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LONDON, 1899 It has been six years since the discovery of intelligent life on Mars, and relations between the two worlds are rapidly developing. Three-legged Martian omnibuses stride through the streets and across the landscape, while Queen Victoria has been returned to the vigour of youth by Martian rejuvenation drugs. Victorian computer technology is proceeding apace, thanks to the faeries who power the ‘cogitators’, while the first Æther zeppelins are nearing completion, with a British expedition to the Moon being planned for the following year.
Everything seems to be going swimmingly, until Lunan R’ondd, Martian Ambassador to the Court of Saint James’s, dies while attending a banquet at Buckingham Palace. The discovery of strange, microscopic larvae in his breathing apparatus leads Queen Victoria to suspect that he may have been the victim of a bizarre assassination.
The Martian Parliament agrees, and they are not pleased. No Martian has ever died in such suspicious circumstances while on Earth. An ultimatum is given: if Her Majesty’s Government cannot solve the crime and bring the perpetrator to justice, the Martians will!
Enter Thomas Blackwood, Special Investigator for Her Majesty’s Bureau of Clandestine Affairs. Along with Lady Sophia Harrington, Secretary of the Society for Psychical Research, Blackwood is charged with the task of solving the mystery of Ambassador R’ondd’s death, before the Martians take matters into their own hands, possibly igniting an interplanetary war in the process!
Everything seems to be going swimmingly, until Lunan R’ondd, Martian Ambassador to the Court of Saint James’s, dies while attending a banquet at Buckingham Palace. The discovery of strange, microscopic larvae in his breathing apparatus leads Queen Victoria to suspect that he may have been the victim of a bizarre assassination.
The Martian Parliament agrees, and they are not pleased. No Martian has ever died in such suspicious circumstances while on Earth. An ultimatum is given: if Her Majesty’s Government cannot solve the crime and bring the perpetrator to justice, the Martians will!
Enter Thomas Blackwood, Special Investigator for Her Majesty’s Bureau of Clandestine Affairs. Along with Lady Sophia Harrington, Secretary of the Society for Psychical Research, Blackwood is charged with the task of solving the mystery of Ambassador R’ondd’s death, before the Martians take matters into their own hands, possibly igniting an interplanetary war in the process!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I find myself in something of a quandary with how many stars to give 'The Martian Ambassador'. It is an enjoyable Steampunk novel that breathes fresh life into some tired ideas. It is not however a perfect novel, the ending is rushed, and obvious questions about Baker's world, that may have inconvenient answers, are simply ignored. So four stars then? Well yes, but regular readers of my reviews (Hello Mum!) will know I have formed an attachment to George Mann's Newbury and Hobbes series, which I have also given four stars. Baker's novel is superior to Mann's in almost every way. So as far star rating goes consider 'The Affinity Bridge' a generous 3.5, and 'The Martian Ambassador' a curmudgeonly 4.5.
So why did I like Baker's novel so much? For a start, it's the lack of fog. This is a re-imagined Victorian England, but the introduction of Martian technology, has enabled the author to avoid the usual industrial-revolution-in-overdrive clichés. Second is Baker's reverence for the genre's forebears. There are a number of small homages to the writers that have come before him (such has having had one of the Martian craft come down in Woking). His references are seldom heavy-handed and it gives the novel an extra depth; something else for the reader to look for. Finally, Baker has had a pretty good stab at doing what nearly all great Sci-Fi novels do; using an other-worldly setting to hold a lens to modern society. They seem obvious when stated starkly, but Baker offers a subtle examination of racism, arms-dealing and war-crimes. He asks, what measures are reasonable for a state to defend itself, and looks (crudely) at the role of the press in stirring up mass-hysteria.
There are some complaints on these pages, that Baker's use of Faeries, and his mystical Aether, are not in keeping with the genre's traditions, but I found this approach refreshing. As a story, the novel doesn't quite work all the way through (most notably the Villain makes the classic megalomaniac mistake of not just killing James Bond), but 'The Martian Ambassador' is the start of a fresh new series, that manages to stand out from a cluttered field.
