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 Cwej: Hidden Truths returns this November with a journey through fiction itself. The Lost Fictionaut, by Gerard Power, is the fourth of five novels in the Hidden Truths Cycle of Cwej: The Series. Chris ventures into the Fantastic Realm, a strange and wild land where stories from all of human history come to life.
Readers may recognize this setting from the Fragments of Totality story, Presents, by Erika de Atayde. This novel was based on Erika’s original concepts for a short story, but has since been expanded by Gerard into a much larger adventure with a truly narrative-shattering scope. “After writing Dread Mnemosyne, co-editor Dillon O’Hara and I started to notice some wonderful parallels between it and The Lost Fictionaut in terms of their metafictional commentary on Chris and his noticeable impact on Doctor Who’s canon,” says range editor Hunter O’Connell. “This novel in particular changed the least from its first draft compared to the other four. It’s a very strong addition to Cwej’s mythos.” Gerard Power explains, “The Lost Fictionaut is about the evolution of the human imaginary across Time. The methods by which this subject is dramatized include shady manipulation, somewhat ironical humor, and explosive, operatic action. The character of Christopher Cwej—a kind of cosmically shattered sci-fi soldier—has some strange metaphysical conditions that make him uniquely suited to (though not at all prepared for!) this particular story, almost as if his entire life had been tailored darkly towards it.” In The Lost Fictionaut, Chris is press-ganged by his old Superiors into a cryptic assassination mission—and soon finds himself trapped in the body of a fragile, mortal man, stranded in a bleak, monochromatic otherworld. Dragged into a maelstrom of literary intrigue, pulp superheroics, and Ancient Greek arcana, Chris must forge himself a wildly new identity—or lose his soul in a war between gods. Cwej: The Lost Fictionaut will be available for print and Kindle on 13 November, 2025 in most territories. Preorders for the Kindle edition are now open, with the print version available for sale on the day of release.
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 Chris Cwej battles with his very existence in Dread Mnemosyne and When Winter Comes, two new novels from the Cwej: Hidden Truths saga released in one book.
The book’s cover was created by Ryan Rigby, known amongst Doctor Who fans for his artwork inspired by Titan Comics. Previously, he was responsible for the lovely cover of Cwej: The Midas Touch, and has completed the covers for all future Hidden Truths releases. “Dread Mnemosyne is perhaps the most metafictional piece of Cwej fiction we will ever release, telling the story of a mad god latching onto Chris’s fictional presence like a parasite. The characters of Larles and Kwol will also be given great development after the explosive events of The Midas Touch change their relationship forever,” says range editor Hunter O’Connell. “Meanwhile, When Winter Comes is a story I have always wanted to see from the Doctor Who universe, and I couldn’t think of a better author to tackle the story than Callum Phillpott. It follows in The Midas Touch’s footsteps by telling a very visual story entirely in prose—in Winter’s case, it’s basically a found footage horror film!” Hi, I’m currently transcribing the events of Dread Mnemosyne. Chris investigates a new economic ideology that uses paradoxes as currency. I wrote him into a corner, literally. Larles and Kwol get confused about certain exchanges of words neither of them said. Surprise! It was me. I’m the Lack, by the way, but you may know me as the narrator of all fiction relating to Doctor Who. Cwej, Larles and Kwol are my current targets. Disregard the next synopsis or three, Cwej: The Series ends here and now. In When Winter Comes, Larles and Kwol find a diary tablet belonging to Lucily Smithe, a little girl with big dreams who is moving to another planet with her dad. Unexpectedly, the ship crashes, leaving her and the rest of the passengers stranded and alone on Selma-Zeta… or so they believe. With plant creatures roaming outside the ship and a long winter fast approaching, will an alternate version of Chris get Lucily and her father out alive? Cwej: Dread Mnemosyne and When Winter Comes will be available for print and Kindle on 18 September, 2025 in most territories. Preorders for the Kindle edition are now open, with the print version available for sale on the day of release. Arcbeatle Press are still celebrating Cwej30, with a new zine out this month, and keep your eyes open for the next Cwej adventure, Gerard Power’s The Lost Fictionaut, landing later this year. Inquiries can be sent to [email protected]
