BooksChatter: ☀ The Hydra Offensive: Griffins & Gunpowder [2]

Thank you for joining us on the Release Day Party for The Hydra Offensive, an Epic Historical Fantasy by Joshua Johnson (21 September 2015, Gunpowder Fantasy Books, 333 pages).

This is the second book in the Griffins & Gunpowder series. PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and the excerpt below, as well as details about the whole series. Read the first seven chapters with Amazon Look Inside.

Author Joshua Johnson will be awarding an ebook containing short stories set in the same world as the novel, titled The Chesian Wars (see details in The Series section below), to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other excerpts (☀) and reviews (✍).

Synopsis | Teaser | The Series | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

Synopsis

The nation of Ansgar is divided.

In the east, King Eadric Garrard has crushed one rebellion but gets no rest as the rebellion in the West is rapidly spiraling out of control. If he can't get things in line soon, his reign could be at an end.

Raedan Clyve has traveled across the Vast Sea to secure treaties and trade. Unchecked in his studies of magic, his powers are growing beyond his control. The dark path he has set himself on leads to destruction and chaos, but is it too late to turn back?

Kyrie Salas captains the Dragon's Breath, chartered to carry the Western emissaries across the world. She sees the potential in Raedan and seeks to harness it. But will her emotions get the best of her?

War has raged, battles have been fought, and lives lost. But the conflict for the future of Ansgar is just beginning.

Teaser: Excerpt

Oars slapped the water in slow rhythm as the sailors pushed the pinnace closer to the docks. A light fog had settled on the harbor and it mingled with thick black smoke from the waterfront factories to create a roof of sorts over the water. The air smelled of a rain coming and a cool breeze drifted into the harbor from the north. The sailors navigated by the light of the waning moon and the lanterns set out on the piers, weaving in between massive galleons and shallow-bottom longships.
     Raedan sat at the rear of the boat, cigar in hand. Kyrie sat beside him, reading a book. Without the gift of night-sight, it was impossible for Raedan to make out the letters. The ship was silent, except for the dozen men grunting as they heaved and Raedan was happy for it. He had heard his fill of arguing from Pyt Ansell and Ahlrick Cheston. Each of them felt the need to add their opinion to every discussion and they rarely agreed on anything. Finding the right lesser king to approach would have been impossible if they had been allowed to lead it.
     Instead, Kyrie had done the work. She was born of Laine, and her connections had proven invaluable. She had secured a meeting with the lesser king of Kiva Dana, the furthest north and west city in the Sea Kingdom. They had set the meeting only that afternoon and had been warned against making for town in anything but the dimmest of conditions.
     The weather was with them, and both Raedan and Kyrie had whispered concealment spells to aid in their quiet approach. The ship’s wood was inlaid with gemstones for each of the Orders of magic and the onyx stones glimmered with infused magic.
     A distant bell began to toll and Kyrie closed her eyes. Raedan felt the magic flow out of her.
     “We’re near,” she said after a moment. “Oars up.”
     The sailors pulled the blades in from the water, letting the small boat glide toward the docks. They set the poles in the belly of the vessel and retrieved bed rolls from beneath them. As the boat drifted toward the dock, most of the oarsmen laid out on their benches as if asleep. A single man stood at the bow of the ship, watching into the darkness.
     The bell tolled for the fourth time and a soft whistle drifted back from the front of the pinnace. Kyrie closed her book.
     “The night guards have left their posts and the morning guards are not yet in place. There is a bedroll under your bench. Get it.”
     Raedan reached under the bench and found the blankets stowed there. He untied the roll and laid it across the runabout’s deck. The ship shuddered lightly as it scraped against the dock and the lone watchman went to work mooring the ship to the pier.
     The sound of heavy boots echoed along the dock as men approached from the city. Kyrie pulled Raedan down to the deck, squarely on top of her. He could feel her body tense as he shifted his weight. Her chest rose and fell in slow, shallow breaths, her breasts pressed against his chest. Her hair was in his nostrils. The smell of sweat mixed with a sweet perfume.

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The Series: Griffins & Gunpowder

The Griffins & Gunpowder universe is a Gunpowder Fantasy set on the world of Zaria where Elves, magic and mythical creatures coexist alongside rifles and railroads.

Click on the book cover to Look Inside the book on Amazon and read an excerpt.

The Chesian Wars [Collection]

A collection of Short Stories set in the Griffins & Gunpowder Universe. Also includes the first chapter of The Cerberus Rebellion, the first novel in the Griffins & Gunpowder Universe.

The Dragon's Prelude

The Empire of Chesia has been united under the iron fist of the Red Dragon. Now, the self-proclaimed Emperor has called his generals together to plan war.

The nations of Garton and Andivar further the Emperor's goal to control all of the trade in western Zaria.

But the Emperor has smaller, and closer, targets in mind.

A Short Story of approximately 2,000 words.

The Sithean Betrayal

The tiny nation of Jarin has enjoyed an era of unprecedented prosperity at the expense of the weak leadership in the Empire of Chesia. But now, an Emperor has risen that has refused to submit to the Jarin taxes.

Acheron Tavoularis knows that an invasion is imminent and leads his soldiers in a desperate defense against the more numerous Chesian invaders.

On the other side of the field, Vladik Ortoff reluctantly leads hia Imperial soliders against an adversary that would be best ignored.

When both commanders are presented an offer of aid from the notoriously neutral Sitheans, they have no choice but to accept it. But only one can receive the support of their newfound ally; the other suffers betrayal.

A Short Story of approximately 10,000 words.

The Red Dragon's Gold

For centuries, the nation of Malkala has bought peace with the larger, though fractured, Empire of Chesia through trade subsidies and bribes.

Now, a warlord has united the Empire under his Red dragon banner and he's not interested in buying from Malkala; he wants to own it.

The officers of the Army of Malkala now face a juggernaut many times its size and face the temptation of gold and lands; a temptation not everyone can resist.

A Short Story of approximately 6,300 words.

The Gathering Storm

Malis Acantha sees the writing on the wall. The Empire of Chesia has been united under the iron fist of a man that styles himself as the Emperor.

Now the Grand Duke of Welos has traveled far and hard to gather allies to his cause: to stop Chesia before their insatiable hunger crushes the nations around them.

The friend that he thought he would find, however, is not the man that he remembers.

The Cerberus Rebellion [1]

War changes everything.

On the world of Zaria, Elves, magic and mythical beasts coexist beside rifles and railroads. The futures of two nations hang in the balance as rebels and revolutionaries trade gunfire with loyalists and tyrants.

The King of Ansgar, secure in his belief that his loyal nobles and fearful subjects answer to his every whim, seeks to gain favor with friends across the sea. But his decision to send armies thousands of miles away will test that fear, and loyalty.

In war, little is held back; in revolution, nothing is safe

A Novel of approximately 90,000 words [Published 25 June 2012, 246 pages]

About the Author

Joshua Johnson is the author of "Gunpowder Fantasy" The Cerberus Rebellion and the creator of the Griffins & Gunpowder universe. When he isn't working or spending time with his family, he writes novels, short stories and novellas.

He currently lives in Northern Illinois with his wife and young children.

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Giveaway and Tour Stops

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