Hey, I’m Stark Holborn, author of Nunslinger and Ten Low and it’s great to be back at the Hive to reveal the cover for the second instalment of my Triggernometry series: Advanced Triggernometry.   

Triggernometry is an alt-history western, taking place in a world where mathematicians are dangerous outlaws. It mixes the grit of the west with a cast of mathematicians from across history to create a truly unique and unforgettable adventure. Thanks to readers, the first Triggernometry had a great outing last year despite the pandemic, and was featured in The Washington Post and on Tor.com as well as on some of my favourite blogs (including right here)…

Check out the synopsis for Advanced Triggernometry:

That gold you stole will burn a hole in your heart…

After pulling off the heist of the century, Professor Malago Browne and Pierre de Fermat are determined to hang up their protractors for good. But once you’ve been the most dangerous mathematician in the west, peace doesn’t come easy…

When three women approach Browne with a proposition, she can’t help but listen. Terrorised by a corrupt sheriff and his posse, the town need to hire the quickest and deadliest fighters they can find: in other words, mathmos.

Together with six unlikely allies, Browne once again finds herself facing incalculable odds in a battle for the town, its people, and the fate of every mathematician in the Western States.

And seven isn’t always a lucky number…

Here’s what some reviewers are saying:

“Totally unique and a veritable jolt to the sheer perversity of the imagination… It’s like Sergio Leone and William Gibson rewriting the Old West with a quantum calculator” – Maxim Jakubowski

“A great adventure story where the fastest mind in the west beats the fastest gun.” – Runalong the Shelves

And without further ado, the cover!

When it came to cover design for the second Triggernometry I went straight back to Phil Harris, who created the artwork for the first cover, as well as for Nunslinger. I love his intricate, detailed style – he often works with his grandfather’s old ink pens – and knew I wanted to keep continuity between books, while differentiating the two. With the novella’s story in mind, we looked to posters of Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven for inspiration. When it came to the figure of Archimedes, we had to get a bit imaginative, so we used the veteran western actor George “Gabby” Hayes as reference. 

Phil Harris: 

“I began working on the cover for Advanced Triggernometry by initially evolving a rough sketch to explore options for layout, text, character and pose. I approach each project differently, but for this design I began by inking on top of the sketch which allowed me to refine and add detail. I wanted an etched look to the drawing, so for the final stage I added texture and colour to give the feel of a weathered poster from the era of the old west.”

Triggernometry will be released as an ebook on 8th April via Gumroad and Amazon. You can find more information, and sign up to Stark’s mailing list for exclusive discounts, here.

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Stark Holborn is the author of Nunslinger, Triggernometry and Ten Low. Formerly the resident western movie reviewer at Pornokitsch, Stark is also a games writer who has worked on projects for the BBC, Adult Swim and Cartoon Network, and is writing for the upcoming SF-noir detective game Shadows of Doubt.