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Bedfordshire writer fulfils childhood dream in the same week as his inspiration wins OBE
By:
PRLog
June 16, 2014 at 12:38 PM EDT
PRLog - Jun. 16, 2014 - For Allen Stroud, imagination and creativity are more than words, they’re in his bones. His latest fiction release, Elite: Lave Revolution takes science fiction back to the eighties in more ways than one. The novel is set in the universe created by David Braben for his ground-breaking computer game Elite, released in 1984 and reimagined in 2014 with, Elite: Dangerous. The launch of Elite: Lave Revolution coincides with the news that David Braben has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list for his contribution to the computer gaming industry.
As a long-standing writer, Allen is well placed to produce a cracking good read and with Elite: Lave Revolution he has done just that. An epic Big Brother meets Star Wars novel, drawing inspiration from a wide selection of science fiction greats. Initial reviewers say, ‘Hang on and enjoy the ride. And a great fun ride it is! ... packed full of action, intrigue, plot, suspense … a great read … worthy of the original…'
‘I played Elite as a child,’ says Allen, ‘but it was pure luck that reunited me with Frontier’s new project in 2012. Lave was the system players started in during the original game,’ he explains. ‘As Elite was released in 1984, it seemed fitting to draw inspiration from George Orwell and our modern surveillance society.’
Allen joined the Elite project initially to write and collate material for the game, working closely with David Braben and Executive Producer Michael Brookes filling in aspects of the history of the Elite Universe. ‘When I played the original game I was transported into another world. I want young readers to get the same feel from my book, to help them dream and imagine worlds for themselves, I think that’s essential.’
The whole process is a labour of love. In the last two years, Allen’s given up huge amounts of free time to help the other Elite writers, producing material for everyone involved with the fiction. ‘It has to be done well,’ he says. ‘I want all the stories to dazzle and impress, to amaze big kids like me and be something they can share with their families.’
In addition to his work behind the scenes and his beautifully crafted novel, Allen has produced original music and digital artwork for the Elite world. He also contributes to the popular podcast, Lave Radio, which covers the development of the game and regularly gets 5-10,000 downloads per episode. ‘There’s a big community wanting this whole project to do well, a lot of love for all things Elite. What was made thirty years ago was so inspiring. Being a part of it now is such a privilege and encouraging people to spend time in this vast fictional universe is so important, as it gives them a chance to see what amazing work has been done by all the people working on the game and the fiction.’
Allen’s a busy man with lots of projects in the pipeline. ‘I’m working on book four of my own fantasy series, The Wisimir Tales, there’s another novel for Julian Gollop’s new game Chaos Reborn and music for the audio versions of the Elite novels. I also edit children’s stories for my Dad.’
Will there be any more Elite fiction from Allen? ‘I hope so,’ he says. ‘I’d like to write more about Lave. I’m hoping we can encourage a whole new generation of children to write their own stories and fall in love with this incredible science fiction universe.’
Allen is organising Lavecon on 5/6th of July, where the attendees can drop in and play the latest version preview of Elite: Dangerous and meet the authors of authorized fiction from Gollancz and Fantastic Books Publishing. He will be at Fantasticon in August in Hull.
LaveCon(July 5th and 6th)- http://laveradio.com/LAVECON-2014.aspx
FantastiCon(August 16th)- https://www.facebook.com/events/715235208506964/
About the book: Elite: Lave Revolution is available from Fantastic Books Publishing at https://www.fantasticbookspublishing.com/store/elite-2/elite-lave-revolution-eb/and from Amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elite-Lave-Revolution-Dangerous-ebook/dp/B00KVER5IA
About the author: Allen Stroud is a university lecturer and active academic researcher working on a PhD in the methods of fictional world building. He runs the successful BA (Hons) film and television production degree at Buckinghamshire University. He has been writing science fiction and fantasy stories since he was a young child.
About the game: The game’s founder, David Braben was honoured for his contribution to the video gaming industry. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27836293
For further information about Elite: Dangerous see this interview with Braben by one of Fantastic Books’ Elite authors: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/12/24/elite-dangerous-david-braben-interview/
Other details: Lave Radio is the popular fan produced podcast following the development of Elite: Dangerous. It receives 5-10,000 downloads per episode and is available on ITunes or from http://www.laveradio.com.
