The Penrose Series details the world of Penrose, a planet of robots. So far the series consists of the novels Twisted Metal, Blood and Iron and various short stories, some of which appear in Stories from the Northern Road. You can read Four Blind Horses, the first of these stories, by following the link.
The series will conclude with Penrose 3, tentatively titled The Book of Robots. The writing of this book coincided with the time of my wife’s ill health, during which time I lost a lot of the momentum to write. I do intend to complete the book and the series.
The following links give some background to the series
- Why I wrote Twisted Metal
- Duality, Materialism and Why People Like Robots
- Video Interview about Blood and Iron
Tony Ballantyne 
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I’m so excited for Penrose 3!! MUST HAVE!
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Glad you’re looking forward to it! It’s coming…
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One of the few books i’ve read that i constantly think about after i put it down! cant wait for more from Penrose, rereading throught Capacity as we speak!
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Delighted you enjoyed it! There are more Recursion stories on the way – you might want to look out for those.
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Oh i will be, that and anything else you write. Keep up the good work Mr Ballantyne!
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will penrose 3 start were blood and iron finished?
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Yes!
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Is there any hope of getting an idea on when we will see the third one? And if it will appear on Audible?
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Can’t say, I’m afraid. I’ll let you know more when I can.
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Hi Tony,
Just wanted to say I’m a huge fan of your Penrose books, thank you for taking my imagination there! I love the world you have crafted.
I cannot wait to read the next when it’s finished.
Also, and most importantly, I do hope your wife is well and fighting fit now!
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Thanks Craig, and thanks for the kind thoughts about my wife. She’s much better, thank you.
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penrose 3 bring it on!!amazing series so far
my only question is whens it gonna be in my hand so i read that sucka!
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It’s coming, by a rather circuitous route! Glad you enjoyed it so far…
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Any idea when we might see Penrose 3? And do you have any plans to expand the universe after that? Blood and Iron is easily my favourite book and I would love more of this universe!
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Glad to hear you enjoy the books! There is no fixed date for Penrose 3, but rest assured, there is much more to come in that universe…
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I’ve almost finished Blood and Iron. I don’t want to finish it because – I don’t want it to end.
I found myself rooting for the robots. Which made me think. Also it raises the question of what it means to be human. Totally enjoying the book.
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Glad you enjoyed it, and I wonder if you’ve reached the end yet?
Sorry for the late reply – your comment got stuck in spam for some reason
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Hey there! I loved the series and was wondering if we’d ever see the conclusion. It was all so compelling but it’s been years since there’s been any real news for the third book.
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Glad you’re enjoying it! Don’t worry, plans are afoot…
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I would really just prefer it if you would openly say that you have no intentions of finishing the Penrose series. You had such a great idea to begin with but it has stagnated and the playful banter you’ve given us instead of solid answers has only served to alienate your fanbase from ever returning to the series on the off chance you complete it.
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I’m still super excited, maybe that’s just me…
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I’m going to have to say that I’m in agreement with Paul. I posted a question on here a little over 5 years ago now. I loved the two main Penrose novels. I have never read Stories From The Northern Road, and it’s safe to say that I never will.
I understand that life happens. We all do, but when we’ve been lead on by playful banter as Paul puts it with nothing else ever being said, you do alienate your fan base. Those two books were amazing, and I even read the Recursion series. It was good, not as good as Penrose, but still good.
You are not Stephen King, to have so many fans come back when he finally started writing more of the Dark Tower series. You are also not George R.R. Martin, who has completely alienated his fan base to the point that even Hollywood got involved and were taking sides in the massive argument that took place. And yet I and almost all of the angry fans, not to mention an incredibly large amount of new fans still purchased A Dance of Dragons when his editor forced him to finish it. He also hasn’t made the same mistake of going years without an update on his current book but talking about everything else he’s been up to.
You are neither of these authors, at this point so many of your fans have most likely written off this series. And apparently you can’t take criticism either, because you have responded to every post above this one except for the last two above this one. Craig’s has an excuse, he only posted two hours ago, but Paul’s was over eight months ago now, and he called you out in his.
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To be fair John, I talk very little about anything that I’m up to…
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I can understand that. And I do apologize for the rant. I just loved those two books, and would love to see them finished.
