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The Daedalus Incident
(Daedalus #1)
by
Mars is supposed to be dead.…
Bizarre quakes are rumbling over the long-dormant tectonic plates of the planet, disrupting its trillion-dollar mining operations and driving scientists past the edges of theory and reason. However, when rocks shake off their ancient dust and begin to roll—seemingly of their own volition—carving canals as they converge to form a towering struct ...more
Bizarre quakes are rumbling over the long-dormant tectonic plates of the planet, disrupting its trillion-dollar mining operations and driving scientists past the edges of theory and reason. However, when rocks shake off their ancient dust and begin to roll—seemingly of their own volition—carving canals as they converge to form a towering struct ...more
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Paperback, 400 pages
Published
August 13th 2013
by Night Shade
(first published May 7th 2013)
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of The Daedalus Incident (Daedalus #1)

This was a great book, giving science-fiction fans the best of both worlds.
On one hand we have the year 1779. The British Royal Navy is sailing - in big ships with sails - around the solar system. They go from Earth to Venus to Mercury to Saturn. They fly/sail on solar winds. The ships are run on alchemy. Women have no rights. The British colonies are just starting to try and free themselves from British rule. Benjamin Franklin is a powerful alchemist fighting for freedom against the British. Th ...more
On one hand we have the year 1779. The British Royal Navy is sailing - in big ships with sails - around the solar system. They go from Earth to Venus to Mercury to Saturn. They fly/sail on solar winds. The ships are run on alchemy. Women have no rights. The British colonies are just starting to try and free themselves from British rule. Benjamin Franklin is a powerful alchemist fighting for freedom against the British. Th ...more

Nov 05, 2013
Mogsy (MMOGC)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
science-fiction,
aliens,
audiobook,
fantasy,
pirates,
time-travel,
magic,
action-adventure,
whispersync,
alternate-history
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...
Being a type A personality and stickler for organization, I employ the use of many different shelves to sort my books on Goodreads. Anyway, just to give you an idea of the kind of book we're talking about here, these are just some of the ones I've tagged for The Daedalus Incident: Action-Adventure. Aliens. Alternate History. Fantasy. Magic. Science Fiction. Time Travel. Oh and I almost forgot, Pirates, too.
As you can see, ...more
Being a type A personality and stickler for organization, I employ the use of many different shelves to sort my books on Goodreads. Anyway, just to give you an idea of the kind of book we're talking about here, these are just some of the ones I've tagged for The Daedalus Incident: Action-Adventure. Aliens. Alternate History. Fantasy. Magic. Science Fiction. Time Travel. Oh and I almost forgot, Pirates, too.
As you can see, ...more

I'll be honest. I heard "Mars" and "Female protagonist" and I bought the book. If I had read the back of the book, I might not have bought it because - mixing fantasy and scifi? Not in my house, mister. The book flips between a future Martian mining base and an alternate history steampunky fantasy world. I started reading only the future Martian bit. It was SO GOOD. SO good I went back and read the fantasy bits. This book unreservedly kicked ass. I thought the author did a great job writing wome
...more

Refreshing mix of fantasy, science fiction, mystery and history.
Two time lines with interesting characters, a kind of time traveland other travels, alchemy, sailing-ships, spaceships, aliens and and and ...
Due to certain circumstances I promised the author to post my review not before end of May 2013.
FULL REVIEW
THE STORY BEHIND
In December 2012 I came in contact with author Michael J. Martinez. He told me that his debut novel will be published in May 2013. The author has been so kind to add me to ...more
Two time lines with interesting characters, a kind of time traveland other travels, alchemy, sailing-ships, spaceships, aliens and and and ...
Due to certain circumstances I promised the author to post my review not before end of May 2013.
FULL REVIEW
THE STORY BEHIND
In December 2012 I came in contact with author Michael J. Martinez. He told me that his debut novel will be published in May 2013. The author has been so kind to add me to ...more

Blurb:
"The Daedalus Incident is Master & Commander by way of Spelljammer smashed into a effortlessly believable 22nd century Martian mining project. Tremendous fun."
...more
"The Daedalus Incident is Master & Commander by way of Spelljammer smashed into a effortlessly believable 22nd century Martian mining project. Tremendous fun."
...more