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/lave-radio-elite-dangerous/id607969824?mt=2
Contact details
Allen Stroud
Email: Allen.Stroud@btinternet.com
Website: http://www.allenstroud.com
Tel: 01582 665289
Dan Grubb, CEO, Fantastic Books Publishing
Email: fantasticbookspublishing@gmail.com
Website: www.fantasticbookspublishing.com
Tel: 01964 671997
Read Full Story - Bedfordshire writer fulfils childhood dream in the same week as his inspiration wins OBE | More news from this source
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As a long-standing writer, Allen is well placed to produce a cracking good read and with Elite: Lave Revolution he has done just that. An epic Big Brother meets Star Wars novel, drawing inspiration from a wide selection of science fiction greats. Initial reviewers say, ‘Hang on and enjoy the ride. And a great fun ride it is! ... packed full of action, intrigue, plot, suspense … a great read … worthy of the original…'
‘I played Elite as a child,’ says Allen, ‘but it was pure luck that reunited me with Frontier’s new project in 2012. Lave was the system players started in during the original game,’ he explains. ‘As Elite was released in 1984, it seemed fitting to draw inspiration from George Orwell and our modern surveillance society.’
Allen joined the Elite project initially to write and collate material for the game, working closely with David Braben and Executive Producer Michael Brookes filling in aspects of the history of the Elite Universe. ‘When I played the original game I was transported into another world. I want young readers to get the same feel from my book, to help them dream and imagine worlds for themselves, I think that’s essential.’
The whole process is a labour of love. In the last two years, Allen’s given up huge amounts of free time to help the other Elite writers, producing material for everyone involved with the fiction. ‘It has to be done well,’ he says. ‘I want all the stories to dazzle and impress, to amaze big kids like me and be something they can share with their families.’
In addition to his work behind the scenes and his beautifully crafted novel, Allen has produced original music and digital artwork for the Elite world. He also contributes to the popular podcast, Lave Radio, which covers the development of the game and regularly gets 5-10,000 downloads per episode. ‘There’s a big community wanting this whole project to do well, a lot of love for all things Elite. What was made thirty years ago was so inspiring. Being a part of it now is such a privilege and encouraging people to spend time in this vast fictional universe is so important, as it gives them a chance to see what amazing work has been done by all the people working on the game and the fiction.’
Allen’s a busy man with lots of projects in the pipeline. ‘I’m working on book four of my own fantasy series, The Wisimir Tales, there’s another novel for Julian Gollop’s new game Chaos Reborn and music for the audio versions of the Elite novels. I also edit children’s stories for my Dad.’
Will there be any more Elite fiction from Allen? ‘I hope so,’ he says. ‘I’d like to write more about Lave. I’m hoping we can encourage a whole new generation of children to write their own stories and fall in love with this incredible science fiction universe.’
Allen is organising Lavecon on 5/6th of July, where the attendees can drop in and play the latest version preview of Elite: Dangerous and meet the authors of authorized fiction from Gollancz and Fantastic Books Publishing. He will be at Fantasticon in August in Hull.
LaveCon(July 5th and 6th)- http://laveradio.com/LAVECON-2014.aspx
FantastiCon(August 16th)- https://www.facebook.com/events/715235208506964/
About the book: Elite: Lave Revolution is available from Fantastic Books Publishing at https://www.fantasticbookspublishing.com/store/elite-2/elite-lave-revolution-eb/and from Amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elite-Lave-Revolution-Dangerous-ebook/dp/B00KVER5IA
About the author: Allen Stroud is a university lecturer and active academic researcher working on a PhD in the methods of fictional world building. He runs the successful BA (Hons) film and television production degree at Buckinghamshire University. He has been writing science fiction and fantasy stories since he was a young child.
About the game: The game’s founder, David Braben was honoured for his contribution to the video gaming industry. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27836293
For further information about Elite: Dangerous see this interview with Braben by one of Fantastic Books’ Elite authors: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/12/24/elite-dangerous-david-braben-interview/
Other details: Lave Radio is the popular fan produced podcast following the development of Elite: Dangerous. It receives 5-10,000 downloads per episode and is available on ITunes or from http://www.laveradio.com.
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/lave-radio-elite-dangerous/id607969824?mt=2
Contact details
Allen Stroud
Email: Allen.Stroud@btinternet.com
Website: http://www.allenstroud.com
Tel: 01582 665289
Dan Grubb, CEO, Fantastic Books Publishing
Email: fantasticbookspublishing@gmail.com
Website: www.fantasticbookspublishing.com
Tel: 01964 671997
Read Full Story - Bedfordshire writer fulfils childhood dream in the same week as his inspiration wins OBE | More news from this source
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