Cuttlefish
Dave Freer
PYR, Jul 24 2012, $16.95
ISBN: 9781616146252
In 1976 the world understands that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" except in urban centers like London where smog from coal blocks out much of the light. In Fermoy, Ireland malicious Menshevik spies and brutal Imperial soldiers stalk St. Margaret’s School for the Children of Officers and Gentlemen student Clara Calland and her mom who has secrets that if revealed would insure the sun sets on the Empire.
Mother and daughter flee Cork for London while pursued by airships and trusting no one as anyone can be a traitor. They feel fortunate to be picked up by the crew of the Cuttlefish, a smuggling submarine sailing from the flooded London's canals to Fortress America while evading the imperial steamships. On board, Clara meets underpeople crew member Tim Barnabas who lived in the tunnels beneath the city as the treacherous journey for freedom begins.
This is a faster than the speed of light steampunk alternate twentieth century thriller that never decelerates from the moment the Calland pair flee Ireland until the final confrontation. With a fascinating premise, readers who relish action to the nth degree will want to join the adventures of the Cuttlefish though none of the cast including Clara and Tim are three dimensional and most of the key players stereotypical typecasting.
Harriet Klausner
Dave Freer
PYR, Jul 24 2012, $16.95
ISBN: 9781616146252
In 1976 the world understands that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" except in urban centers like London where smog from coal blocks out much of the light. In Fermoy, Ireland malicious Menshevik spies and brutal Imperial soldiers stalk St. Margaret’s School for the Children of Officers and Gentlemen student Clara Calland and her mom who has secrets that if revealed would insure the sun sets on the Empire.
Mother and daughter flee Cork for London while pursued by airships and trusting no one as anyone can be a traitor. They feel fortunate to be picked up by the crew of the Cuttlefish, a smuggling submarine sailing from the flooded London's canals to Fortress America while evading the imperial steamships. On board, Clara meets underpeople crew member Tim Barnabas who lived in the tunnels beneath the city as the treacherous journey for freedom begins.
This is a faster than the speed of light steampunk alternate twentieth century thriller that never decelerates from the moment the Calland pair flee Ireland until the final confrontation. With a fascinating premise, readers who relish action to the nth degree will want to join the adventures of the Cuttlefish though none of the cast including Clara and Tim are three dimensional and most of the key players stereotypical typecasting.
Harriet Klausner
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