Shake-the-Tree

The world of publishing has undergone one of the most drastic changes in its history in the decade or so. It’s safe to say that these changes are not over yet and the new shape of the publishing world has yet to settle. Shake-the-Tree is a small UK publisher, specialising in science fiction and fantasy, and working exclusively in e-book format. As well as publishing, we also offer a variety of services and advice.

We are pleased to announce a fantastic new science fiction e-book is NOW available on Amazon UK and US. Sceptic is a standalone scifi thriller set a short way in the future. Here’s the blurb:

In a dystopian world in the mechanical grip of religion, a genius developer, a revolutionary artificial brain, and a man stripped of his memory, find themselves on the run from the authorities.

Moses Libereco, a developer crafting artificial minds for the formidable CleriC robots that police the world, makes a simple mistake while training his latest creation. The ensuing whirlwind of chaos shatters his life, exposes unimaginable long-buried secrets, and puts the entire world in danger. With the aid of an enigmatic man recovering from a near-death experience, they must take on the state and save themselves. With just the three of them against an army of fanatical robots hell-bent on protecting the regime and its secrets, is survival even possible?

See it on Amazon UK or Amazon US.

(Download a FREE sample to your device)

We are pleased to announce that a standalone addition to the Astronomicon Universe is NOW available on Amazon UK and US. Astronomicon: Deadline is a lighthearted farce set in the same Astronomicon Universe but not part of the main series (so no need to have read any other Astronomicon novels). Here’s the blurb:

Blake Horton just wanted to get home. He didn’t expect secret government agents, space pirates, an alien intruder, an archaeological discovery and a marriage of convenience to get in his way.

This comedy sci-fi novel covers the misadventures of an out-of-work life-support systems engineer on his way back to Earth and a reporter desperately needing a scoop to save her career. He needs to get back before the reading of a will. She needs a breakthrough in her story before her time limit is up. With each other’s help, getting back to Earth in time should be possible but life certainly isn’t about to make things that simple for them.

See it on Amazon UK or Amazon US.

(Download a FREE sample to your device)

We are pleased to be able to announce that the replacement first novel in the Astronomicon science-fiction series, Astronomicon: Inception Point is now available on Amazon (and Amazon US).

The thrilling start of the Astronomicon Science Fiction series, charting the human race’s first faltering steps to another star. Chris Sergov, Commander of the Elysian, leads a colonisation mission to Proxima Centauri. After the landing goes wrong, the survivors must race to locate their vital supplies and equipment left scattered across the surface of the alien planet.

They soon discover that the low temperatures and harsh conditions are not all that stand between them and survival. A chance discovery on their new home planet becomes the strongest evidence yet that mankind is not alone in the cosmos. Meanwhile, political changes back on Earth threaten to put an end to space exploration and the outer planets mining operations. Who will win in a standoff between the Jovian miners and Earth’s military?

Currently, the author is working on a humorous fantasy novel, but he plans to write more novels in the Astronomicon series soon. Books 1 to 3 are already available on Amazon along with the spin-off novel Icarus.

2020 may have been a very slow year, for reasons I do not need to list here, but we are finally within shouting distance of launching the completely rewritten Astronomicon book 1, retitled from “The Beginning” to “Inception Point”.

It’s largely the same characters and scenario but the events within the story are different, pacing much improved and a huge amount of work has gone into making the vessel technology more scientifically accurate. The Elysian, the main vessel in the story, has undergone a total redesign which had the unfortunate side-effect of making the current cover-art obsolete.

As much as we liked the current cover, to fit with the new design and to highlight how different this novel is from the original, it was clearly time to introduce new cover art. So, here it is:

The Elysian is a 3D model which can be rendered at any angle opening up all sorts of possibilities for illustrations and marketing materials. For example, here is a shot of it flying away from the camera.