Paper Road Press is proud to
announce a new comic thriller by internationally published Kiwi author Paul
Mannering: Engines of Empathy, due to publish in May 2014.
“A hint of Adams, a dollop of Pratchett,
all delivered with a mischievous smile for an intriguing tale that is great
fun.” – Te Radar
Quantum
physics, a retired god and a mild(ish)-mannered computer psychologist collide
in Engines of Empathy, a new comic thriller by Christchurch-born,
Wellington-based writer Paul Mannering. In a world where computers really do
behave better if you think nice thoughts at them, Charlotte Pudding is about to
discover that everything she thought she knew about the world, her own family
history and the reliable production of clean energy for a peaceful and
prosperous society is a lie. Now it’s up to her and Vole Drakeforth, purported
god and perpetual annoyance, to – well, first, not to get killed. The next bit
of the plan can wait until then.
Paul
Mannering’s fascination with science, technology and the absurd introduced him
to the ideas that eventually became Engines of Empathy. Paul says of his
keen interest in scientific theories, “If you start reading books on the
subject, which explain in easy-to-understand terms that light can be both a
particle and a wave and tachyons can be in two places at once and what we
consider to be reality is really just something we have made up by simply
participating in it … well, you end up either concluding that the Universe is
entirely too strange to be real, or being fascinated by the philosophy behind
the science.”
Engines of Empathy is an
entertaining romp that will appeal to readers aged 15 and up. Paul Mannering’s
world is a thought-provoking combination of the scientific and the absurd that
will stay with readers long after the last page – and leave them waiting for
the next in the trilogy (Pisces of Fate, 2015).
"Ever
wondered what life would be like if all our machines were powered not by
electricity or petrol, but by emotions? Neither had I. But now, thanks to Paul
Mannering, I can't stop wondering. Clever, satirical and more than a little
weird, Engines of Empathy introduces one of the strangest worlds
I've encountered in New Zealand fiction - a world that, much like our own, is
haunted by the moral consequences of an energy-intensive industrial revolution.
From sulking toasters, depressed computers and a passive aggressive fridge to
quantum religions and corporate conspiracies, Engines of Empathy is a
crazy ride." – Dylan Horrocks
Paul (right) is the author of four novels including the Tankbread Australian zombie
trilogy, currently being published by Permuted Press in America. His
website can be found at www.manneringbooks.com.
Award-winning cover artist
Engines of Empathy’s cover
art is by Henry Christian-Slane, who earlier this year became the youngest-ever
recipient of the prestigious Adam Portraiture Award. His winning painting, Tim,
is now part of the permanent collection at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery.
Paper Road Press
Paper Road Press is a Wellington-based micropress
specialising in ‘books from beyond the beaten track’ – quirky, fun stories from
New Zealand, for the world. Our first release, Baby Teeth: Bite-sized Tales
of Terror (2013) has been nominated for a 2014 Sir Julius Vogel Award for
Best Collected Work. Find out more at www.paperroadpress.co.nz .
Engines of Empathy is due to publish on 15 May 2014, and can be purchased at any good book
store in New Zealand (distribution through Greene Phoenix, Marketing, 021 722
210). An ebook version will be available through Kobo and Amazon.
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