After a six-year wait, the latest, much-anticipated novel in Christopher G Nuttall’s Royal Sorceress series depicts a society that continues to be ardently patriarchal, despite the most powerful magician being female.
It’s published by Elsewhen Press, an independent UK publisher specialising in speculative fiction. Nuttall is their most popular author, frequently one of the bestselling science fiction and fantasy authors on Amazon. As well as being a prolific self-published author, Nuttall has been published in the indie market too. His first professionally published book, The Royal Sorceress, was released by Elsewhen Press in 2012 and was an instant hit. Since then, there have been three more books in the series, the last one in 2016. The Revolutionary War, the long-awaited next instalment in the story of Lady Gwendolyn Crichton (the eponymous Royal Sorceress), is now available.
Christopher G Nuttall is a master storyteller, with an insatiable interest in history and in studied exploration of what might have been if events had been even just slightly different. That led him to set up one of the first alternative history websites in the early days of the world wide web. He soon had a large following among the community of history and alternative history fans, so when he started writing his own fiction it found immediate success. He has subsequently been writing stories in a number of different series – both science fiction and fantasy, but often with an eye on alternative history and social justice.
Peter Buck, editorial director of Elsewhen Press, says, “The Royal Sorceress series continues to be very popular, in ebook, print and audiobook – even now, ten years after the first book was published. The stories are set in the early 19th century where English researchers had, some years before, discovered the scientific basis of ‘magic’, enabling Britain to win the American war of independence, and the British Empire to flourish while other nations struggled to develop their own magical talents. As well as allowing Chris to explore the implications of such changes in global events, politically, the premise of the series addresses the disconnect between a society that has advanced both technologically and magically, but is still stuck with old social mores and attitudes. This is made evident in the attitude of politicians and the military, who are aghast that the most powerful magician in the country is a woman. His peerless skill at combining alternative history, social satire and fantasy means that the stories appeal not only to fans of historical adventures and alternative history, but also to fans of fantasy and steampunk fiction. Since the success of The Royal Sorceress, Chris has been writing a variety of stories, but there have always been many readers regularly asking for the next instalment in Gwen’s story. At last, this much anticipated tale has arrived, with Gwen going to France for the first time.”
The Revolutionary War is published by Elsewhen Press in eBook format today and will be available in paperback on 27th February 2023.
