“I think you are a very bad man,” said Dorothy.
“Oh, no, my dear; I’m really a very good man; but I’m a very bad Wizard, I must admit.”

With that quote lifted from L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz begins James Maxey’s new novel Bad Wizard, available tomorrow, October 1, from Antimatter Press. Here’s the official marketing blurb:

In 1892, Oscar Zoroaster Diggs turned up in Topeka with a suitcase full of high quality emeralds. Instantly the richest man in Kansas, his winning smile and keen mind launched him into a meteoric political career. As Secretary of War under Teddy Roosevelt, Diggs oversees the construction of the ultimate tool for spreading democracy, a fleet of rigid airships. Dorothy Gale, a reporter for the Kansas Ear, is the one person who knows the truth about Diggs. She met him ten years prior in the Emerald City, where he ruled as the Wizard. But how can she explain to her editor that Diggs intends to use his aerial navy to invade an island in the clouds ruled by witches? Stopping Diggs is going to take more than the power of the press. She’ll need the help of old friends, and maybe a Winged Monkey, as she pursues the Wizard across the wondrous and deadly Land of Oz.

Oz and Steampunk. Two great tastes that taste great together. I believe everyone should go and buy this one immediately, not just because it’s a great book (which it most certainly is), or because it’ll hook you on James’ other work (Nobody Gets the Girl is awesome) but because it’s the first big publication from Antimatter Press, a venture that I have the privilege to be a part of, and we’re all very proud of it.

Antimatter, as I may have mentioned previously, is a small e-press started by my friends Elizabeth and Jonah to publish just these kinds of stories (i.e. “the stuff we ourselves like to read”); Fantasy, Science Fiction, Magic, Steampunk…you know, cool, enjoyable, and thought-provoking otherworldy adventure. Bad Wizard is our first major release, though we have a few other projects coming up, including Mike Allen’s short story collection Unseaming later this month.

I’ve personally been on the Antimatter train for a couple of months now, doing some project management/editing on some neat serial fiction projects that will hopefully see publication next year, and teaching myself, slowly but surely, how to build ebooks for reading on your favorite e-reader devices. I didn’t have much to do with Bad Wizard personally, though it was a pleasure (and a learning experience) to watch it develop as a part of the organization.

Again, I think you should all go buy copies for yourselves and all your friends: The story is engaging and entertaining, and the ebook itself is gorgeous, and includes several illustrations by artist Jeremy Cavin which really add to the reading experience (see that cover above? that’s one of many). I know you’re going to like it.