Promotional image for the Immortal Works anthology “A Mighty Fortress”
My short story “The Deseret War” has been accepted by Immortal Works publishing for their anthology “A Mighty Fortress: Being an Anthology of Mormon Steampunk”. This is the fourth volume in this annually released series of tales merging the themes of the LDS church and steampunk. This edition includes my story and 16 others.
Here’s a short summary of my tale:
Once Stephen Isaac Eddington converted to Mormonism in his native London and realized the severe persecution the Church was enduring in the United States, he knew he had to use his unique skills to help defend the faith. But to do that, he would have to steal an incredible invention devised by his scientist mentor who had recently perished, and the greedy and corrupt tycoon who had financed the venture.
Eddington and his ill-gotten technology arrived in Utah well ahead of the U.S. Army troops who the President commissioned to remove Brigham Young from power and establish a new Governor over the Utah territory. Now, instead of the Church being a mere pawn at the hands of the government, he provided them with mighty weapons that would not only protect the Church, but establish a brand new nation. However, even Eddington couldn’t anticipate the heavy consequences of his actions.
Look for it on sale February 18, 2020.
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Mormons are very interesting, James. This story sounds very interesting.
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I’m not Mormon, but having grown up in Las Vegas and now living in southwestern Idaho, I know plenty. The publisher specifically said they didn’t want stories that said “the church is true” nor ones that deliberately tore down Mormonism. I focused on the history of the founding of the Utah territory and how the U.S. Government responded and then fictionalized it by adding steampunk technology. As much as possible, all of the historical bits are accurate, including the LDS church converting people to their religion in England in the mid-19th century.
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