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Century War #1
Before the Storm
Fox and BC travel through time from the distant future to 1901. Elite cadets in the Imperial Army, they are young, handsome, well - mannered ... and now, mutineers. They have journeyed into the past to save the opening ceremony of Australia's first parliament from being bombed. If the cadets fail, thousands will die, sparking a century of total war.
First published June 1, 2007
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About the author
Sean McMullen
139 books97 followersDr. Sean McMullen, author of the acclaimed cyberpunk/steampunk Greatwinter Trilogy, is one of Australia's top Science Fiction and Fantasy authors.
Winning over a dozen awards (including multiple Analog Readers Awarda and a Hugo Award finalist), his work is a mixture of romance, invention and adventure, populated by strange and dynamic characters. The settings for Sean's work range from the Roman Empire, through Medieval Europe, to cities of the distant future. He is a musician, medievalist, star gazer, karate instructor, felineophile, and IT manager.
Winning over a dozen awards (including multiple Analog Readers Awarda and a Hugo Award finalist), his work is a mixture of romance, invention and adventure, populated by strange and dynamic characters. The settings for Sean's work range from the Roman Empire, through Medieval Europe, to cities of the distant future. He is a musician, medievalist, star gazer, karate instructor, felineophile, and IT manager.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 12, 2021
Once you get around the terrible cover, this book is a lot of fun.
Emily and her younger brother Danny live in Melbourne, sometime in the past. Houses of Parliament are about to be opened, a big deal for the colony, when Emily and Danny go out on a boat on the Yarra. As Danny shows off, he overturns the boat and Emily is rescued by a strange young man who is called Fox. After rescuing both siblings, Fox is invited home to dry and recover by their grateful parents who are under the impression that Fox is a Norwegian sailor, but it becomes quite clear to Emily that this is not the case.
In fact, Fox and his injured commander have come back in time to foil a nefarious plot which will plunge the British Empire and then the whole world into war. The terrible dystopia from which the two come has turned them into accomplished soldiers but Emily and Danny are also needed to make sure the German plot does not go through.
It took me a while to hit my stride, reading this, while it is a young adult, I found it younger than I expected, certainly younger than the protagonists (15 - 16 ish). There was also an insouciant, tongue in cheek element to the writing, that it took me a while to warm to. It remined me just a bot of Steam Punk too, in a way.
I really enjoyed it once I got into it, I think the author did an extremely impressive job of representing the Melbourne colonial setting and I loved the characters the more I saw of them. I think this will be a great deal of fun for young readers though it may be more suited to girls, as Emily is such a strong character and chaffs so much against the constraints her world puts on girls.
The way in which the plot is foiled is marvellous and unexpected and I loved the ending. Quite, quite young, but heaps of fun.
Emily and her younger brother Danny live in Melbourne, sometime in the past. Houses of Parliament are about to be opened, a big deal for the colony, when Emily and Danny go out on a boat on the Yarra. As Danny shows off, he overturns the boat and Emily is rescued by a strange young man who is called Fox. After rescuing both siblings, Fox is invited home to dry and recover by their grateful parents who are under the impression that Fox is a Norwegian sailor, but it becomes quite clear to Emily that this is not the case.
In fact, Fox and his injured commander have come back in time to foil a nefarious plot which will plunge the British Empire and then the whole world into war. The terrible dystopia from which the two come has turned them into accomplished soldiers but Emily and Danny are also needed to make sure the German plot does not go through.
It took me a while to hit my stride, reading this, while it is a young adult, I found it younger than I expected, certainly younger than the protagonists (15 - 16 ish). There was also an insouciant, tongue in cheek element to the writing, that it took me a while to warm to. It remined me just a bot of Steam Punk too, in a way.
I really enjoyed it once I got into it, I think the author did an extremely impressive job of representing the Melbourne colonial setting and I loved the characters the more I saw of them. I think this will be a great deal of fun for young readers though it may be more suited to girls, as Emily is such a strong character and chaffs so much against the constraints her world puts on girls.
The way in which the plot is foiled is marvellous and unexpected and I loved the ending. Quite, quite young, but heaps of fun.
November 17, 2011
They say you should never judge a book by its cover. Wise advice… for beyond this book’s somewhat cheesy cover lies an enthralling and thoroughly engaging novel.
It’s a young adult, historical, science fiction novel in which two cadets from the future travel back in time to the opening of Australia’s first Parliament in 1901. Their mission: to prevent a bombing and thus alter the future from which they have come. In order to carry out their mission, they have to enlist the help of three ordinary teenagers. But why does the future need changing? Who sent the cadets on their mission? And who is planning the bombing?
