The Voyage of the Minotaur - Free at Smashwords for 1 Month.

HistoryWes · 04-22-2012, 04:52 AM

For one month only (until 5-22-12) you can pick up a copy of The Voyage of the Minotaur at Smashwords for $0. You must use coupon code ZT66C, and this only fuctions at the Smashwords website, not any other book retailer.

You can also pick up Brechalon, which is the novella length prequel to The Voyage of the Minotaur. This is yours free from Smashwords without a coupon code.

Find it here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11536

Description

In a world of steam power and rifles, where magic has not yet been forgotten, an expedition sets out to establish a colony in a lost world. The Voyage of the Minotaur is a story of adventure and magic, religion and prejudice, steam engines and dinosaurs, angels and lizardmen, machine guns and wizards, sorceresses, bustles and corsets, steam-powered computers, hot air balloons, and dragons.

Review by S. Horrigan (Shaun) on Amazon UK Boards

Set in the country of Greater Brechalon, populated by ladies wearing corsets and dresses with bustles, carrying parasols to keep the sun off their alabaster skin and gentlemen with very stiff upper lips driving steam powered carriages, this is a very steampunk version of an alternate Victorian England.

Steampunk however is only one of the multiple genres that are thrown into the mix. There are wizards and sorceresses, airships and analytical engines, dragons and dinosaurs, lizard men and a good old fashioned series of Jack the Ripper style murders to solve too.

Quite honestly this book should never work. There are too many things thrown into the melting pot, but somehow not only does it work, but it works wonderfully well!

The author clearly loves language and his use of idiomatic Victorian style English is really very good, but there are still a few occasions when you are left in no doubt that the book was written by an American author. I did feel though that the end of the story was rather abrupt and in my opinion and the final few paragraphs should probably have been an epilogue, but these are minor things really.

It is quite a long book being over 8000 Kindle locations and provides several hours of hugely entertaining reading. Presentation on the Kindle is excellent with good formatting and no obvious errors that I could see.

Overall - 5 stars! I will be reading the rest of this series very soon. I will say though that I have a huge weakness for both steampunk style books and for anything set in an alternate Victorian style setting, so you might want to download the sample and try a few pages for yourself before you decide to buy it. Personally, despite my minor petty criticisms, I absolutely loved this book!

carpetmojo · 04-22-2012, 08:45 AM

Looks fun - I'll have a crack at it, many thanks for the eyes up.

GeckoFriend · 04-22-2012, 09:06 AM

Thank you; sounds very much like something I will like.

HistoryWes · 05-02-2012, 01:13 PM

The Voyage of the Minotaur is still available free at Smashwords. Find it here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11536.

You must use coupon code ZT66C, and this only fuctions at the Smashwords website, not any other book retailer.

Find excerpts and other information at my new website and blog: wesleyallison.com

Thanks.

aardbewoner · 05-06-2012, 11:40 AM

Dit read them both

And after some time the strange long persons names fade.It is not my first choice but dit read them with pleasure.So i will look out for the next book in this serie

Good the where on smashwords as most other are reader lockedin or poisened with drm.

piperclassique · 05-06-2012, 12:02 PM

Thank you very much. I look forward to reading them.

HistoryWes · 05-16-2012, 03:01 PM

Just six days left to get your copy free-- available through May 22, 2012.

piperclassique · 05-17-2012, 12:37 AM

HistoryWes, I read the intro and the main book with interest. I think you have an interesting plot and some great characters, but they could both do with some editing to clear up some clunky writing and proper proofreading for the typos and spelling mistakes. Not knocking the books, but they don't feel finished to me. Worth reading, enjoyable light fiction, but need more attention to detail imho.

