Dark Side (Pax Britannia) [Paperback]

"Start a new life on the Moon!"

I have been a huge fan of the Pax Britannia novels since I discovered the first novel Unnatural History back in 2007. I was quickly in thrall to the universe of gentleman adventurer and dandy, Ulysees Quicksilver and his ever loyal man servant, Nimrod. Set in an alternate Britain where the Victorian era never ended, the British Empire, now known as Magna Britannia, is still going strong. The industrial revolution continues unchecked and with the help of steam technology Victoria has retained her throne for over one hundred and sixty years.

In Dark Side, the sixth Pax Britiannia novel that Green has written, the author takes Ulysees Quicksilver from the now familiar streets of London Maximus, off world to the British colonial moon base Luna Prime. Our erstwhile hero's brother, Barty, always the black sheep of the family, has left London unexpectedly and Ulysees is determined to track him down.

Upon his arrival in the moon Quicksilver begins to uncover a massive conspiracy that will affect not only him and his family but the whole of the British Empire. The reader is then drawn into a rollercoaster of a story involving time travel, giant robots, politics and industrial intrigue.

This novel kept me hooked from page one. It struck me that the title works on two levels. It doesn't just refer to the dark side of the moon but the reader also gets to experience the darker side of Ulysees character due to the events that unfold.

The thing I like most about Green's writing, and it's in evidence here, is that he pays attention to the little details. This is what makes the world(s) of Pax Britannia feel so well realised. Each chapter title is named after a movie, album, play or even episode of The X Files, that deal with matters cosmic or robotic. I think I managed to spot all the references but I might be wrong. The character names as ever are wonderfully evocative from Wilberforce Bainbridge to Alexander Oddfellow. Mention also has to be made of the splendid cover design for this book. I like the reworking of the image from the 1902 sci-fi epic Le Voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon).

Prior to Dark Side, each Quicksilver adventure in the series has essentially been a standalone affair, previous books are mentioned but only in passing. The scope of Dark Side is much larger. The novel ends on a cliff hanger, there is much more to this tale than can be covered in a single book. If I have ever had a criticism of the previous novels it has been that I wanted larger more involved story arcs and based on the ending of Dark Side my wish has been granted.

A new Pax Britannia novel is always a cause for excitement here at The Eloquent Page. Dark Side joins the existing novels as a worthy addition. Green has crafted yet another action packed rip-snorter. Each new release fleshes out the Ulysees Quicksilver universe and is a guaranteed must read. Long may the adventures of Ulysees Quicksilver continue.

As if all this weren't enough, an added bonus after the main feature, the novel also contains an additional Ulysees Quicksilver novella Proteus Unbound.

The next Ulysees Quicksilver adventure, Anno Frankenstein, is due for release in 2011. I look forward to reading it when it is available.

Fan's of Jonathan's Ulysses Quicksilver will be rushing and demanding this title quicker than Nimrod can pour a stiff brandy.

As usual, Jonathan's writing is wonderfully descriptive alongside bringing a more vulnerable Quicksilver to the fore. Green's latest title bring Steampunk Victoriana to the readers imagination so much so, that it's going to be a long wait for Anno Frankenstein.

Finally, add some great dialogue alongside a return of an old friend or two which makes this Quicksilvers finest exploit to date. Whilst you can read this without having read the previous five, you'll have lost a lot of background as well as some serious world building which generates its own head of steam that will be hard to stop once you get going.

Dark Side is the latest, and certainly the most spectacular, of Jonathan Green's Ulysses Quicksilver series.

Quicksilver, in case you've missed the previous few books in the series, is the silver-tongued gentleman-adventurer whose plan is always to "make it up as he goes along". In Dark Side, this takes him to strange new places - in both geographical and narrative terms.

Geographically speaking, as you can guess from the cover, Quicksilver is shooting off to the Moon. As one of the furthest-flung colonies in Magna Britannia, the Moon has an isolated, pioneering feel to it. This is where folks go to start new lives - or to escape their old ones.

Ulysses, of course, is pretty satisfied with his life (who wouldn't be?). But his dodgy brother, Barty? It was only inevitable that his troubles would involve him fleeing somewhere to start over.

Ulysses takes to the Moon to get his brother back. Adding further tension to his stretched emotional state is the fact that his former fiancee, Emilia, is sharing the same rocketship. Ulysses, in proper slapstick fashion, is incapable of saying or doing the right thing. Despite his fervent promises to turn over a new leaf, Emilia keeps walking in on him at exactly the wrong time.

Still, as entertaining as Ulysses' personal life is, his emotional conflicts are only the tiniest subset of the many, many conflicts within the pages of Dark Side. Ulysses is chased by robots, guards, more robots, dogs, robot dogs, henchmen, robot henchmen, meteors and an army of Nazi clones.

Perhaps the biggest journey is the actual structure of Dark Side, which goes into uncharted territory for the series. Whereas the previous books were essentially one-offs (although one-offs that rewarded loyal readers), Dark Side builds out of the existing Pax Britannia mythos. Although reading the short story "Vanishing Point" isn't absolutely necessary to understanding Dark Side, it certainly gives you a running start. And, on the other end of the book, Dark Side is the first in the series to actually end with a proper, "ack!-when-is-the-next-book-out?!" cliffhanger.

Dark Side is the biggest book in the series in all respects. By bringing in characters and conflicts from earlier books (some for the last time), Green elevates this from a snappy, pocket-sized adventure into the start of something properly epic. Even bringing Emilia back as the object of flirtation helps make this book more serious and less ephemeral than those that came before it. Without giving away any spoilers, the reader feels like the cozy universe of Pax Britannia is truly, irreversibly changing.

My main complaint? I'm always loathe to endorse cliff-hangers - especially in books that I actually enjoy. I'm also a fundamentally wary reader when it comes to series evolution. I enjoy the Quicksilver books just the way they are, but Dark Side is clearly a cross-over point to something new and different. I have great faith in Mr Green's ability to bring the reader with him into new territory but I don't want to lose everything about the series that I've enjoyed in the past. Epic is great, but so is witty, clever and good old-fashioned fun. Ulysses Quicksilver has always brought those to the reader, and let's hope he continues to do so in the future as well.

Finally, a quick note to reward double-bonus-Awesome Points for the cover art, a cheeky pastiche of the famous shot from the 1902 silent movie, A Journey to the Moon. This isn't the only homage to the film (and the original Verne story) that takes place within Dark Side.