McMullen has come up with an intriguing, well-paced plot. It works on the level of a science fiction, time-travel story and also as a period piece… and more important, it never strains credibility. The action and adventure are tempered with moments of deftly handled humour, which are always complimentary to the story rather than intrusive.
The real strength of the novel, however, is in its characters. From the future we have Fox and his Battle Commander, BC. From 1901 we have Daniel, his best friend Barry, and his older sister Emily. They all have foibles; they are all, in some way, trapped by their station in life; and they all feel absolutely real and believable. Each of the main characters has a personal journey, over the course of which they develop and grow. What more could you want? Well, you also get supporting characters with depth – my favourite being Muriel, the girl who pretends to speak with a French accent and who fancies Daniel.
I enjoyed this book so much that I was left wishing that the author had written an Afterword in which he told us a bit about how his fictional story relates to actual historical events. Was he inspired by reading something particular about the opening of Parliament? Did he end up taking liberties with any historical aspects for the sake of the story? I would love to know the answers to these and many more questions.
Before the Storm is a great read. And dare I say it… this book is begging for a sequel.
George Ivanoff
It’s a young adult, historical, science fiction novel in which two cadets from the future travel back in time to the opening of Australia’s first Parliament in 1901. Their mission: to prevent a bombing and thus alter the future from which they have come. In order to carry out their mission, they have to enlist the help of three ordinary teenagers. But why does the future need changing? Who sent the cadets on their mission? And who is planning the bombing?
McMullen has come up with an intriguing, well-paced plot. It works on the level of a science fiction, time-travel story and also as a period piece… and more important, it never strains credibility. The action and adventure are tempered with moments of deftly handled humour, which are always complimentary to the story rather than intrusive.
The real strength of the novel, however, is in its characters. From the future we have Fox and his Battle Commander, BC. From 1901 we have Daniel, his best friend Barry, and his older sister Emily. They all have foibles; they are all, in some way, trapped by their station in life; and they all feel absolutely real and believable. Each of the main characters has a personal journey, over the course of which they develop and grow. What more could you want? Well, you also get supporting characters with depth – my favourite being Muriel, the girl who pretends to speak with a French accent and who fancies Daniel.
I enjoyed this book so much that I was left wishing that the author had written an Afterword in which he told us a bit about how his fictional story relates to actual historical events. Was he inspired by reading something particular about the opening of Parliament? Did he end up taking liberties with any historical aspects for the sake of the story? I would love to know the answers to these and many more questions.
Before the Storm is a great read. And dare I say it… this book is begging for a sequel.
George Ivanoff
March 19, 2020
A great young adult yarn about time travel and derring do.
January 13, 2014
This review was written by Nalini Haynes for Dark Matter Zine. This and more reviews, interviews etc are on Dark Matter Zine, an online magazine. http://www.darkmatterzine.com.
Before the Storm by Sean McMullen is an alternative history time-travelling YA novel.
Emily and Daniel Lang, teenage brother and sister, live in Melbourne in 1901. We meet them a fortnight before Australia becomes a Federation, opening its first parliament in Exhibition Building. Fox and BC have travelled back from a bleak future to stop the bombing of parliament, a pivotal point in history leading to a century of war and massive ecological destruction of the planet, far worse than humankind has achieved to date. Fox and BC recruit Emily and Daniel along with Barry the Bag and Muriel, a school nemesis of Emily’s, to help thwart the bombing and change history.
The opening chapter says a lot about the relationship between brother and sister when Daniel accidentally capsizes their boat in a deliberate attempt to aggravate his sister. Their relationship builds (degenerates?) from there. Every down-trodden younger brother is going to relate to Daniel. In contrast, Emily is envious of Daniel because she feels trapped by virtue of being a girl with all society’s constraints and double-standards.
Both Daniel and Emily are attracted to other members of their growing gang. Sex, sexual mores and the lies children are told about sex are incorporated beautifully into a novel that I’d personally rate as ‘PG’ if it was a movie.
Daniel and Barry provide comic relief in Before the Storm, whether it’s via dialogue, trying to problem solve or their antics. This comedy is well-paced, providing a counterpoint to the adventure that balances the action without detracting from the pacing.
Each of the characters is sketched briefly by the author and, at times, the scene is also verbally sketched. Set in Melbourne over one hundred years ago, I felt that more description could have been imparted rather than merely relying on naming a street or train station. This can be a trap for a writer who is intimately associated with his real-world stage, however more descriptive prose may have slowed the pacing and may have been laborious for the target market. I couldn’t resolve this debate for myself, so I draw no conclusions here.
