Castle in the Stars: The Space Race of 1869, Book One

Castle in the Stars is an all ages science fiction/steampunk tale that looks and feels like a fairy tale. It has something for everyone: A brave woman who pushes the bounds of science and discovery, seemingly losing her husband and son in the process. Shifty Prussian spies who seek to kidnap people. Hot air balloons powered by a supernaturally powerful fuel. A castle. A Bavarian king under siege. A band of crafty children who are up to mischief. Gorgeously painted imagery (just check out that preview).

After the events in the excerpt, things shift a year into the future where Seraphin and his father Archibald still wonder what happened to Claire. Archibald is upset that his son will not let go of his mother's seemingly crazy scientific ideas. But some unwanted, unsavory visitors come on the scene to indicate that perhaps she was not so off-the mark in her search for aether after all. What happens next takes father and son far away to a wonderful castle where they strive to complete her research and find out what really happened to her.

This story is complex yet easily grasped, and it is one of those rare ones that I feel is entertaining to a wide variety of ages from the very young to adults. The artwork plays a very large part in my recommendation, as it is a colorful and lush feast for the eyes. The larger format of the book is apt for admiring and revisiting these sumptuous images.

This book contains the first three chapters of a series originally published in France. Its author Alex Alice also has a number of other works, including a trilogy based on the opera Siegfried, available in English. His blog has not been updated in a while, but you can learn more about him at his entry at the Lambiek Comiclopedia.

All of the reviews I have read sing this book's praises. Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review, concluding, "Like the best steampunk, this story is one excellent distraction after another, with enough blueprints to hold people’s attention while they’re waiting for Book 2." Publishers Weekly summed up, "Lushly painted scenes, an abundance of banter among the young heroes, and plenty of action and gadgetry make for an engrossing tale of discovery and betrayal." Todd Young wrote, "The art and creativeness of the story make it a book I would recommend to anyone, regardless of age." Kelly Fineman called it "Perfect for folks interested in history, alternate history, steampunk, space exploration, science, and adventure."

Castle in the Stars was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and much more here.

A preview copy was provided by the publisher.

Five Fists of Science

A sort of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in a historical vein, The Five Fists of Science is basically a steampunk adventure where Nikola Tesla, Mark Twain, and Bertha von Suttner combine forces to bring about world peace by sharing giant robots with every nation. Their adversaries, including Thomas Edison, J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and Guglielmo Marconi rise up against them, building an ominous structure called the Innsmouth Tower (a reference to the works of HP Lovecraft, a writer of fantastic and horrific fiction), a cauldron of black magic that threatens humanity and freedom. Tesla and his allies combat this menace using their wits and piloting giant metal robot warriors. Seeing Mark Twain fight Thomas Edison using a giant rock-em sock-em robot is a pretty fantastic and unexpected delight.

This rollicking volume is the creation of Matt Fraction and Steven Sanders. Fraction is a longtime writer most known for his work on the Marvel Comics characters Iron Man, Thor, and Iron Fist as well as his creator-owned sci-fi/superspy series Casanova. Sanders is a commercial artist and occasional comic book artist who has mostly worked on X-Men spin-offs and S.W.O.R.D. for Marvel Comics. Fraction talks more about the creation of FFoS in this interview.

The reviews for The Five Fists of Science has been pretty positive. Jog called it "fun, very fast, very light, and probably worth seeking out for those who dig the idea of turn-of-the-century historical personalities thrust into a comedic action/sci-fi plot, with a cup of Lovecraft poured on top, drizzled with anime kitsch." Mitro of the Alternative History Weekly Update wrote about the book's accuracy, "While the personalities of the villains may have been tweaked, Twain's humor and Tesla's quirks were effectively captured and Bertha worked well as the cliche hot steampunk girl." Jamie S. Rich wrote that it "isn't a perfect graphic novel," but it is still a "good ol' pulpy adventure with familiar faces living out the roles we always imagined they could." Comics Should Be Good's Brian Cronin found some faults with the book as well, including that "the final confrontation seemed a bit rushed...but that doesn’t detract from most of the comic, which was action-packed, fun and funny."

This graphic novel was published by Image Comics. A black and white preview is available here from Fraction. The actual book is in color.