One thought on “Arabella of Mars”

1. 3.5ish stars.This is a very fun YA steampunk that intelligently circumvents some of the most annoying tropes of YA in a way that makes it feel appropriate for both younger young adults as well as non young adult adults In a clever alternate 1800s history when space travel takes place in airships that sail between planets there lives a respectable, intrepid heroine named Arabella, born to English parents on Mars We get to follow the story across several settings including the Red Planet, England [...]

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2. Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature What if Isaac Newton, instead of watching an apple fall from a tree and being inspired to develop a new theory of gravity, had observed a bubble rising from his bathtub and begun to meditate on space travel Well, in the world of Arabella of Mars, a delightful and unique blend of a Regency era nautical adventure and the pioneering science fiction of Jules Verne or Edgar Rice Burroughs, it resulted in Captain Kidd commanding the first voyage to Mars [...]

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3. 4.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum bibliosanctum 2016 09 16 Meet Arabella Ashby of Mars The year is 1812 and already humans have been capable of space travel for centuries, thanks to the advances in automata and airship technology made in the 1600s Our titular heroine is Martian born and Martian bred, having been raised on her family s frontier colonial plantation until the year she turned sixteen, when her mother deemed the red planet too unsuitable for the enrichment of proper young ladies Af [...]

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4. Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths Set on an alternate earth where Isaac Newton discovered the means for man to reach the stars in the late 1600s, Arabella of Mars captures the romantic, optimistic feel of classic science fiction The environment of 1800s English society adding an elegant veneer to a thoroughly spacefaring journey of self discovery by our heroine, Arabella Ashby of Mars When human s venture forth into space, Mars is naturally the first planet explored Mankind discovering that not [...]

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5. Here is my non spoiler video review youtu 5CSG2vDpWcs

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6. I read this book in draft, and loved it before the professional editors got to it and gave it its extra polish.Intrepid Arabella spent enough time running about with her Martian friends on Great Britain s Martian colony to feel the constraint of female social expectations when she is shipped off to England to be prepared for the marriage hunt While staying with her obnoxious aunt and cousins, she overhears something from a one of those cousins to make her believe that her brother heir to the est [...]

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7. A clever mash up of a Regency England period piece with the sort of solar system imagined by early writers in SF We get sailing ships in space plying the trade routes between Earth and Mars during the Napoleonic Wars along with a Mars with Martian natives and canals Also a Venus with swamps and jungles and lizardmen, but unseen here And all of this with our viewpoint character, the wonderfully capable Arabella, raised on Mars where the native women are warriors and chafing under the restrictions [...]

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8. Read an advance copy and loved it enough to provide the following blurb Levine has created a wonderful alternate 19th century, with interplanetary airships, space pirates, automatons, Martians, and a young woman determined to save her family This book reminded me how much fun reading can be, and makes me want to take an airship to Mars.Right now.

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9. 3 3.5 stars A light, fun adventure story that had me thinking of Jules Verne and Horatio Hornblower, but with a resourceful, determined female main character, Arabella Ashby There is a lot of action, and the story moves quickly from the Ashby plantation on Mars, to England, then back to Mars There are a number of elements to the story that I enjoyed girl masquerading as a boy, airship battle, on board politics, automata, scheming relatives One other interesting aspect of the book I was actually [...]

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10. This book should really be titled Arabella, The Hero of Everything Spoilerish Maneuver through zero gravity on the ship better than the seasoned airmen Yep Take down the big bully almost unscathed No biggee Talk down a mutiny On my afternoon break Save the ship from crash landing Please Amateur hour over here END A WAR ON MARS Well, what do you think I am basically THE best It was pretty ridiculous how Arabella single handedly overcame all obstacles and was the best at all the things and inciden [...]

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11. Arabella of Mars is a steampunk adventure set in Regency England It is a well written and largely enjoyable tale that finds the titular heroine racing from London to her family plantation on Mars to save her beloved brother from a murderous fate.The novel unfortunately falls into the nostalgia trap, wherein the author attempts to idealize the imagined past while acknowledging its social and cultural evils in this case colonialism, slavery and oppression This kind of balancing act is always unsus [...]

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12. FULL REVIEW ON MY BLOG, TOTAL INABILITY TO CONNECTI want to preface by saying that I know David a bit, as he s a prominent figure in the local book scene, however I doubt he could pick me out of a lineup I m a huge fan of his short fiction I really have legitimately enjoyed pretty much all works from him I ve ever read Knowing that, I was than excited to get my hands on his full novel, especially once the details on the plot and setting came out.Arabella Ashby is a Martian Actually, let me reph [...]

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13. This was such a wonderful, pleasing alt history steampunk ish action adventure story Why do I do this to myself Why do I read a book that looks like it s going to be awesome before the next book in the series is out Because guess what IT WAS AWESOME And now I have to wait until July for the next one to be out Grrrrrarrrrgh So, the breakdown Way back when, instead of a falling apple inspiring Newton to law ify gravity, a floating soap bubble inspired the science of air travel instead Fast forward [...]