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 Written to be a fresh entry point for readers, Arcbeatle Press is excited to announce that the Cwej: The Series story Shutter Speed has rocketed to being its most-read story of all time, surpassing previous hits like their 10th Anniversary novel And Today, You, Academy 27 stand out short story Into the Light, and the novel 10,000 Dawns. Released as an Easter special, the story has nonetheless had legs. “It was a huge and wonderful surprise to see how many readers connected with this story and have spread the word about it—and for more people to be reading in the last few weeks than in the month after it came out,” said lead writer James Wylder. “It's an honor to have gathered such an amazing team of writers who brought Hughes High to life in a way I couldn’t on my own.” Such writers include James Hornby (SIGNET), Aristide Twain (The Crew of the Copper Coloured Cupids), Aidan Mason (10,000 Dawns), Theta Mandel (Zadellin), Thien Valdram (The Interstellar Sleuth), Molly Warton (Academy 27), and Cwej range editor Hunter O’Connell with graphic design by Callum Phillpott. “Writing for Cwej: The Series is a dream come true, and I’m honoured to have played a part in such a fun story, and one that has become such a hit!” Theta Mandel said. Readers enjoyed the dynamic between the story’s two leads, Chris Cwej and Jhe Sang Mi, something the writers were also eager to dig into, such as Thien Valdram: “I have been fascinated with Chris since the New Adventures, Dead Romance and The Book of the War, so it's a privilege to have been able to contribute in my own way, if briefly, to that mythology. Especially in being able to touch on the developing mentor role he exhibits with Jhe Sang Mi.” Touching on their mutual struggles with mental health, their adventures took them into conflict with the mysterious Flickers. But there was something more to this story. Why would one story have so many contributors? Because there was more to enjoy than met the eye! Links scattered through the tale take readers to further stories, in-universe documents, encyclopedia entries, and more. “It was a real treat to be able to have the story branch out, and dig these rabbit holes for readers to explore. That there’s stuff bubbling under the surface wasn’t even subtext!” Wylder said. These expansions provided whole new avenues of storytelling. “Exploring how strange it would be for Chris to teach a lesson when he so obviously doesn’t belong anywhere near a classroom was great to explore, especially from the point of view of another member of staff – I’m sure his students would be happy with bunking off for an hour each day!” said James Hornby. “That’s the beauty of stories. Even after 30 years, there’s always more to do with a great character — whether that’s digging into their past, or moving the story forward as Cwej: The Series principally does. The very structure of Shutter Speed, whose bonus material grew organically from the seed of Wylder’s wonderful original tale, is a lovely encapsulation of the very kind of storytelling magic which brought us all here in the first place,” said Aristide Twain Arcbeatle Press is honored by the attention and love readers have given their story, and will be excited to bring you more later this year with their Cwej30 celebrations, and their novels Dread Mnemosyne, When Winter Comes, and The Lost Fictionaut. “It’s an absolute honour to have gotten to contribute to this beautiful story, and to have been able to play around in the Cwej sandbox a little. It’s wonderful that people have been enjoying the story,” said Molly Warton. "I'd like to personally thank our readers, you make all this possible, and we couldn't keep doing this without you. So, thank you," Wylder said. But the team hasn't forgotten what really matters with Cwej either, as Mandel says: “Most of all, I am proud of being able to say that I have contributed to the debate on how Cwej’s name is really pronounced. This is, of course, the single greatest feat of my entire life. Yippee!” You can read the story by clicking below: Or learn more about Cwej's adventures:
Editor Hunter O’Connell interviews author James Hornby about the first instalment of Cwej: Hidden Truths, The Midas Touch.