04-22-2012, 04:52 AM	#1
HistoryWes Teacher/Novelist Posts: 632 Karma: 2274466 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Nevada Device: Nook STR, iPad	The Voyage of the Minotaur - Free at Smashwords for 1 Month. For one month only (until 5-22-12) you can pick up a copy of The Voyage of the Minotaur at Smashwords for $0. You must use coupon code ZT66C, and this only fuctions at the Smashwords website, not any other book retailer. You can also pick up Brechalon, which is the novella length prequel to The Voyage of the Minotaur. This is yours free from Smashwords without a coupon code. Find it here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11536 Description In a world of steam power and rifles, where magic has not yet been forgotten, an expedition sets out to establish a colony in a lost world. The Voyage of the Minotaur is a story of adventure and magic, religion and prejudice, steam engines and dinosaurs, angels and lizardmen, machine guns and wizards, sorceresses, bustles and corsets, steam-powered computers, hot air balloons, and dragons. Review by S. Horrigan (Shaun) on Amazon UK Boards Set in the country of Greater Brechalon, populated by ladies wearing corsets and dresses with bustles, carrying parasols to keep the sun off their alabaster skin and gentlemen with very stiff upper lips driving steam powered carriages, this is a very steampunk version of an alternate Victorian England. Steampunk however is only one of the multiple genres that are thrown into the mix. There are wizards and sorceresses, airships and analytical engines, dragons and dinosaurs, lizard men and a good old fashioned series of Jack the Ripper style murders to solve too. Quite honestly this book should never work. There are too many things thrown into the melting pot, but somehow not only does it work, but it works wonderfully well! The author clearly loves language and his use of idiomatic Victorian style English is really very good, but there are still a few occasions when you are left in no doubt that the book was written by an American author. I did feel though that the end of the story was rather abrupt and in my opinion and the final few paragraphs should probably have been an epilogue, but these are minor things really. It is quite a long book being over 8000 Kindle locations and provides several hours of hugely entertaining reading. Presentation on the Kindle is excellent with good formatting and no obvious errors that I could see. Overall - 5 stars! I will be reading the rest of this series very soon. I will say though that I have a huge weakness for both steampunk style books and for anything set in an alternate Victorian style setting, so you might want to download the sample and try a few pages for yourself before you decide to buy it. Personally, despite my minor petty criticisms, I absolutely loved this book!

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04-22-2012, 08:45 AM	#2
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	Looks fun - I'll have a crack at it, many thanks for the eyes up.

04-22-2012, 09:06 AM	#3
GeckoFriend Guru Posts: 614 Karma: 1164945 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: SF Bay Area, California, USA Device: iPhone 7+, iPad Mini4, Kindle Voyage	Thank you; sounds very much like something I will like.

05-02-2012, 01:13 PM	#4
HistoryWes Teacher/Novelist Posts: 632 Karma: 2274466 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Nevada Device: Nook STR, iPad	The Voyage of the Minotaur is still available free at Smashwords. Find it here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11536. You must use coupon code ZT66C, and this only fuctions at the Smashwords website, not any other book retailer. Find excerpts and other information at my new website and blog: wesleyallison.com Thanks.

05-06-2012, 11:40 AM	#5
aardbewoner Grumpy Posts: 74 Karma: 2222222 Join Date: Apr 2012 Device: linux computers ,raspberry	Dit read them both And after some time the strange long persons names fade.It is not my first choice but dit read them with pleasure.So i will look out for the next book in this serie Good the where on smashwords as most other are reader lockedin or poisened with drm.

05-06-2012, 12:02 PM	#6
piperclassique A garbling groftpot Posts: 974 Karma: 9234667 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: France Device: Oasis, Voyage, Kobo mini, Samsung tablet, phones, whatever.	Thank you very much. I look forward to reading them.

05-16-2012, 03:01 PM	#7
HistoryWes Teacher/Novelist Posts: 632 Karma: 2274466 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Nevada Device: Nook STR, iPad	Just six days left to get your copy free-- available through May 22, 2012.

05-17-2012, 12:37 AM	#8
piperclassique A garbling groftpot Posts: 974 Karma: 9234667 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: France Device: Oasis, Voyage, Kobo mini, Samsung tablet, phones, whatever.	HistoryWes, I read the intro and the main book with interest. I think you have an interesting plot and some great characters, but they could both do with some editing to clear up some clunky writing and proper proofreading for the typos and spelling mistakes. Not knocking the books, but they don't feel finished to me. Worth reading, enjoyable light fiction, but need more attention to detail imho.