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14. cross posted from fox and fictionI knew two things going into this book one, that the laws of the universe had been drastically altered to allow for sailing ships to float into space and the atmosphere outside of Earth to be breathable, in the year 1813, and two, that the main character disguises herself to board one of those ships bound for Mars Despite how fun both of those things sound, this book was a colossal disappointment While I love the trope of women in history passing as men, among me [...]

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15. Trigger warnings death of a parent, explosions, war, violence I think that s all 3.5 stars So here s the thing everything about this book is up my alley It s steampunk With space travel About a badass teenage girl who disguises herself as a boy and gets a job on a ship bound for Mars to try and save her brother from her douchey cousin With kind of Hornblower y feelings about it Uh, Y.E.S And for the most part, I really enjoyed it Certainly, the beginning and the end were action packed and exciti [...]

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16. Enjoyed every minute of it.For some reason I d thought this was a Middle Grade book, but it s not, it s YA Although it s perfectly appropriate for younger readers who read above their grade level.And if you enjoy this like I did , I think you d also enjoy Airborn.

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17. I read this as part of the Norton finalist packet.What a fantastic read Levine s book combines Victorian sensibilities with space faring airships, all seen through the viewpoint of the courageous and smart Arabella who masquerades as a cabin boy to get a freighter ride back home to Mars before her cousin can commit dastardly acts Levine utilizes many tropes of steampunk and 19th century literature, such as a mutiny aboard ship and the inevitable exposure of Arabella s true gender, but twists eve [...]

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18. This is a joyous throwback to SF adventure tales of old, with an exciting plot and a dashing heroine whose resourcefulness, courage, and intelligence drive the narrative as much as the extremely novel alternate world science sure, why wouldn t traveling the solar winds between planets be like sailing a vast space sea So much love It s like the SF equivalent to Uprooted for me, right now.Read alikes Uprooted, by Naomi Novik Etiquette Espionage, by Gail Carriger Airborn, by Kenneth Oppeld oh, prob [...]

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19. Written review coming Video review here Also, my interview with David D Levine.

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20. 4.5 Stars I read this for book club and I forgot to post an update for it I enjoyed this book I like the world building and the story It has steampunk elements to it, which I loved I m anxious to continue on with this series.

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21. 4.5 stars I thought this was a great first sci fi novel It did get a little slow in the middle, but not much at all So many aspects of this story I adore Definitely check it out

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22. A fun Regency England meets space exploration romp Arabella is a charming and tomboyish heroine who isn t afraid to take on dastardly cousins, space pirates, and Napoleon Bonaparte A perfect novel for anyone who loves Naomi Novik

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23. 3 stars Metaphorosis ReviewsForced to leave her home on Mars for a proper upbringing in Regency England, teenaged Arabella struggles against the role society has chosen for her, and rapidly finds herself destitute and masquerading as a boy on an interplanetary freighter, headed back to Mars on a mission of life and death.Arabella of Mars is very much a nod in the direction of Heinlein s Podkayne of Mars plucky teen girl crossing between Mars and Earth It s been a while since I read Podkayne, and [...]

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24. Predictable in many ways but still a cute story I particularly liked the beginning when the author explained the workings of the ship.

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25. Yes, you are seeing those dates correctly I finished this book the day I received it I was lucky enough to receive an ARC Advanced reader s copy of this novel, and began reading it immediately once it arrived I finished it that same evening Arabella is a self motivated young woman, one who does not conform to society s perception of her supposed role She sets out on a quest that would be difficult for anyone, much less a teenage girl taking on a role for which she has no experience whatsoever I [...]

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26. I wasn t the biggest fan of this I found it rather tropey girl disguised as boy goes into a traditionally male field etc etc and except for it being set in the air, there didn t really seem to be anything too original about it and I have read a lot better books that used these tropes.

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27. had some hopes as this type of book may work for me when the voice is right, though not in this case as there wasn t anything compelling from the first page, through the several tens of pages including the ending that I then browsed hoping to find a hook to get me reading it

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28. 3.5 4ish Really enjoyed the settings and the adventure of this It s got a great vibe to it and the main character especially was a lot of fun Full video review youtube watch v JAtOX

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29. Arabella of Mars has that classic adventure romp feel something a little bit Jules Verne y, I guess, though what I thought of was Martha Wells Emilie The Hollow World I was told it d be a fun read, and it didn t disappoint I finished it in one hour and forty minutes, when I should ve been sleeping The action ticks along at speed Arabella is a fun character, if not perhaps unique in as a character in her unique independence for her world, and I especially appreciated the fact that although she s [...]

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30. This was a fun, fast paced fantasy adventure story I really enjoyed and my first ever exposure to what I believe is termed clockpunk a predecessor to steampunk in terms of technology, with the advanced though fantastical examples of technology having to do with gears and intricate clockwork mechanisms, not steam, though as with steampunk, airships were indeed present and as with steampunk, there is technology far in advance of what existed in the real world in the same time period, though of an [...]

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