Seven Cities of Gold is a fascinating and well written alternate history novella.
Seven Cities of Gold is one of the best alternate history stories I've read during the last couple of years. I usually try to avoid alternate history, because I haven't been impressed with certain books, so it was nice to read a good and complex story for a change. To be honest, PS Publishing's alternate history novellas have made a big impression on me (Beth Bernobich's Ars Memoriae was a great novella and now David Moles' Seven Cities of Gold is another excellent novella).
David Moles shows an interesting vision of a different kind of world in his novella. The world is a bit similar to our world, but different, because certain things didn't happen in our world. The story begins when Chië Nakada is told to put an end to the delusions of Clara Dos Orsos, who is believed to control Antilian insurgents. In my opinion this is a good beginning, because it makes you want to keep on reading. Then, gradually, the story becomes even more intriguing and complex.
The main character, Chië Nakada, is an interesting character, because she's a Doctor-Lieutenant and an opium addict. The short extracts from her pillow book reveal her feelings to the reader and make her a real person.
If you're interested in alternate history, you'll probably like Seven Cities of Gold very much. It's a fascinating alternate history story, because David Moles' prose is good and the story is genuinely fascinating.
