Review: A Prince of Mars by Frank Chadwick

A Prince of Mars by Frank Chadwick


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is Steampunk in the world of 'Space 1889.' http://space1889.blogspot.com/ Outwardly an adventure, the story has surprising depth and enough twists to satisfy a thriller addict. The hero isn't unrelentingly heroic, except when he absolutely needs to be. The heroine spends much of the time recovering from a gunshot wound, but nevertheless emerges as the real leader. We learn she spent much of her childhood as a captive of the Apaches, and that affects her world view.

The story takes place on Mars (of course) in 1889, but a Mars with canals, natives, flying beasts and a fully developed social and cultural mileu. The British and the Russians are there, sometimes competing, sometimes cooperating, all complicated by native city-states, tribesmen, bandits and hill dwellers. The characters, the setting, the plot, are never quite what you expect, but always deep and satisfying.

Full disclosure: I helped critique the story and am mentioned in the end credits.

Get it anyway, you'll be addicted in no time.

The only reason this did not get 5 stars is that the formatting needs to be fixed.
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