The Three Emperors

September 1, 2014
Dietrich's seventh Ethan Gage adventure (after 2013's The Barbed Crown) delivers more of the usual action-packed, at times implausible, intrigue with little character development. In November 1805, Gage, who describes himself as the "American sharpshooter, savant of electricity, treasure hunter, spy, diplomat, and mercenary," is believed dead after the Battle of Trafalgar. In fact, he's in Venice, posing as Hieronymus Franklin, a "distant cousin of Benjamin." Almost a year after last seeing his wife, Astiza, and their four-year-old son, Horus, Gage is understandably preoccupied with finding them, especially after learning that Astiza may be burned as a witch. The narrative switches perspectives between husband and wife; Astiza's sections detail her struggle to stay alive and to locate a "mechanical man, or âandroid,'" built by 13th-century scholar Albertus Magnus and able to predict the future, which she could use as a bargaining chip. Gage's flippancy makes it hard to invest in the battle scenes, and the prose is sometimes labored (e.g., "As with all grand and venerable castles, the agglomeration of architecture at Ceský Krumov is haunted"). Agent: Andrew Stuart, Stuart Agency.

May 15, 2014

Early 19th-century American adventurer Ethan Gage is part con man and part hero. He is also sometimes very deadly, and his adventures have carried him all across Napoleonic Europe and North America. Along the way, he has acquired a wife, Astiza, and a son, Harry. He and his loved ones are constantly in danger and now he is on a quest to rescue them. In his seventh adventure (after The Barbary Pirates), Gage is also tasked to find a demonic device called the Brazen Head, which, in the wrong hands, could change history. At the same time, he has to foil the plots of those who wish to stop him, and that includes Napoleon himself. VERDICT Dietrich's writing style is vivid, lush, and rich. Readers will get the feel of the time period and the places involved. His plots, and his latest is no exception, are fast-paced and filled with derring-do and close escapes. Readers should suspend their disbelief, make popcorn, and enjoy.--Robert Conroy, Warren, MI

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2014
An American adventurer and his Egyptian wife join the search for a fabled object. Ethan Gage was once a spy for the British and the French but is now loyal only to his family. After barely escaping the 1805 battle of Trafalgar, he searches for his wife, Astiza, and their son, Harry, who are working their way from France to Prague on the trail of the mythical Brazen Head, an automaton that foretells the future. Arriving in Venice, Ethan tries to raise money for his search by gambling. He runs afoul of Baron Wolfgang Richter, a card sharp who cheats him out of his money. Ethan steals it back, barely escaping the Baron and his minions as he flees to Vienna. Unfortunately, he arrives just as Napoleon's troops take over the city. Napoleon, who knows Ethan's plausible patter well, uses the American's skills to keep the enemy negotiating a truce, giving himself time to gather his troops and put them in the best tactical positions. Hoping to sneak off and continue his search, Ethan steals a uniform in order to lose himself among the troops, but his plan fails, and he ends up fighting in the battle of Austerlitz. Shot in the back by an anti-Semitic French trooper he ran afoul of by defending Gideon Dray, a Jewish soldier, he is saved by Gideon and his peddler father, who take him to Prague's ghetto, where he continues to seek clues to his family's whereabouts. In the meantime, Astiza and Harry have also arrived in Prague and been granted permission to study at the university by Primus Fulcanelli, a Latin scholar who turns out to be Ethan's nemesis Baron Richter, head of a secret society seeking the Brazen Head. The latest rousing adventure from Dietrich (The Barbed Crown, 2013, etc.) shows antihero Ethan Gage, his exotic wife and a varied cast of characters grappling with an especially tumultuous historical period.

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