The next installment of the Space 1889 & Beyond series and I can say only one thing: The dive that was Vandals on Venus was used to build up momentum and now it is going full steam ahead. Abattoir in the Aether was already one great novella and A Prince of Mars by Frank Chadwick is, well, I tell you what it is, just bear with me.

A Prince of Mars starts with intrigue and mystery, setting the stage for a more political adventure. Next, we get introduced to Kak’hamish, an old, experienced Martian also with an air of mystery about him. Than the story shifts back to our beloved main protagonists, Annabelle and Nathanael, who once again seem a bit different from the last installment of the Space 1889 & Beyond series.

More from the Deed Box of John H. Watson MD

Steam

Hilde HeyvaertApril 6, 2012September 26, 2020

More of the Deed Box of John H. Watson MD

With More from the Deed Box of John H. Watson MD, the sequel to Tales of the Deed Box, Hugh Ashton brilliantly continues to follow in the footsteps of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

As was the case with the first volume, Ashton takes us on a tour of three tales previously untold by the good Doctor Watson. Again, he does it in a style so reminiscent of that of the creator of Sherlock Holmes that it is easy to believe you are in fact reading an original story.

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne

Steam

Hilde HeyvaertMarch 21, 2012March 30, 2019

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne isn’t a normal girl in Kady Cross’ steampunk London. There’s a darkness lurking inside of her that allows her to do things a normal teenage girl shouldn’t. And it’s not doing her any favors. Or is it?

In this first part (prequel) of the Steampunk Chronicles’ The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, we get to know our heroine a little better. She is hired by a wealthy lady to protect her daughter, Phoebe, a young debutante set to marry an aristocrat, from possible dread. When Finley befriends her charge, all bets are off if somebody tries to harm the girl and her newfound powers tend to come in more than a little handy.

Tales of the Deed Box of John H. Watson MD

Steam

Hilde HeyvaertFebruary 2, 2012September 26, 2020

Tales of the Deed Box of John H. Watson MD

Those that have been reading the Gatehouse Gazette and this blog are no doubt aware of Hugh Ashton’s works, such as Beneath Grey Skies and Red Wheels Turning. I am glad to report that aside from producing excellent alternative-history works and contemporary thrillers (At the Sharpe End), Ashton has now written a truly fantastic Sherlock Holmes book.

This work contains three new tales, stories written up by Dr Watson, the chronicler of Mr Holmes.

Red Wheels Turning

Diesel

Hilde HeyvaertJanuary 12, 2012March 30, 2019

For the fans of Hugh Ashton’s other alternate-history novel, Beneath Gray Skies, this novel also features that book’s protagonist, Brian Finch-Malloy.

Now I have never read Beneath Gray Skies, but this wasn’t a hindrance at all, as Red Wheels Turning is set a few years before the events in the earlier novel. Therefore you do not have to have read them in the right order, even though they are part of the same timeline. Where the next installment will fit in this timeline I’m not sure, but for now you’re fine reading this one without the other.

The Doomsday Vault

Steam

Hilde HeyvaertDecember 17, 2011March 30, 2019

The Doomsday Vault by Steven Harper is a recent addition to the ever-growing library of steampunk novels. And a very worthy one at that.

The times are Victorian and we find ourselves in a London ruled by Victoria and her Albert. The clockwork plague has swept the world, turning people into zombies left and right or worse: mad geniuses known as clockworkers.

Against this background, the tales of our heroes unfold.

Beyond Aukfontein

Diesel

Hilde HeyvaertDecember 4, 2011March 30, 2019

Dystopian futures where humanity is pretty much on the brink of extinction are a common theme in dieselpunk. It is also the case in J.W. Szczepaniak’s Beyond Aukfontein: An Oddyssey Through a Ruined World.

The setting is a post-apocalyptic world in a not-too-distant future. A world after The Fall. Humanity has been decimated, trying to make use and find wisdom in things of the past (called Oswald), things that hardly anyone can properly use anymore.

It is a world in decline where the inheritors of this broken world try to survive as best as they can and have founded communities of varied sizes and often ruled by madness.

The Bride Wore Black Leather

Steam

Hilde HeyvaertNovember 18, 2011May 10, 2020

The much anticipated final installment of Simon R. Green’s celebrated Nightside series is nearly upon us (the official release date is January 3, 2012) and let me start by assuring you that everything he said in his interview in Gatehouse Gazette 21 is true.

Let me first state that this review will contain no spoilers. I don’t want to ruin the experience for those that have to wait for the official release date, as that would be very unfair of me.

Mrs Darcy vs the Aliens

Steam

Hilde HeyvaertNovember 1, 2011March 30, 2019

When I first got the review copy of this book in my hands and read the back cover, I thought it was going to be a brilliant and hilarious read. I will happily admit that I’m a fan of the original Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and that I’m always open to a good humoristic approach to sequels.

But this, this was not what I expected, and not in a good way either. While the approach to the story — aliens trying to screw over civilization as we know it in Regency England — is a stroke of genius, the execution is terribly disappointing.

Nazis Take to the Moon in Iron Sky Prequel

Diesel

Nick OttensOctober 13, 2011September 26, 2020

Dieselpunk fans will be familiar with the Iron Sky project. The independent film production will depict the Nazis plotting an invasion of Earth from their secret refuge on the Moon.

In anticipation of the film’s release, Iron Sky is releasing a prequel comic adventure.

The first issue, “Bad Moon Rising,” depicts the Third Reich’s survivors in Antarctica preparing to board UFOs bound for the Moon. They will build a base on the far side of the Moon to stage another attempt at conquering the planet.