Q: What can you tell us about the book? A: The core of the story is a race against time to save Larles from a parasite that has given her powerful telekinetic abilities, but is also killing her. The rest is a fast-paced adventure across time and space. Q: How did you find the writing process? A: An absolute blast. Hunter gave me the initial concept of Larles and the parasite, beyond that I was free to do anything I wanted with the story. At the time I thought The Midas Touch might be my only shot at writing something in the universe of Doctor Who, so I pulled upon everything I’d wanted to see in a Doctor Who book whilst growing up: fun, mystery, and above all, adventure. Funnily enough, I finished writing The Midas Touch back in 2020, the day the UK lockdowns started. The book has been pushed back quite a bit due to scheduling reasons, but I hope it’s been worth the wait! Q: What should readers expect from The Midas Touch? A: In the past I’ve called The Midas Touch my love letter to the Eighth Doctor Adventures. That’s certainly true in a lot of ways: it features some characters I really wish we’d have seen more of during that series. It’s also the story I created Dionus for, who has since gone on to appear in lots of other stories. Q: What are you most proud of about your story? A: Using characters created by Lance Parkin. When I became a fan of Doctor Who, his books were some of the first I read, and most definitely shaped the Whovian I am today. I was nervous at first about getting in touch with Lance to use his concepts, but I shouldn’t have been. Lance was so kind and generous; I remember jumping up and down with excitement on my break at the day job when I received his reply. I guess sometimes you should meet your heroes! Q: Is there anything else we should know about The Midas Touch? A: There is, and it’s something you won’t find in the book: at one stage during the writing process I, very temporarily, was allowed a Fitz Kreiner cameo by BBC Books. A draft did exist of this version, before someone higher up decided it wasn’t to be. Q: Where else can we find your work? A: I’ve done a lot of work for Arcbeatle Press, some other stories for Cwej that take place before this one, and I’m also the range editor for the SIGNET series. Beyond Arcbeatle, I’ve written some Doctor Who charity stories for Altrix Books, Pencil Tip Publishing, and a UNIT short story for Candy Jar Books.
Arcbeatle Press hits April with two spin-off novels in the form of SIGNET: Unstoppable by prolific Doctor Who author John Peel, and Cwej: The Midas Touch by James Hornby.
Unstoppable is the second book in the SIGNET series, following 2023’s Night of the Yssgaroth. SIGNET follows a privately funded organisation fighting alien incursions and investigating the supernatural. “John was originally asked to write Unstoppable for another series at Arcbeatle Press,” explains SIGNET creator and range editor James Hornby. “A restructuring in our output led the book to become a SIGNET adventure, and it’s all the better for it. John has put lots of thought into how the plot would affect our characters, and he really puts them through the wringer.” Unstoppable sees the SIGNET team investigate a series of resurrections across the globe, as well as teaming up with their cousins across the seas, the JDS. “I’m so pleased to see the JDS get their time in the limelight,” says publisher James Wylder. “They were inspired by the best parts of public service, something more important than ever to show. The Jovian Diplomatic Service shares the same ideals SIGNET has — but gives something new compared to the alien investigation groups you're used to!” “The most vicious and amoral drug dealer on Earth has just been found guilty of his crimes and legally executed. But he won’t stay dead… Is he now Unstoppable? He’s just the first to return from beyond the undiscovered country. Is it a good thing to have the dead returned? Or is this plague of resurrections Unstoppable? There’s an alien killer loose on Earth. He’ll do anything at all to reach his target, and kill anyone in his way. He’s impervious to bullets, grenades and anything else in the arsenal. Is he Unstoppable? Earth’s only hope is the understaffed, under-armed and under-appreciated team at SIGNET. But can they prevent all the death — and life! — and misery currently facing the human race? Could it possibly be that they are Unstoppable?” Arcbeatle’s second April release, Cwej: The Midas Touch is the first instalment of Hidden Truths, a new epoch in the life of the Adjudicator come temporal agent, continuing on from the epic conclusion of Down the Middle. Hidden Truths will consist of five novels published into four separate volumes, to be collected into one hardcover at a later date. “Cwej has been my life for the past half-a-decade,” says range editor Hunter O’Connell. “To be able to release this novel is truly an honor. And what a novel it is! Larles and Kwol get some excellent development thanks to author James Hornby’s unparalleled character work. An incredible adventure is going to reach through the page, and captivate you all.” “I’ve previously called The Midas Touch my love letter to the Eighth Doctor Adventures,” says author James Hornby. “Readers will see some definite references to that era of Doctor Who history, but the heart of the novel is definitely the connection between our main characters, in an adventure that takes them all over time and space.” SIGNET: Unstoppable will be available on 8 April and Cwej: The Midas Touch on 21 April, in ebook and print formats in most territories. Preorders for the Kindle editions are now open, with the print versions available for sale on the day of release. Inquiries can be send to [email protected] |
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