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Mostly Harmless is Kate Russell‘s first Elite novel to be showcased by Fantastic Books Publishing.
If you’re holding a grudge, you might be tempted. George RR Martin, author of Game of Thrones has pledged a grisly end for two lucky souls in his new book for the eye-watering price of $20,000 each. On the other hand, you might feel less tempted than vexed if you missed out on buying a far cheaper and more imaginative revenge killing from author and TV presenter Kate Russell.
£200 was the price asked by Kate, author of newly released Elite: Mostly Harmless. Six people snapped up Kate’s revenge pledges and can now see results for their money.
Elite: Mostly Harmless follows the travels of Commander Angel Rose and her robot, DORIS, as they lurch from disaster to calamity, dogged by the ambitions of an imprudent mother and the intentions of an appalling suitor. CEO Dan Grubb says, “We’re publishing five authorised Elite fiction books. Kate’s space romp on a planet called Slough is truly fantastic. My advice to anyone reading it on a train is to move out of the quiet coach. It’ll have you rolling in the aisles.”
Initial reviewers agree, calling the book, “hilariously, side-splittingly witty … an incredible story with plot twists where you least expect them.”
Neither Dan nor Kate (right) will give anything away about the revenge killings but Dan gives me a big grin as he says, “There will be jaws hitting the floor as people see what they got for their money.”
How did the book come about? Kate, a TV regular reporting on technology issues, most frequently on BBC’s flagship technology programme Click, has long been a fan of Elite, a space trading game that was bigger than Star Wars in the 1980s. “Elite was very important to me growing up,’ says Kate. ‘It gave me a reason to be interested in computers.”
Elite: Mostly Harmless, launched as an ebook, will be available later this year in paperback, hardback and audio. The audio version is read by Kate herself with a cameo from the Elite game’s creator, David Braben.
Kate will appearing at Fantasticon in August in Hull where Fantastic Books Publishing will be holding an official launch party for Kate and the rest of their Elite authors. In addition to the launch, Fantasticon promises a fantasy and sci-fi extravaganza featuring celebrities from the worlds of Elite, Star Wars and Dr Who. Check out the Facebook page for this event.
Mostly Harmless is also available for pre-order in a number of formats from Fantastic Books Publishing here
Kate’s website: http://katerussell.co.uk
Further information about Elite: Dangerous can be found in Kate’s interview with David Braben: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/12/24/elite-dangerous-david-braben-interview
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.