Since the year is wrapping up, I decided it was a good time to read the book since it will likely be up for award nominations. So I started reading. I was hooked. There are two very diverse parallel worlds that intersect in the novel: future Mars where earthquakes and weird things are happening that should not, and an alternate 1779 where the British Navy uses alchemy to fly schooners through space and battles against rebels on Ganymede. Then I reached page 138 of my book. It skipped to page 187
...more

Martinez has managed to blend the swash buckling ways of 1779 and the hard science and action of working on Mars in 2132 that makes both relavent.
And in fact this great mash up of time lines results in the collision of these two time lines in the exciting conclusion to the story.
In 1779 we have the almost “steampunk” like activity of sailing between the stars with a literal sea going ship. This is accomplished through lodestones that have been treated by an Alchemist to support the gravity and a ...more
And in fact this great mash up of time lines results in the collision of these two time lines in the exciting conclusion to the story.
In 1779 we have the almost “steampunk” like activity of sailing between the stars with a literal sea going ship. This is accomplished through lodestones that have been treated by an Alchemist to support the gravity and a ...more

Michael's debut marries two genres in an exciting and fresh way. I had a great time reading this!
...more

You can find the full review over at The Founding Fields:
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/04/...
Shadowhawk reviews an upcoming debut novel from Night Shade Books.
“In a time of SFF that is often serious and cerebral, The Daedalus Incident takes a step back to focus on the most important reason any reader picks up a book – to read a story that is plain good fun and adventure and that does not get bogged down into complexities of the world. A highly recommended debut.” ~The Founding Fields
Before I ...more
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/04/...
Shadowhawk reviews an upcoming debut novel from Night Shade Books.
“In a time of SFF that is often serious and cerebral, The Daedalus Incident takes a step back to focus on the most important reason any reader picks up a book – to read a story that is plain good fun and adventure and that does not get bogged down into complexities of the world. A highly recommended debut.” ~The Founding Fields
Before I ...more

Rating: 4.5* of five
The Publisher Says: Bizarre earthquakes are rumbling over the long-dormant tectonic plates of the planet, disrupting its trillion-dollar mining operations and driving scientists past the edges of theory and reason. However, when rocks shake off their ancient dust and begin to roll—seemingly of their own volition—carving canals as they converge to form a towering structure amid the ruddy terrain, Lt. Jain and her JSC team realize that their routine geological survey of a Marti ...more
The Publisher Says: Bizarre earthquakes are rumbling over the long-dormant tectonic plates of the planet, disrupting its trillion-dollar mining operations and driving scientists past the edges of theory and reason. However, when rocks shake off their ancient dust and begin to roll—seemingly of their own volition—carving canals as they converge to form a towering structure amid the ruddy terrain, Lt. Jain and her JSC team realize that their routine geological survey of a Marti ...more

I'm not sure if it's just that I've picked up a lot of books that are going along the "two plots are seemingly unrelated, but end up intertwining in unpredictable and interesting ways" theme, but we can add The Daedalus Incident to that list regardless
On one hand, you have an alternate late-1700s where spacebound pirate/merchant ships exist and there's a lot of political and interstellar strife. On the other, you have the future 400 years later regarding a Mars expedition that has a lot of myste ...more
On one hand, you have an alternate late-1700s where spacebound pirate/merchant ships exist and there's a lot of political and interstellar strife. On the other, you have the future 400 years later regarding a Mars expedition that has a lot of myste ...more

The Daedalus Incident by Michael J. Martinez offers two separate and wildly different storylines. The first one takes place in 2132, when a seemingly impossible earthquake on Mars sets off a chain of even stranger events. The second one is set in 1779 on the HMS Daedalus, which is just departing Portsmouth on a course set for Jupiter, where it will assist in the blockade of the Ganymedean city New York.
Guess which one of those two storylines drew my attention, when I saw a plot summary of this n ...more
Guess which one of those two storylines drew my attention, when I saw a plot summary of this n ...more

Dual story lines, when done well, can really drive narrative, and this is what Martinez has done here. Two very different story lines that do, eventually, meet up. Both were populated with interesting characters that I cared about, and the stakes were higher than I at first thought.
Also, I'm ridiculously happy by O'Brien style seafarers...in space. ...more
Also, I'm ridiculously happy by O'Brien style seafarers...in space. ...more

