DragonFly: Part I

In 1942, an unlikely heroine changes the course of history.

A young woman with the fate of a nation in her hands.

An aircraft designed by science, fueled by magic and flown with passion.

A World War re-imagined like never before.

Strap yourself in for a wild ride as award-winning author Charles A. Cornell takes you on Part I of his dieselpunk adventure, DragonFly; a collision of science fiction with fantasy that fast forwards steampunk into an alternative World War Two.

On the eve of invasion by the Nazis, twenty-two year old RAF pilot Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Somerset is fighting another battle - winning respect within the stuffy, male-dominated British military. She’s feisty and brash and determined to overcome every obstacle to become Britain’s first female combat pilot.

When Ronnie is re-assigned to Enysfarne, a mysterious Royal Navy base off the coast of Cornwall, fate places her inside the cockpit of the most revolutionary aircraft ever invented. Brilliant engineer, Dr. Nigel Pennbridge has discovered quadra-hydrogen, an element that powers the DragonFly, a remarkable fighter-bomber that carries the hopes of Britain on its blue and silver wings.

Across the English Channel, Nazi Germany is busy planning its next conquest. Reichsführer Bernhardt Morax, Hitler's personal sorcerer and leader of the Third Reich’s Zauber Korps is preparing his Blutskriegers for the invasion; bio-mechanical warriors created by a depraved occult science whose dark secrets cross the boundaries of evil.

In Part I: ‘To Hell and Back’, Ronnie embarks on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines to spy on Hitler's invasion plans. She rescues a defecting officer from the Zauber Korps who introduces her to psychic powers she didn’t know she possessed; powers that entwine her destiny with his.

A young woman with the fate of a nation in her hands. 
An aircraft designed by science, fueled by magic and flown with passion. 
A World War re-imagined like never before.

In 1942, an unlikely heroine changes the course of history. On the eve of invasion by the Nazis, twenty-two year old RAF pilot Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Somerset is fighting another battle - winning respect within the stuffy, male-dominated British military. She’s feisty and brash and determined to overcome every obstacle to become Britain’s first female combat pilot.

When Ronnie is re-assigned to Enysfarne, a mysterious Royal Navy base off the coast of Cornwall, fate places her inside the cockpit of the most revolutionary aircraft ever invented. Brilliant engineer, Dr. Nigel Pennbridge has discovered quadra-hydrogen, an element that powers the DragonFly, a remarkable fighter-bomber that carries the hopes of Britain on its blue and silver wings.

Across the English Channel, Reichsführer Bernhardt Morax, Hitler's personal sorcerer prepares his army of Blutskriegers for the invasion of Britain. The Blutskriegers are bio-mechanical warriors created by a Nazi occult science whose dark secrets cross the boundaries of evil.

Both the Kindle and print editions of DragonFly contain illustrations that make the action jump off the page, including character dossiers, historical ‘retrographs’ and fantastic designs of retro-futuristic aircraft. (sixty illustrations in the Kindle edition, thirty-three in the print edition). 

Strap yourself in for a wild five star ride as award-winning author Charles A. Cornell takes you on his science fiction/fantasy adventure, DragonFly set in an alternative World War Two. 

Visit www.DragonFly-Novels.com for web exclusive illustrations and additional background on the Missions of the DragonFly Squadron.

"The thrilling climax... outdoes any big action flick for sheer sweep and menace. Cornell hits a home run!" 
- Ken Pelham, award winning author of the mysteries, 'Brigand's Key' and 'Place of Fear'. 

"There is a lot to like about Dragonfly... surprises... intrigue... in a world that doesn't particularly follow the history that we know." 
- Bard Constantine, author of 'The Troubleshooter' series and 'Silent Empire', dieselpunk novels. 

"It was fantastic … Charles has done a wonderful job blending alternate history with the mystical. His characters are well developed. I was disappointed when it ended." 
- John Charles Miller, award winning short story writer and author of the alternative history novel, 'Citrus White Gold'. 

"Is the golden age of science fiction dead? More likely, we’ve entered a new Golden Age. Charles A. Cornell delivers a classic example of where 21st century science fiction is heading... Cornell doesn’t just put his protagonist up a tree and shoot at her; he puts her in the midst of machine-gun fire, rockets’ red glare, and bombs bursting in air. Before Ronnie has time to locate all the dials and buttons on her first test flight, she’s in a dogfight with the Germans. And you won’t believe what they’re flying! Mysteries in this novel could keep book club members talking for weeks. Or years." 
- Carol Kean, Book Critic, Perihelion Science Fiction Magazine

Charles A Cornell writes speculative fiction ranging from the mysterious to the macabre; sometimes blending science fiction, fantasy, alternative history and horror. He is a regular contributor to podcasts, seminars and conferences, and conducts webinars and workshops on his specialty, retro-punk fiction (Steampunk, Dieselpunk).

When Charles isn’t trying to survive the chaos of everyday life, he’s dreaming up all kinds of bat-shit crazy fiction. He specializes in science fiction, science fantasy, dieselpunk & steampunk. He’s known to write award-winning mystery thrillers too!

Charles has a BSc. degree in Metallurgy & an MBA. He worked in materials engineering, quality management, logistics & purchasing for a big name Fortune 500 company.

Charles A Cornell was born in England, raised in Canada and now lives in Florida.

His first published novel, Tiger Paw, won the 2012 Royal Palm Literary Award for Best Thriller from the Florida Writers Association.

His dieselpunk work, DragonFly is  a retro-futuristic collision of science fiction and fantasy with a generous dash of alternative history. DragonFly  was a 2014 Royal Palm Literary Award Finalist in Science Fiction, has received numerous Amazon Five-Star reviews, two prestigious Reader’s Favorite Five Star Reviews, and won the 2018 Reader’s Favorite Silver Medal in the Young Adult - Action category.

Charles’s short stories and novellas have appeared in the anthologies, The Prometheus Saga, Return To Earth and In Shadows Written. His Prometheus Saga science fiction story Crystal Night won the FWA Royal Palm Literary Award for  Best Novella in 2016.

Please visit me at CharlesACornell.com for news on my latest publications, writing projects, author signings, promotions, and giveaways; and for musings on dieselpunk and retrofuturism. Also check out my world of Steampunk at SteampunkNovels.com and also DragonFly at DragonFly-Novels.com featuring galleries of retrofuturistic aircraft and other illustrations from DragonFly.