i wish i was going to finish this, but it takes too long to get interesting... bye bye

Two connected story lines: one SF and the other historical fantasy (19th C)

I liked the (24th century, our universe) parts significantly more than the (18th century, alternate universe) parts - the latter were amusing in a Verne-ish sort of way at first, but I eventually lost interest. If I want to read 18th century British navy in space, there are plenty of other options.

The eventual conjunction of the two was reasonably well done, though, and I'm interested enough to get book 2 from the library.

I place this as SF because the 24th century perspective, and its attempts to determine a scientific explanation for what it observes, retains its integrity throughout, even though it doesn't actually come up with any plausible explanations other than handwaving multiverses. We'll see if that continues (or ideally, improves) in the subsequent books. ( )

A very strange book... Two timelines, two alternate worlds. One where sailing ships sail the Rocky Main between the planets, one more recognizable, where we have a colony on Mars that suddenly becomes at risk with Mars having quakes, and other phenomena.

Interesting, sort of like reading Horatio Hornblower goes to space.

In a parallel universe operating under laws of physics much different from those in our reality, sailing ships journey between the planets. The English colonists on Ganymede are in revolt, and a Royal Navy ship sent to harass them diverts to Spanish held Venus in pursuit of a mysterious alchemist.

Meanwhile, in our universe a little over a hundred years from now, there are inexplicable quakes on Mars, which collapse tunnels and interrupt mining operations. The cause is a mystery.

Alternating between scenes of steampunk-like fantasy (including a considerable amount of historical name dropping), and plausible science-fiction, this debut novel from Michael Martinez deserves full marks for originality and imagination. The characters, pacing, and prose are all pretty good, too. The editing, however, is not. I noticed typos, awkward sentences, logical inconsistencies, and misused words that editing should have caught. There weren't a lot. I'd guess around a dozen or so, but enough to be distracting. Since this is a traditionally published book rather than an indie, I blame the publisher, not the author. ( )