Shallow Poet

One thing we are certain of for the coming year is the release of Stephen Brooke's poetry collection, Shallow Poet, on April 21, 2024. The book largely (but not entirely) focuses on the poet's lighter and more humorous work. Here's the cover. More soon on what's coming next year.

Stones in the Sea

Today, July 15 2023, is the official release date for Stephen Brooke’s latest fantasy novel, STONES IN THE SEA. Here are the links for print and ebook at our store:

PRINT: https://www.lulu.com/shop/stephen-brooke/stones-in-the-sea/paperback/product-z2mrvk.html
PDF: https://www.lulu.com/shop/stephen-brooke/stones-in-the-sea/ebook/product-z2wzrg.html
EPUB: https://www.lulu.com/shop/stephen-brooke/stones-in-the-sea/ebook/product-z2wvvz.html

Print should show up retailers 'everywhere' eventually, if it has not already.

We also continue to roll out new editions of our books with revised typesetting. That is a matter of both licensing and improved appearance.

Lands Far Away Release

Saturday, August 7 2021, is the official release day for Stephen Brooke's collection of (mostly) fantasy short stories titled Lands Far Away. Here's the back cover blurb:

Away! Beyond the hills, beyond the seas, lie kingdoms unknown. This book of stories is for all who would seek them at the edges of the world, for all who would journey to Lands Far Away ~ tales of fantasy by Stephen Brooke.

Lands Far Away is available right now. It's a fairly short book, around 30,000 words, with seventeen stories and two poem/songs included. And, as with Brooke's poetry collections, the ebook version is a free download. Print may be purchased at the Arachis Press store or at Amazon or, in theory anyway, 'everywhere.' The download, in both EPUB and PDF formats, is here (along with several other free books).

Some of the stories included in the book have appeared in magazines and many—but not all—are on the humorous side. 

 

 

Wilk, an Historical Adventure

“Wilk,” the latest adventure from Stephen Brooke (coming  June 6) and its predecessor, “The Dictator’s Children,” would have to be considered, in the broad sense, historical fiction. We prefer to label them as historical adventure, which might be seen as a sub-genre.

The emphasis is on adventure. The narratives attempt to be period-accurate but there is no pretense that the events in the story could actually have happened, as in strict historical fiction. There is even a completely invented (meaning it is not a disguised version of a real place) Central American nation in “The Dictator’s Children,” in the tradition of such countries as Graustark or Ruritania.

“Wilk” takes place against the backdrop of Russia and China shortly after the end of the First World War, periods of revolution in both nations. Broadly, they are accurately portrayed, as are the logistics of Wilk’s trip across Asia. There is nothing that will jar ones perception of the reality of the setting.

Here is the official blurb for “Wilk”:

A connecting flight — as the aging Wilk returns to his native Poland he reminisces how, in the aftermath of the Great War, a young Jan Patrowski finds himself adrift. From the Russian Revolution to a China torn apart by factions and warlords, he strives to learn who he is. The decorated war hero and pilot? The clever mechanic and engineer? Or maybe a man in love who would throw away the rest of the world and lose himself in the heart of Asia.

Join him as he travels across a continent in a novel of adventure and a journey of discovery by Stephen Brooke, WILK.

Free Books

As we promised a couple posts back, all of Stephen Brookes poetry collections are now free to read and/or download in ebook format. These are EPUBs, which most should be able to read on computers or devices, and all have been revised a bit from the versions previously for sale. They may be found at here.

Of course, the print editions continue to be sold at our store and at retailers 'everywhere.' If you like the electronic versions, consider buying the print (or any other of our titles!).

Two Upcoming Releases

All is on track for the official release of Stephen Brooke's 'Tsar of the Empty Lands' on September 8. Print and ebooks should be available 'everywhere' by that date, though the book is likely to pop up here and there before then (at least at our own store).

We also are now announcing a release date for Brooke's latest poetry collection, 'Magic,' set for December 1. The book is being designed and finalized now. Here's a cover reveal:

Tsar Release

It is time to announce the official release date for Stephen Brooke's new fantasy novel, TSAR OF THE EMPTY LANDS, coming September  8, 2018 in print and ebook. Here is the cover:

And here is the blurb for the back cover, etc (liable to small revisions):

Nineteen Thirty-Five, Soviet Russia. Josef Dobrov is only a soldier and wants it to stay that way, to be someone nobody notices. Some of his friends have been noticed and it did not end well for them. One of them is on the train of gulag-bound prisoners he is guarding.

Not his affair, says Josef. He has no intention of getting into trouble. But high in the Urals, fate throws the young soldier into not only trouble but an whole new world, a world of savagery and beauty, danger and wonder.

