Two Boyhood Dreams and a First for New Zealand

 
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John Harper, author of Elite: And Here The Wheel
John Harper, author of Elite: And Here The Wheel
July 2, 2014 - PRLog -- John Harper, author and engineer, just leapt from his day job with eco-homes to the stratosphere with the release of his debut novel Elite: And Here the Wheel. Put Sci-Fi, fantasy and New Zealand in the same sentence and it’ll be the Lord of the Rings that springs to most minds. And that’s a hard act to follow if you’re going into the fiction business. But that didn’t faze New Zealander, John Harper.

Elite: And Here the Wheel is an action-packed space adventure published by UK firm, Fantastic Books Publishing. The CEO of Fantastic Books, Dan Grubb, says, ‘John’s novel is the first ever authorised Elite fiction to come out of New Zealand. And as the world’s largest publisher of authorised Elite fiction, we were very glad to have John on board.’

Elite: And Here the Wheel is set in the universe of the ground-breaking space-trading game, Elite: Dangerous, and its release coincides with the news that the game was awarded Best of E3 in Los Angeles at the same time as its creator, David Braben, was awarded an OBE for his contribution to the computer gaming industry in the UK in the Queen’s birthday honours list.

As a long-standing Elite fan, John says, ‘The publication of Elite: And Here the Wheel fulfils two boyhood dreams; one to be a part of the Elite canon and the other to be a published novelist.’

Fantastic Books has published four other Elite books this year. John’s novel is the last of the set. The first four Elite launches have gone stratospheric. Will John’s follow on? ‘Without a doubt,’ says Dan Grubb, CEO of Fantastic Books. ‘John’s story of the space pirate Robert Garry is a real gem. A fast-paced space opera.’

Initial reaction from the critics is in agreement. The book has been called ‘a fast-paced action thriller with a grand finale.’

John’s work will be showcased at FantastiCon in August in Hull, UK, along with other Elite authors, where Fantastic Books Publishing will be holding a fantasy and science-fiction extravaganza featuring celebrities from the worlds of Elite, Star Wars and Dr Who. Included will be an official launch party for their Elite fiction. http://www.fantasticon.co.uk/

About the books: Elite: And Here the Wheel is now available from Fantastic Books Publishing along with their authorized Elite novels at https://www.fantasticbookspublishing.com/store/elite-2/elite-and-here-the-wheel-eb/

All the Fantastic Books Elite fiction is available from Amazon at http://bit.ly/EliteAtAmazon

About the game:

Elite: Dangerous wins the Best of E3 award in Los Angeles: http://frontier.co.uk/news/latest/?artid=441&pageNum=0&blk=12

David Braben, creator of Elite: Dangerous, receives an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27836293

Further information about Elite: Dangerous can be found in this interview where Elite author and BBC TV presenter, Kate Russell, talks to David Braben: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/12/24/elite-dangerous-david-braben-interview/

Elite events:

LaveCon - A celebration of all things Elite - July 5th and 6th in Kettering - http://laveradio.com/LAVECON-2014.aspx

FantastiCon - All things Gaming, Science fiction and Fantasy including the official Elite fiction launch - www.fantasticon.co.uk

Contact details

John Harper


Email: john@andherethewheel.co.nz

Website: http://andherethewheel.co.nz/

Dan Grubb, CEO, Fantastic Books Publishing

Email: fantasticbookspublishing@gmail.com

Tel: +44 1964 671997

Website: www.fantasticbookspublishing.com

Media Contact
Fantastic Books Publishing
***@gmail.com
07415388882

Photos:
https://www.prlog.org/12343896/1
https://www.prlog.org/12343896/2
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