The Red King Black Rook chapbook is a steampunk fable for the modern age. It tells the story of a king's court and what happens when a crafty avian advisor, the Rook, gains the king's ear.

Written and illustrated by Steven Archer it includes more than 30 ink drawings. (Although Archer previously illustrated a children's book this is intended for adults only).

This chapbook comes in several different editions:

The Deluxe Limited Edition is signed and numbered along with an original piece of artwork from the book and a Hopeful Machines CD soundtrack to the story (numbered 1-25)

The Limited Edition comes signed and numbered and includes a Hopeful Machines CD soundtrack to the story (numbered 26-75)

The Standard Edition comes unsigned and unumbered, does not include a CD and has no limit

About the Hopeful Machines CD

The CD included with the limited editions is a soundtrack of sorts to the story and includes a brand new track from Hopeful Machines as well as exclusive mixes of older material. Hopeful Machines is an experimental "audio sandbox" for Steven Archer who uses it, "for developing ideas, learning production techniques, and [his] own amusement."

For more info visit http://www.hopefulmachines.net.

What people are saying about Red King Black Rook:

"Red King Black Rook marches forward steadily like the pounding of soldiers' feet through every gruesome detail, all the way to its bitter end.
This is not your Aesop fable. This is not a feel-good story. This is Steven Archer in a dark, dark place, and when reading Red King Black Rook, you're there with him."
—ReGen Magazine

"A dark and claustrophobic tale of royalty, family, greed, and war, with the sense of a morality tale from several hundred years ago, the story of Red
King Black Rook echoes throughout history, but leaves us free to chose whether to draw parallels with modern or ancient history."
—Steampunk Magazine