a solidly solid middle finger towards racial prejudices and injustices a society can breed.

Our main character is a goblin! Captain William Blair. In a matter of this short read, during a matter of execution and very sticky situations, he wins over the readers heart with utmost ease. He’s your man to follow. You want to be on his ship. He is surrounded by the best crew. Old and young, able men and women. There’s a Scotsman (love a Scot in a story!), a married gay couple, old ladies as gunners… you get the gist. It’s simply wholesome! As I said, you want to be on that ship, part of that crew!

Although this is a novella, you get a full novel’s worth of story. I kid you not. The execution? Death is final, yes, but an execution is only the start of things here. And, boy, do things get all sorts of ‘mission impossible’!

From the first sentence to the last, you’re given no guarantees about the outcome nor are you let sit back idly for a smooth sail. It’s an adventurous tale of the best kind led by Nicholas & Olivia Atwater, who are legit the best members of the crew as it is their purposeful words and wit that took me on this epic ride.

Believe me, you’ll want to read this. There’s more to come soon and I cannot wait to continue with this crew in a whole full novel. Know the best part? You can get A Matter of Execution for free when you sign over your soul to Nicholas at nicholasatwater.com … soul? Sorry, I meant your inbox… 🙂 Just, do it. You won’t regret it!

PS! Look at that freaking cover! It’s smoking hot! … And, to get you salivating even more, here’s a bit about the upcoming Echoes of the Imperium (Tales of the Iron Rose, #1)

56556038A fallen empire. A goblin airship captain. One big, blasphemous problem.

Captain William Blair has taken shady jobs before—what goblin hasn’t? But this shady job has pirates off the port bow and legendary aethermancers knocking at his cabin door. Unfortunately, Wil swore an Oath to see his blasphemous cargo delivered… and a goblin must be worth his word.

The ragtag crew of the Iron Rose once survived the fall of an empire—but none of them are interested in revisiting the experience. As the dregs of the Imperium rise again to claw at their heels, Wil and his crew must face the literal ghosts of their past… or else history may well repeat itself.

Fans of The Aeronaut’s Windlass will find much to love in Nicholas and Olivia Atwater’s epic steampunk fantasy. Ghosts and goblins and dreadful faeries combine in a new series, full of witty one-liners and swashbuckling fun. Pick up Echoes of the Imperium, and dive into a daring, madcap adventure that dashes from start to finish.