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Hey Tony. Just wanted to thank you for writing these books. I took a gamble when I first picked up Twisted Metal, knowing nothing about the story or you before I entered the bookstore, and it really paid off. Penrose kept my attention and imagination all the way through.
You walked the line of story altering events very well. Fictional worlds can feel flimsy when everything grand and old is destroyed quickly, but on Penrose, there were solid compelling reasons for everything that fell.
I thoroughly enjoyed all of the thoughtful world view interactions. I think you naturally portrayed characters that think fundamentally differently. The dialogue between the different factions felt substantive.
I hope your wife is fully recovered.
Thanks for enriching my imagination.
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Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the books and really appreciate your thoughtful comments.
All the best
Tony
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Hi Tony, I’m sorry to hear about your wife’s illness. I hope she’s doing better.
I found Twisted Metal by chance in a small seaside bookstore and it was one of the best books I’ve ever picked up. My copy, along with my copy of Blood and Iron, are well-loved and thoroughly battered.
I understand life got in the way (god knows life killed enough of my own plans) but I really hope you do one day return to the series; I love the characters, Karel in particular resonates with me, and I would love to see where you will take them.
I look forward to repeatedly losing myself in the first two books many more times, and maybe one day the final entry.
Much love,
Kelly
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Thank you for getting in touch to let me know about the books, Kelly. And particular thanks for the thoughts about my wife, I really appreciate it.
Best wishes
Tony
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I’ve recently discovered the penrose books and i absolutely love the world and characters you have made. Unlikely as it may seem at this point, i really do hope you end up making that last book.
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Thank you for getting in touch! Glad you enjoyed them!
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I read these many years ago and randomly found one of them in audio book form so looked them up trying to find book three. That lead me here. Is book 3 still in the works?
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Is this book still being worked on? I recently found the audio books and don’t want to get into them if never going to be an ending
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Yes, but oh so slowly. I stopped writing over the pandemic due to pressure of other work, I’ve only recently resumed. Don’t forget the short stories, btw, there are lots of clues there.
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Hi Tony, love the Penrose series and Dream London. (Like Kelly I stumbled onto Twisted Metal in a seaside bookshop and then started collecting the rest). High concept stuff. I’ve still got the Recursion series to read but looking forward to it. Really hope you find more time to write, maybe go full-time one day? Would be great to see more output and maybe even adaptations for TV / Movies etc. But that’s me be selfish and just wanting to see more quality writing in the world. Can’t be easy juggling teaching / assistant headteacher and trying to write so fair to play you. Anyway, can’t wait for Penrose 3. All the best.
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Thank you Gary! I remember stumbling across Doctor Who books years ago when I was a kid in seaside bookshops. It was things like that that made me want to be a writer. Hope you enjoy the Recursion series! Best wishes Tony
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I found your penrose books in a pop up book shop a few years ago and various things happen and I never got round to reading them. After moving I found them again and I started them this time.
They are the best thing I have read. I’m not a big reader but I always look for time to fit these books in and really look forward to sitting down and reading more of them. Very few books make me feel this way. I’m have almost got to the end of Blood and Iron which is why I started looking for the third.
It still sounds like you are working on the third I hope you finish it. Keep up the good work.
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Hi Dan
Glad you enjoyed the books, and thank you for taking the time to let me know! I really appreciate it.
Best wishes
Tony
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Hi Tony, I’ve been a big fan of your works for some years now. I remember first picking up Twisted Metal from an airport book shop way back in 2015, and have read it and Blood and Iron (which I currently have in front of me in Tenerife) every holiday since. Ignore the muppets on here who have no clue about how a book is written or published, and keep going! I’m excited for the day The Book of Robots releases, hopefully it will be soon.
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Thank you Aaron! Really appreciate the feedback.
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Hello Tony.
Re-reading the Penrose Series for umpteenth time. It has a real perspective/feeling all its own. Will the 3rd Novel appear one day? I really hope so. I think about this series a lot.
Thank you.
Brian
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Hi Brian. Yes, the novel will appear. Now that I’m approaching retirement there will soon be time to complete it! I’m glad that you enjoyed the series, and thanks for letting me know. I really appreciate the feedback
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