Mars is supposed to be dead.
But in this action-adventure science fantasy by Michael J. Martinez, it most certainly isn’t, and Lt. Shaila Jain (part of the Mars mining base in 2132) soon finds herself in a bit of hot water as quakes rattle the planet, carving unnatural structures on the surface of Mars. Meanwhile, in an alternate 1779, Lt. Thomas Weatherby of the British Royal Navy sails through the solar system in an attempt to recover something stolen – and discovers something more sinister tha ...more
But in this action-adventure science fantasy by Michael J. Martinez, it most certainly isn’t, and Lt. Shaila Jain (part of the Mars mining base in 2132) soon finds herself in a bit of hot water as quakes rattle the planet, carving unnatural structures on the surface of Mars. Meanwhile, in an alternate 1779, Lt. Thomas Weatherby of the British Royal Navy sails through the solar system in an attempt to recover something stolen – and discovers something more sinister tha ...more

A split narrative story with one storyline in an alternative universe analogous to Earth’s eighteenth century (with several notable differences) and the other in the supposed twenty-second century of this Earth. The eighteenth century is easier to believe. The other seems very twenty first century. Both exhibit a high school understanding of physics and politics. Reads as if written ten years ago. Both heroes are pigheaded idiots, and danger to life and mission, and should have been removed from
...more

This book popped up on my library ebook lending page and the title and the cover looked interesting. Then I read the little blurb, Mars and ye olde wooden sailing ships 'sailing' between the planets, and I thought it could be really good or really bad. Turns out it's really good! =)
I guess it could be classified as steampunk, but it's very light on the steampunk. I'd classify it more as magic with a side of steampunk.
There are two timelines and the author does a good job of switching between the ...more
I guess it could be classified as steampunk, but it's very light on the steampunk. I'd classify it more as magic with a side of steampunk.
There are two timelines and the author does a good job of switching between the ...more

I gave up after 120 pages. The concept is good; however, the colonial-era space fantasy, which would probably have been brilliant 50 years ago, feels a little too sad-puppy nostalgia for my taste, and the rest plods.
I may try the author's other series, if he can pick up the pace a little and avoid normalizing the slave trade. ...more
I may try the author's other series, if he can pick up the pace a little and avoid normalizing the slave trade. ...more

Martinez has put together a neat little parallel worlds sci/fi story, stitching together two seemingly unrelated stories across time, space, and actual universes. Half of the book is the story of 2Lt Weatherby, serving in the Royal Navy in 1779 in an alternate universe where alchemy works and the solar system is much more amicable to life, where the great empires traverse the void between worlds on sailing ships. In an interesting parallel, he is actually being sent (aboard the HMS Daedalus) to
...more

One might ask, when picking up science fiction, whether one wants a steely-hard realistic near-future novel about a techy mining base on Mars -- or an extravagant planetary romance where alchemical galleons swan around the Solar system, firing cannons at each other.
Or, as the author of this book, one might say "Ha ha! I will do *both at the same time*! Mua ha ha ha!"
(The "mua ha ha" is not attested, but I am morally certain that's how he said it.)
The chapters flip back and forth between 2132 and ...more
Or, as the author of this book, one might say "Ha ha! I will do *both at the same time*! Mua ha ha ha!"
(The "mua ha ha" is not attested, but I am morally certain that's how he said it.)
The chapters flip back and forth between 2132 and ...more

Solid, fun spec fic adventure - the cross between historical fantasy and sci-fi is great, it's like getting two books in one.
...more

A stunningly s-l-o-w mash-up of steam punk/space opera/alternate history/pirate adventure, with lots of extraneous exposition. Oh - and the "surprise ending" is obvious by the middle of the book. Predictable. Meh.
...more

Two Earths – Two Different Times. That is the premise of The Daedalus Incident.
I loved the world building. While one Earth is set in 2132 with science that matches ours the other is set in 1779 and the science is nothing like ours. In fact it allows sailing ships to travel in space used alchemy to keep gravity and air as they sail the Void. The first two chapters introduce both worlds and as the story progresses those worlds begin to interact and not in a good way.
The two main characters for ea ...more
I loved the world building. While one Earth is set in 2132 with science that matches ours the other is set in 1779 and the science is nothing like ours. In fact it allows sailing ships to travel in space used alchemy to keep gravity and air as they sail the Void. The first two chapters introduce both worlds and as the story progresses those worlds begin to interact and not in a good way.
The two main characters for ea ...more