The time travel paradox is discussed by the characters who try to puzzle out a conclusion. While no satisfactory outcome is reached, the puzzle is laid bare for the reader ponder; this is almost a primer in time travel paradoxes.
Before the Storm is well-written as a good action adventure with plenty of comedy and some sweet romance thrown in for good measure. It’s aimed at a YA audience but has a broader appeal. Highly recommended.
Before the Storm by Sean McMullen is an alternative history time-travelling YA novel.
Emily and Daniel Lang, teenage brother and sister, live in Melbourne in 1901. We meet them a fortnight before Australia becomes a Federation, opening its first parliament in Exhibition Building. Fox and BC have travelled back from a bleak future to stop the bombing of parliament, a pivotal point in history leading to a century of war and massive ecological destruction of the planet, far worse than humankind has achieved to date. Fox and BC recruit Emily and Daniel along with Barry the Bag and Muriel, a school nemesis of Emily’s, to help thwart the bombing and change history.
The opening chapter says a lot about the relationship between brother and sister when Daniel accidentally capsizes their boat in a deliberate attempt to aggravate his sister. Their relationship builds (degenerates?) from there. Every down-trodden younger brother is going to relate to Daniel. In contrast, Emily is envious of Daniel because she feels trapped by virtue of being a girl with all society’s constraints and double-standards.
Both Daniel and Emily are attracted to other members of their growing gang. Sex, sexual mores and the lies children are told about sex are incorporated beautifully into a novel that I’d personally rate as ‘PG’ if it was a movie.
Daniel and Barry provide comic relief in Before the Storm, whether it’s via dialogue, trying to problem solve or their antics. This comedy is well-paced, providing a counterpoint to the adventure that balances the action without detracting from the pacing.
Each of the characters is sketched briefly by the author and, at times, the scene is also verbally sketched. Set in Melbourne over one hundred years ago, I felt that more description could have been imparted rather than merely relying on naming a street or train station. This can be a trap for a writer who is intimately associated with his real-world stage, however more descriptive prose may have slowed the pacing and may have been laborious for the target market. I couldn’t resolve this debate for myself, so I draw no conclusions here.
The time travel paradox is discussed by the characters who try to puzzle out a conclusion. While no satisfactory outcome is reached, the puzzle is laid bare for the reader ponder; this is almost a primer in time travel paradoxes.
Before the Storm is well-written as a good action adventure with plenty of comedy and some sweet romance thrown in for good measure. It’s aimed at a YA audience but has a broader appeal. Highly recommended.
August 27, 2013
Emily and Daniel live a sheltered and priveleged existence in Melbourne circa 1901. Into their world come Fox and BC, solidiers from the future, who need their help to save the world.
Fox and BC belong to the Imperial Army, an elite military unit from the year 2001. Australia's first parliament is due to open in a matter of days and Fox and BC are on a mission to make sure nothing(like a bomb blast) disrupts it. Emily and Daniel and Daniel's friend, Barry the Bag, must use every resource at their disposal to prevent the future of Fox and BC from coming into existence.
Along the way, Emily discovers a strength she never knew she had, and Daniel learns that he is braver than he ever thought possible.
This is a rollicking tale of Victorian values and future sensibilities told with humour and suspense. Highly recommended.
Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Fox and BC belong to the Imperial Army, an elite military unit from the year 2001. Australia's first parliament is due to open in a matter of days and Fox and BC are on a mission to make sure nothing(like a bomb blast) disrupts it. Emily and Daniel and Daniel's friend, Barry the Bag, must use every resource at their disposal to prevent the future of Fox and BC from coming into existence.
Along the way, Emily discovers a strength she never knew she had, and Daniel learns that he is braver than he ever thought possible.
This is a rollicking tale of Victorian values and future sensibilities told with humour and suspense. Highly recommended.
Recommended for ages 12 and up.
July 5, 2011
disappointing, compared with his Moonworlds books. i realise it's for a younger audience, but i missed their peculiarity, and the writing seemed more dumbed down than it needed to be. there were some great moments but it didn't cohere.
December 13, 2015
Read this about 9 years ago and I'm glad to say that I took the time to read it again. Interesting characters help to pull what could have been a very generic plot together to create a somewhat witty and interesting novel.
September 1, 2013
entertaining story interesting but not spectacular
January 26, 2010
Looking forward to the next vol!! It was a great combination of history and fantasy
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews