And after the cover, the book itself…

The Princess Himiko is a small flying ship belonging to the fledgling Iezo Republic, cruising the skies in its maiden voyage.
But what the men and the women of the Himiko are about to discover hidden in the stormy sky above the Caucasus, will change the world forever.

A story of exploration and science gone mad in the world of Hope & Glory.

As I think I already mentioned, I planned the novellas in the Hope & Glory series so that each volume will feature different characters from a different culture involved in a different genre of adventure.

Glass Houses is an adventure/espionage caper set in India, and featuring characters from the Anglo-Indian Raj.
Number the Brave is a war story set in Africa, and featuring characters from the Tribal African Confederation.
Part of the Machine is a noirish mystery set in Russia, and featuring characters from both the upper and lower classes in the Czar’s Winter Palace.

Above the Clouds is me doing Star Trek in a steampunk setting.
Or maybe Alien.
The characters are the crew of a small airship from the small Iezo Republic – all that’s left of Japan after the Catastrophe.
A meeting with a mysterious abandoned airship, the skeleton crew led by grumpy engineering officer Kuwata will have to explore the relic, and look for the true masters of the ship.

And in case you were curious, the Iezo republic (sometimes written as Ezo Republic) is a bit of historical fact – in our world it was established in Hokkaido in 1869, with the help and support of a few French “military advisors”, and it was the first democratic experiment in Japan. The experiment did not last long, but what the heck, resurrecting interesting nations is one of the perks of writing alternative history.

Above the Clouds is also a game-changer, because it introduces one of the Big Bads in the Hope & Glory setting – and provides full stats for those that want to include it in their games.