A world he adopts as his own, only to find it besieged by forces from without, and the woman he loves endangered and ensorcelled by those forces. Can he and the ancient and powerful sorcerer, Hurasu, stop them?Jokingly named ‘Tsar’ by his fellows, Josef becomes a man willing to step forward at last, to be seen as leader, as hero, in

Tsar of the Empty Lands,

a fantasy novel by Stephen Brooke.

Asanas, Here and There

The official release for Stephen Brooke's new contemporary Florida novel, ASANAS, is almost here—the Saturday, June 16. It has however shown up at most online retailers and, of course, is available at our own store. For those who prefer Amazon (though we are not sure why), here is the page for ASANAS, available in both print and Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/193774552X

Why not check out Stephen Brooke's other books while you are there? And leave a review, if you would like. Always appreciated.

Asanas Release Announced

ASANAS, the new novel from Stephen Brooke, now has an official release date of June 16, 2018. This is a contemporary story set in southern Florida, revolving around a yoga class and the women who attend it. More information coming soon.

Ways Is Out

Today, Saturday January 6, is the official release date for the latest fantasy adventure from Stephen Brooke, THE WAYS OF WIZARDRY. Available everywhere, including our own site, in print and ebook. Alas, not at our own office, for the blizzard prevented copies from arriving in time (we'll have some on hand next week).

The cold weather is also keeping me from going into the office and retrieving the cover picture for our next release, another fantasy novel titled WOMAN OF THE SKY. But I shall announce that it is set for March 10. 'Woman' is the third and final book in Stephen Brooke's Mora Trilogy. More announcements for this new year to come!

Arrows of Heaven Book Release

We announce the official release of Stephen Brooke's new fantasy-adventure novel, "Arrows of Heaven" for Sept 1, 2017. Available in print and ebook.

The end of every epic is the beginning of another.

Who was Teme? A noble girl, sister to the High King of all the Mora, and of an age to marry appropriately? Yes, she was this, but also a renowned archer, acclaimed by her people as a hero of the recent civil war, named in the epics bards sang across the land.

Warrior or woman? Was it possible to be both? Through intrigues and adventures in the realm of the Mora and beyond, Teme has one quest above all others — to learn who she truly is.

Malvern and Mora

Just a reminder that GOD OF RAIN came out earlier this month!

God of Rain Release Set

We are pleased to announce a release date of Monday, March 13, 2017, for the latest fantasy-adventure novel from Stephen Brooke, GOD OF RAIN. This is the first of a Mora trilogy, taking up where the three Malvern novels left off, and following the narratives of some of the secondary characters in those books.

As always, there will print (paperback) and ebook editions. The blurb:

Hito had tired of war, of knowing he would never be more than the second to the hero Aranu. It was time he sought his own destiny, to leave fighting behind and seek more. Peace, he desired, and a wife and home. If a bit of wealth came his way, too, that was to the better. But was that what he truly sought? Should there not be more?

From the Mora homeland to the jungled valley of the Gurang, from a new life as a trader to that of a Kohari prisoner, condemned to be sacrificed to the Sun Bird, his quest carries him. And does he find love, as well? Perhaps.

In Teva, the God of Rain, must he seek who he is truly meant to be. In the end, it will be Hito himself he finds, in the first novel of a new Mora Trilogy, GOD OF RAIN.

Waves Release Date

The release date for Stephen Brooke's new novel of surf and suspense, WAVES, is officially set for December 5. In time for your holiday shopping, perhaps?

This is the follow-up to the first Ted Carrol novel, SHAPER. More info to come!

Will you taste July
with me? It promises
to be sweeter this year
than any I have known.

Today! Or not today if you are reading this tomorrow or the next day or...anyway, September 1 is the official release date for the new poetry collection, FIELDS OF SUMMER, from Stephen Brooke. Available everywhere!

Well, almost everywhere, in print and ebook versions, and directly from our own store. The official back cover blurb:

Visit the fields we remember, the fields we walked in summers past. We knew joy there, we knew regret, and both have faded now into the golden hazes of memory.

The Fields of Summer wait for our return. A collection of poems by Stephen Brooke.

September 2015 Catalog

Our new catalog for September 2015 is available (as a pdf) at http://insolentlad.com/apcatalog2015sep.pdf , updated with all out current titles. More to come---expect Stephen Brooke's latest poetry collection, THE TOWER, later this year. Tentative release date is November 1.

All of our titles are available at our own store, and most are also at bookstores and online sellers in ebook and print formats.

Coast of Spears To Be Released

July 1 has been named as the official release date of Stephen Brooke's new fantasy adventure novel, COAST OF SPEARS. Look for it at book retailers or our own Arachis Press web site!