Untreed Reads discussion

The latest in the steampunk serial Space: 1889 & Beyond hits all the targets:

Mundus Cerialis has everything a good piece of Vernian Sci-Fi (i.e Steampunk) should have: Action, and a lot of it, suspense, intrigue, moments for the heart, a conspiracy and a little more on top of that.

Head over to Daily Steampunk for the full review and catch a book excerpt at Untreed Reads.

Mundus Cerialis by Sharon Bidwell & Andy Frankham-Allen:

The Heart, a mysterious ancient life form around which the Earth's moon was shaped, contains the secrets of the ages. Secrets it is willing to share with humanity. Only the British Empire is telling no one, not even their allies. In a concealed base, researchers are developing a method to push the Empire beyond the limits of the Asteroid Belt. To succeed, they need certain, previously unknown, minerals and metals.

To that end they have assembled a top covert team: Scientific genius, Professor Nathanial Stone; American adventuress, Miss Annabelle Somerset; and the former captain of the Royal Navy's flagship, Jacob Folkard, who is linked telepathically to the Heart. Before the mission can begin, though, they require one more person: French mineralogist extraordinaire, Arnaud Fontaine.

Their journey takes them on a detour to Messor Base, a mining instillation on Ceres, the largest body in the Asteroid Belt. Things are not running as smoothly as they appear. People are missing, fresh meat is being served in the canteen... How far will Dylan Blayney, administrator of the base, go to keep the truth hidden?

For in the world of Ceres, something has been disturbed, and a great price must be paid.