A somewhat fun futuristic space opera connected with a gunpowder fantasy. Or vv.
One story is set on 2132 Mars, where unusual tectonic activity is messing with commercial mining operations. The other story this set in an alternate 1779, where the British Royal Navy flies the void between the planets in wooden tall ships powered by alchemy. The two stories alternate chapter by chapter for most of the book. (The alternate-1779 story has an odd structure: each entry begins as a journal entry in 1st ...more
One story is set on 2132 Mars, where unusual tectonic activity is messing with commercial mining operations. The other story this set in an alternate 1779, where the British Royal Navy flies the void between the planets in wooden tall ships powered by alchemy. The two stories alternate chapter by chapter for most of the book. (The alternate-1779 story has an odd structure: each entry begins as a journal entry in 1st ...more

Pretty good, considering there's two competing narratives that don't really tie into each other until a good way into the book. One world is much more fleshed out than the other, so I'm hoping we'll get a better look at Jain's universe in the sequels.
...more

Science and alternative history combine to give us a story that echoes classic Science Fiction literature. The reader bounces back and forth from the years 2132 and 1779, and even though these stories are separated by 353 years, the characters will need to combine their efforts to save the universe. In 2132 we follow Lt. Jain and her JSC team as they realize that their routine geological survey of a Martian cave system is anything but. Mars-quakes and rocks that roll up hill are just a hint of t
...more

Two books shoved together in alternating chapters: a story of miners on Mars dealing with bizarre phenomena, and a steampunk pulp SF Age of Sail thing about tall ships swooping around the solar system via the power of alchemy. Naturally, these universes end up colliding eventually.
The Age of Sail stuff was honestly the only reason I kept reading, because there the worldbuilding and characters were at least marginally interesting; no one on the Martian side of the story was, at all, and by the en ...more
The Age of Sail stuff was honestly the only reason I kept reading, because there the worldbuilding and characters were at least marginally interesting; no one on the Martian side of the story was, at all, and by the en ...more

The Daedalus Incident is Michael Martinez's masterful alternate history SciFi thriller. It's a brilliant story that is predominately told from two perspectives: Second Lt. Thomas Weatherby of HMS Daedalus in 1779 (typically from his journal) and Lt. Shaila Jain, Joint Space Command (JSC) in 2132 assigned to Mars. Both are dedicated Royal Navy officers who handle themselves well (overall). A nice synopsis is given on Amazon. The book drew me into The Zone, that place where I simply find myself im
...more


I really liked the concept and really wanted to like the actual story itself. Unfortunately, I think the main structural conceit of the book wound up dooming it in the end. I'll try to keep it as vague and unspoilery as I can while still being useful.
Basically, the primary story revolves around two separate timelines that, for most of the book, operate in apparently disconnected and parallel ways. One timeline is an alternate version of what we know as the American Revolutionary period, which i ...more
Basically, the primary story revolves around two separate timelines that, for most of the book, operate in apparently disconnected and parallel ways. One timeline is an alternate version of what we know as the American Revolutionary period, which i ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Adventures in Sci...: AISFP Podcast 261 - Michael J. Martinez, Daedalus Series | 1 | 4 | May 30, 2014 10:33AM | |
Goodreads Librari...: These books are both by me... | 3 | 19 | Nov 02, 2013 04:00PM | |
The Sword and Laser: The Daedalus Incident giveaway | 9 | 91 | Jun 30, 2013 01:25PM | |
Alternate History: The Daedalus Incident giveaway | 1 | 20 | Mar 14, 2013 06:23AM | |
The Gunroom: The Daedalus Incident giveaway | 1 | 19 | Mar 14, 2013 06:20AM | |
The Sword and Laser: I'm crashing a sailing ship into Mars...as one does. | 1 | 31 | Jan 09, 2013 07:01AM |
I’m a father and writer living the dream in the Golden State. I’ve spent nearly 20 years as a professional writer and journalist, including stints at The Associated Press and ABCNEWS.com. After telling other people’s stories for the bulk of my career, I’m happy that I can now be telling a few of my own creation.
When not being a parent or writer, I enjoy beer and homebrewing, cooking and eating, th ...more
When not being a parent or writer, I enjoy beer and homebrewing, cooking and eating, th ...more
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“Icarus did not survive his fall. We can only hope Daedalus fares better.”
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