Some years have passed since universes collided on Mars and an ancient warlord was defeated, and the other events as depicted in Michael J. Martinez’s previous novel and first in this series, The Daedalus Incident transpired. In one universe (a 1798 where sailing vessels traverse our galaxy, whose planets are inhabited), a couple of decades have passed, in another (2134 that seems to follow normal physics and a future trajectory from today) only a couple of years have passed. Another way of putting it is you’ve got a near future science fiction story running parallel with a pulpy-golden age SF with Lovecraftian elements, until they inevitably cross streams. That seems like it would be too much happening in one audacious novel, but in a relatively short span of pages (less than 400), Martinez keeps his proverbial ducks in a row.
In the 2134 storyline, Shaila Jain is leading an expedition to Saturn, essentially her dream job. On this mission, she is charged with investigating prospective alien life as well as “potential resources” on Saturn’s moon Titan. Shaila and her crew soon learn China has sent a ship of their own in secret, which of course is a problem. An additional complication is that some of Jain’s peers back on Earth are trying breach the dimensional barrier that was crossed in The Daedalus Incident.
In the alchemical 1798, Thomas Weatherby leads his ship Fortitude in pursuit of the French across the galaxy, or as it is referred in that parallel universe, the Known Worlds. The English are on their way to Saturn as well, where the rings of Saturn are home to the Xan, the mysterious race of aliens introduced in the previous volume. Martinez again mixes history with fiction with the introduction of Napoleon into the story. Napoleon has his sights on the galaxy as well as Egypt where artifacts of powerful mythological import are said to reside – The Emerald Tablet and The Book of the Dead. The British Alchemist, Dr. Andrew Finch, is also searching for those objects in the hopes of thwarting the plans of the French. For much of this story, I felt as if a young Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. could have made a cameo appearance alongside Finch in Egypt.
So in parallel timelines, Martinez tells parallel stories. Two stories set around Saturn in each timeline and two Earth-bound stories in each timeline. On Earth, science and alchemy attempt to recreate the portal that connected Jain’s world with Weatherby’s. In 2134, the DAEDALUS (Dimensional And Extraterrestrial Defense, Analysis & Logistical Unified Services) organization is led by Dr. Evan Greene. The shoe-horning of the acronym into an existing thing, like the event which lends the previous novel its title, is cheesy enough to be believed and also lends a nice pulpy feel to the story that parallels the setting (and alchemically powered ships and travel) evoked in 1798.
I appreciated the added layers of both the future 2134 and the widening galactic community in the 1798 storyline. Martinez follows a somewhat similar pattern in how the storylines converge, but that makes it no less rewarding. If it worked once, and it isn’t broken, why fix it? What comes through the most in The Enceladus Crisis, much as it did in the previous novel, is the sheer fun Martinez seems to be having with his stories. In one novel, he’s essentially telling four stories. Juggling those storylines isn’t always a smooth affair, but the end result is rewarding, fun and has me more intrigued about what could be happening in the past as well as the future. There’s a great sense of wonder in this novel and I look forward to that sense carrying through to the final novel, The Venusian Gambit.
Recommended.
© 2016 Rob H. Bedford
Published by Night Shade Books / Trade Paperback ISBN 978-1597-80504-9
August 2014 / 320 Pages
http://michaeljmartinez.net/
Excerpt: http://io9.com/18th-century-naval-warfare-hits-the-asteroid-belt-in-e-1573193773
Review copy courtesy of the publisher, Night Shade Books
