I got this book because it looked a bit steampunky, a genre I like and it seemed like “steampunks on Mars” or something. I sort of bought it based on the cover.
So…the tale does start out on Mars, but with a standard “22nd century mining colony with semi-military oversight” trope firmly in place (what, no steam?) The occurrence of a mysterious “Mars quake” (as there is no tectonic activity on Mars, there should be no seismic activity) “shakes things up a bit” and gets the plot rolling. At that point, it still seemed a bit garden variety and kind of boring, especially with the addition of your classic “female character with a chip on her shoulder”. (Side bar – as a female scientist/engineer I resent the stereotype that all smart capable scientific/technical women are “angry” or “have a chip on their shoulder…but I digress as I am getting….uh…angry). Finally, in the next chapter…. things start to get interesting.
18th Century Frigates in outer space! Colonies on Mercury, Venus, Ben Franklin on Ganymede! Space Pirates! The mysterious “Xan” of Saturn. Little green Venusian lizard people! The Count St Germain! Wait What?
What we have here is some sort of multiverse situation. One universe follows “our rules” – that’s the story on Mars. In the other universe, similar but different, all the great exploration is taking place in the “void” (space). Alchemy replaces science. “Lodestones” permit wooden sailing ships to ply the “void” by holding the gravity and air to the ship. The “sailing ships” have “alchemically treated sails” that allow them to “ride on Sun currents between the worlds”. The year is 1789, the Royal Navy is in charge and the “United States of Ganymede ” is a rogue nation. In Space. On Ganymede.
The Macguffin of the tale is the hunt by our intrepid Royal Navy chaps for an evil Alchemist (Cagliostro) who has stolen the key stones from each of the worlds with the intent of freeing an evil overlord! or something. Meanwhile, back on Mars, the “Marsquakes” continue…Cherenkov radiation keeps showing up, rocks start moving uphill and building strange pyramids. The miners are getting restless, our heroine gets cranky and…well hijinks ensue. Eventually these shenanigans on Mars and the shenanigans in the alternate universe start to overlap and it gets really interesting.
Ended up being an enjoyable ride, and it has a sequel which I may check out.