Tooth and Claw

The Steam Clock Legacy #1.1

by Robert Appleton

The age of steam meets the time of the dinosaurs in this rip-roaring short story set in the aftermath of the award-nominated* Prehistoric Clock.

With everything she owns packed onto her steam-powered penny farthing, nineteen-year-old Beth Rawtenstall is determined to leave the county she grew up in. Her father recently died, leaving her with a struggling farm and no prospects. Even the boy she loves is unattainable—his relatives, the aristocratic Allenbys, have shunned Beth all her life, and she’s finally given up on him.

But she’s picked the wrong day to say goodbye. A giant creature no one in Victorian England has ever seen before is terrorizing the quiet countryside. Her countryside. It’s a predator from another age—one of the deadliest animals that ever lived. But if Papa taught her anything, it’s to never back down from a fight. Especially when the prize is the life of the boy she loves.

*EPIC Award finalist 2013 – Best Science Fiction

Genres: Steampunk

23 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 14, 2014

About the author

Robert Appleton is a British science fiction and adventure author partial to tales of survival in far-flung locations. Many of his sci-fi books share the same universe as his popular Alien Safari series, though tend to feature standalone storylines. His rebellious characters range from an orphaned grifter on Mars to a lone woman gate-crashing the war in her biotech suit. His sci-fi readers regularly earn enough frequent flyer miles to qualify for a cross-galaxy voyage of their choosing. His publishers include Harlequin Carina Press, and he also ghost-writes novels in other genres. In his free time he hikes, plays soccer, and kayaks whenever he can. The night sky is his inspiration.

His work has been nominated for several awards, and in 2011 he won the EPIC Award for Best Historical Fiction.

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