Stephen Hunt, The Rise of the Iron Moon

The Rise of the Iron Moon

Stephen Hunt

Tor, Mar 15 2011, $26.99

ISBN: 9780765327666

Astronomer Aliquot Coppertracks the Steam-man observes strange happenings in space. First there is signs of life on a dead Mars at the same time a comet not due to return in centuries arrives as if its orbit was dramatically diminished, and finally the stars are no longer aligned with one another as they have been seemingly forever.

At the same Martian human representative Kyorin arrives on planet and meets Molly Templar. He explains his mission as his people struggle with the bloke of evil rulers. She turns to U-boat captain Commodore Black, and outlaw Oliver Brooks for help. However, the Army of Shadows has followed Kyorin and those their enemy has talked to with one mission: kill them. When the Martians arrive in full superior science and technology invasion mode, the enemy nations Jackals and Quatershift must unite to prevent the end of all living things at home by mounting an assault on Mars.

Over the top of Olympus Mons, the latest steampunk post-apocalyptic thriller (see The Court of the Air and The Kingdom Beyond the Waves) is an exhilarating tale that lampoons the modern day anti-Dickensian deniers by satirizing the Victorian era. Fast-paced, the enemy nations of Jackals and Quatershift (England and France) must unite against a brutal mutual threat by the Army of Shadows (Germany) or face a blitzkrieg total annihilation in this entertaining environmental cautionary tale.

Harriet Klausner