So why did I like Baker's novel so much? For a start, it's the lack of fog. This is a re-imagined Victorian England, but the introduction of Martian technology, has enabled the author to avoid the usual industrial-revolution-in-overdrive clichés. Second is Baker's reverence for the genre's forebears. There are a number of small homages to the writers that have come before him (such has having had one of the Martian craft come down in Woking). His references are seldom heavy-handed and it gives the novel an extra depth; something else for the reader to look for. Finally, Baker has had a pretty good stab at doing what nearly all great Sci-Fi novels do; using an other-worldly setting to hold a lens to modern society. They seem obvious when stated starkly, but Baker offers a subtle examination of racism, arms-dealing and war-crimes. He asks, what measures are reasonable for a state to defend itself, and looks (crudely) at the role of the press in stirring up mass-hysteria.
There are some complaints on these pages, that Baker's use of Faeries, and his mystical Aether, are not in keeping with the genre's traditions, but I found this approach refreshing. As a story, the novel doesn't quite work all the way through (most notably the Villain makes the classic megalomaniac mistake of not just killing James Bond), but 'The Martian Ambassador' is the start of a fresh new series, that manages to stand out from a cluttered field.
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Maybe I was expecting too much of this book, everyone else thought it was great and I felt it was rubbish. Their glowing reveiws encouraged me to buy it and I felt compelled to write this to show that it may not be as good as you hope. I found the characters two dimensional and steroetyped to an absurd degree. It is indeed Sherlock Holmes meets War of the Worlds, with none of the originality of either. In fact, it appeared to be lifted entirely from both. I could just about forgive this (being very fond of both) until the fairies turned up ...... yes, Oberon and Titania make a bizarre appearance that took the book from merely bad to truly aweful. If you want an off beat Victorian age turned on its head, read the Burton and Swinburne books by Mark Hodder. Alternatively the excellent Jackals series by Stephen Hunt. Much better investment of time and money.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Another alternative Victorian London that's now becoming an all to familiar sight. It's London, it's foggy, there's airships, Spring-Heeled Jack of course - everything you would expect from Fozzygig's patent Steampunk Plot Computational Engine. The Martian connection was a reasonable development but fell prey to daft-name-itis. Having lots of apostrophes in your name does not make it more exotic. Lord Pannick reminded me of the bloke from the Go-Compare ad. Sorry to have such a downer on this book but I really do feel it was yet another Steampunk by numbers when it could have been so much more. Perhaps the next one will have more promise.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Disappointed
I like reading science fiction/fantasy but this is my first venture into the realms of steampunk I was curious to see for myself what all the fuss was about in this revitalised... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Samantha
A new experience
having never read steampunk I was a little dubious about it but this was a well written intersting tale that took me out of myself and really enjoyed. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Claudine
New Scotland Temple - Marvellous
How can one not enjoy a book where the Templars are standing in for the Metroplitan police ? Characters are still Victorian in appearance and in attitude, which helps make the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Bohemond
"The devil you say!"
This is the first novel of what I believe is the "steampunk" genre that I have read; so stand to be corrected on its classification. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Keen Reader
Good catch
A good combination of Sherlock Holmes, steampunk and Mars-related 19th century science fiction. Fast-paced and gripping. Will definetly buy the next volume. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Hammerbolt
Watch out for the Fairies!
Ok, I have to say, I bought this book based on two things:
1. My knee-jerk purchase of anything to do with Mars; and
2. The mainly great reviews. Read more
1. My knee-jerk purchase of anything to do with Mars; and
2. The mainly great reviews. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. S. Barr
Excellent read
I thought this was a very unusual and entertaining novel, and a terrific introduction to the Steampunk genre. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Terry
More, please!
This is great. I had just finished "Morlock Night", which I must say I found rather disappointing, and then got this, which has restored my faith in neo-Wellsian writing. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Dr. Robert J. Barker
Wonderful adventure story in the style of early H.G. Wells
It would be a shame if this excellent homage to H.G. Wells would go unnoticed in the current flood of steampunk novels, because it is so much better than most. Read more
Published 11 months ago by MaskedMarauder
fantastic and not a George Mann Clone
I absolutely loved this novel. I have loved the subject of Martian life in fiction all my life from 'War of the worlds' through to 'Princess of Mars' and 'Gulliver's vacation'. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Dean Jones
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