Publisher: Robot Dinosaur PressA scrappy group of outsiders take a job to salvage some old ring from Peridot's gravity-caught garbage layer, and land squarely in the middle of a plot to take over (and possibly destroy) what's left of the already tormented planet.
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The Peridot Shift has re-released in 2022 with new editions!
Captain Talis just wants to keep her airship crew from starving, and maybe scrape up enough cash for some badly needed repairs. When an anonymous client offers a small fortune to root through a pile of atmospheric wreckage, it seems like an easy payday. The job yields an ancient ring, a forbidden secret, and a host of deadly enemies.
Now on the run from cultists with powerful allies, Talis needs to unload the ring as quickly as possible. Her desperate search for a buyer and the fallout from her discovery leads to a planetary battle between a secret society, alien forces, and even the gods themselves.
Talis and her crew have just one desperate chance to make things right before their potential big score destroys them all.
“Blending sci-fi and fantasy elements within a steampunk aesthetic, Theodore’s adventurous debut [...] keeps the pages flying with shifting allegiances, epic battles, and plenty of intrigue while setting the stage nicely for future installments. Readers will be eager to see what happens next.” — Publishers Weekly
“Treasure Planet for adults still slaps in this updated version with even stronger imagery and pacing, and greater attention given to the world-building as a whole.” — Jo Ladziński
“This book is a fabulous romp in an inventive, engrossing world.” — Michael R. Underwood
“A memorable, entertaining, and brilliant steampunk and sci-fi fantasy novel, author R.J. Theodore’s “Flotsam” is the perfect first novel in a brand new series! The rich history and mythology the author built here with a cast of characters readers can’t help but care for and brilliant action makes this genre-bending novel a true standout.” — Anthony Avina
“Combining the best elements of steampunk and space opera, placed in a lavishly detailed and imagined world, Flotsam will hold you firmly till the final page.” — Cat Rambo
“Flotsam sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go. R J Theodore is a fresh voice who will soon be on your must-read list!” — Jennifer Foehner Wells
“I can't stop thinking about the world of Flotsam. Science-fiction, alchemy, and airships. It's magic.” — Mary Robinette Kowal
“Take a pinch of Jim Butcher's Aeronaut's Windlass, add a dash of Treasure Planet, some vivid imagery from Avatar, a generous helping of banter from Firefly, and you might have an idea of the feeling this story left me with. Rich language and imagery blend with a complex world, a story told with humor and heart, that left me breathless and wrung out. I want to know what's in store next for this crew and their already shattered world.” — Ronda
“Peridot is a fascinating, fractured world that truly comes to life on the page; it’s remarkable that Theodore manages to establish the world and its cultures and races so well straight off the bat. And as if that isn’t enough, she introduces an alien race and culture into the mix, juggling them all with aplomb.” — Alan Brenik
“The worldbuilding is incredibly epic [...] and hints at uncovering even more as this series evolves.” — Koeur
“1,000% here for the merger of scifi steampunk with fantasy. This is exactly the sort of thing someone who grew up on underappreciated masterpieces like Treasure Planet craves!” — Jenna R
“Solid, swashbuckling sci-fi/fantasy set in one of the most unique and alluring world’s I’ve ever read. [...] Then you add in a dash of truly alien beings, a race for treasure, floating island hopping adventure and AIRSHIPS? Sign me up. Sign yourself up. Sign your friends up. This is the Pirates of the Caribbean/Firefly crossover you didn’t know you needed.” — Britta T
“You will definitely want to meet Talis and her crew if you like steampunk, science fiction, books that build fantastic worlds and magic systems, and space travel. RJ Theodore transports you to the realm of Peridot flawlessly, the book drags you in and doesn’t let you go until the last page.” — Shelley B
you can keep your prophecy, found families, race against time, if you want something done right you have to runaway from home and do it yourself, friends helping friends, dangerous behaviors, female protagonist, violence, space magic, treasure hunt, sky pirates, skymerms, magical items, macguffin(s), airships, piratical shenanigans, outlaws saving the world, adventure in the open skies, first contact with aliens, genocidal villains, awful ex-lover, ancient texts, everything glows, alchemical secrets, neopronouns, god(s) walking among their people(s), coffee, rum, steampunk aeronautic whirlygigs and whosiewhats
guilt, threat of death, anxiety, hurting the ones we care about, murder, blood, racism, classism, bad interactions with law enforcement, peril
| Cover Art | Date | Language | ISBN | Publisher | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 27 Mar 2018 | English | 978-0-9976613-6-1 Out of Print | Parvus Press | ebook | Editor: John Adamus Illustration: Julie Dillon Titling and Interior Illustrations: R J Theodore |
 | 27 Mar 2018 | English | 978-0-9976613-7-8 Out of Print | Parvus Press | paperback | Editor: John Adamus Illustration: Julie Dillon Titling and Interior Illustrations: R J Theodore Interior Layout: Catspaw |
 | 27 Mar 2018 | English | Out of Print | Parvus Press | audiobook | Editor: John Adamus Illustration: Julie Dillon Titling: R J Theodore Narrator: Mary Robinette Kowal |
 | 01 Feb 2022 | English | 978-1-956771-03-9 | Robot Dinosaur Press | ebook | Editor: M. Evan MacGriogair Cover Art: Julie Dillon Layout, Design & Interior Illustrations: CreativeJay |
 | 01 Feb 2022 | English | 978-1-956771-02-2 | Robot Dinosaur Press | paperback | Editor: M. Evan MacGriogair Cover and interior cover art: Julie Dillon Layout, Design & Interior Illustrations: CreativeJay |
 | 01 Feb 2022 | English | 978-1-956771-05-3 | Robot Dinosaur Press | hardcover | Editor: M. Evan MacGriogair Cover Art: Julie Dillon Ring Illustration: inkshark Layout, Design & Interior Illustrations: CreativeJay |
 | 01 Feb 2022 | English | 978-1-956771-06-0 | Robot Dinosaur Press | large print paperback | Editor: M. Evan MacGriogair Cover art, Interior cover art: Julie Dillon Layout & Design: CreativeJay |