Fábio Fernandes

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

I enjoyed this novella. There are lots of clever plot lines and the references to famous SF books is really fun. My only hesitation about recommending this book fully is that, in the end, it feels like a draft of what could be a much longer, more detailed, more nuanced narrative. I felt at times like the author must have been under a length constraint – I'm not sure why the author would not have otherwise fleshed out the characters and story line in more depth. This said, the novella is a quick and enjoyable read that left me wanting more.… (mer)

I thank the publisher for a free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

The setting for this novella is steampunk, in the sense that events occur (mostly) in Victorian times in an alternate world. Add in oneironauts who travel between timelines/alternative realities by shifting their consciousness between host bodies, and it becomes more metaphysical than your standard steampunk adventure.

Some of the characters will be recogniseable from works by authors such as Jules Verne, Arthur Conan Doyle and HG Wells. Others are derived from history: I noted Richard Burton (the explorer, presumably) and an early iteration of a 20th century pop star. Quite possibly there were others that I didn’t pick up on.

I enjoyed the early part of the adventure, the sense of a world in peril, and learning about the Oneiros Club and its doings and opposition. I wasn’t quite as engaged with the later parts. For my tastes, there was too much “reality-switching” to keep track of and the rules of the world were fluid, not giving me much chance to orientate myself.

An entertaining novella which will appeal if you like metaphysical adventures.… (mer)