The Adventure of the Dux Bellorum

Intelligence agent Lucy Harker receives the most dangerous job in the world — keeping Winston Churchill safe in the Great War. Despite her unique abilities as Dracula's daughter, she loses Churchill to Kaiser Wilhelm's inhuman allies. If she's to recover Britain's greatest leader, Agent Harker must gain the aid of her Austrian lover, Countess Karnstein — better known as Carmilla. But the notorious vampire is keeping secrets that might doom the British Empire.

The Adventure of The Dux Bellorum (Feminism SF)

By Cynthia Ward

Aqueduct Press

ISBN #978-1619751537

Price $12.00 (Paperback)

Price $5.95 (Kindle)

156 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

In this alternate history of WWI, Lucy Harker is ordered by M of the British Secret Service to guard Lt/Col Winston Churchill while he resides with his men on the front lines. Dr. Kruger, the German scientist who fights against the allies, has created a pack of wolfmen, and they attack Lucy, leaving her dead, and carrying off Churchill. When her lover arrives and brings Lucy back to life, they set off searching for Dr. Kruger’s new lab in the mountains. Here a fierce battle ensues, and single-handed, Lucy fights and kills the Mahars of Pellucidar and pterodactyls before reaching Churchill, and we see Lucy in magnificent form. You see, Lucy is a dhampir – a vampire killer.

This well written short novel is a sequel to The Adventures of the Incognita Countess. Lucy’s father was actually Dracula, but she is also related to Sherlock Homes and has his investigative ability, plus we see men and women, British and German, react to the British spy. The fight in the mountains with Mahars and pterodactyls shows her true strength and ability against great odds. I can highly recommend this book for its great characterization and action in an alternate universe.

Tom Johnson

Author of The Masked Avenger

The Adventures of The Incognita Countess

It's the easiest assignment a British intelligence agent could hope for. Lucy Harker needs only see the secret plans of the Nautilus safely across the Atlantic. As German spies are largely a fantasy of newspapers, she anticipates no activities more strenuous than hiding her heritage as Dracula’s dhampir daughter. Then among her fellow Titanic passengers she discovers the incognita Countess Karnstein—and it seems the seductive vampire is in Germany’s service. Can Agent Harker stake Carmilla before her own heart—and her loyalty to the British Empire—are subverted by questions as treacherous as a night-cloaked iceberg?

The Adventures of the Incognita Countess (SF/Alternate History/Vampires)

By Cynthia Ward

Aqueduct Press www.aqueductpress.com

ISBN #978-1619761193

Price $12.00 (Paperback)

Price $5.95 (Kindle)

126 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“Great Story Telling”

Lucy Harker is an agent of the British Empire’s Secret Service Bureau, and when she’s given an assignment nothing earthly – or unearthly will stop her. The HMS Titanic is about to make its maiden ocean voyage a few years after the Martian’s attempted invasion. On board is an American military officer carrying documents Britain is sharing with America on alien technology. The officer has booked passage on the Titanic, and Lucy’s job is to shadow him for protection of those documents. There is also a vampire on board, and Lucy just happens to be a dhampir, a killer of vampires. So she must watch out for German spies and the vampire.

This was a rollicking fun adventure from the first page till the conclusion. Though most of the story takes place on board the Titanic – and we know what happens with that unsinkable ship, it’s full of action, and we meet real and fictional people; even a certain British Lord who may have been raised by apes. There is a German scientist also on board who will make a name for himself in G-8’s WWI. I’ve never really been a true fan of vampire stories, but this yarn pulled me instantly into the action, and kept me turning the pages. All of the characters were real to me, including the vampire. The story is definitely pulpy, but the author’s writing is intelligent and the story telling excellent. I highly recommend this short novel to all readers who like good story telling and great writing. I could not put this book down until the final page.

Tom Johnson

Author of PANGAEA: EDEN’S PLANET