For the first time as an e-book, ‘The Skyborne Corsairs’ is a classic Steampunk adventure by an established author of the genre. It is 1865 but in a world where dirigibles rival steamships and a travel writer records his exploits on to wax discs. The ship Anthony Cavendish is travelling on to take up a position in Algeria is halted by a vast hovering aircraft, like nothing seen before. The pirates aboard loot the ship and snatch many women passengers, including Anthony’s wife Henrietta. Banding together with an Italian revolutionary and a Canadian author, Cavendish sets out to scour remote regions of North Africa to locate the air-pirates’ base. For all his bravado, he finds himself facing insurmountable challenges as the trio, and the motley band of fighters they assemble, battle through to destroy the infernal machine and rescue the prisoners. In a base that turns out to be a caricature of the North African setting, does Cavendish have the courage and ingenuity to win through? If he does, what will be the price he has to pay for victory?

The fast-moving novella combines an engaging, but credible, Steampunk setting with both adventure and well-developed characters. Not only will it appeal to those who already enjoy the Steampunk genre but also to those who are seeking a brisk but enthralling story.