The Transatlantic Conspiracy

Starred review from March 14, 2016
Falksen’s (the Ouroborus Cycle series) delicious tale of undersea chicanery combines Agatha Christie–esque mystery with steampunk fantasy to create a richly engaging story that examines themes of alienation, young love, and imperialism. It’s 1908, and Rosalind Wallace, a young American with feminist leanings, has spent the social season in London with her friends Cecily and Charles. After Rosalind’s father insists that she return home on the maiden voyage of his crowning achievement, the world’s first transatlantic underwater railway, her friends offer to accompany her to New York. Of course, nothing goes as planned: Charles disappears before the trip, and several tragedies follow, including Cecily’s death. Rosalind is caught up in her grief and the whirl of the momentous journey, but she isn’t about to trust the authorities to find Cecily’s killer. Fantastical alternate history details blend seamlessly with multifaceted characters and tightly woven elements of intrigue, suspense, and romance to create a story, and a world, that will long linger in readers’ imaginations. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 14–up. Author’s agent: Lauren Abramo, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

April 15, 2016
A historical adventure sports a steampunk veneer, like an undersea Murder on the Orient Express.In an alternate 1908, Rosalind Wallace is summarily yanked from a visit with her aristocratic London friends when her American industrialist father demands her presence on the inaugural voyage of his Transatlantic Express. To her delight, both the flighty Lady Cecily and her charming brother, Charles, arrange to travel along. But first Charles mysteriously disappears, then Cecily is gruesomely murdered--and Rosalind realizes that she is trapped beneath the ocean in a deadly political game, with no one she can trust. Falksen (The Ourobouros Cycle) is a steampunk celebrity, but his first teen novel offers neither astonishing mechanisms nor inventive worldbuilding; aside from the vaguely described suboceanic railway, little distinguishes this from a generic "wallpaper historical." Rosalind displays an oversupply of exceptionalism: a suffragist, pacifist, anti-imperialist who drives motorcars, loves reading, excels at math, and despises class privilege--although she more proclaims than acts upon her ideals. The narrative mostly tells rather than shows, and the characterizations rely heavily upon national and occupational cliches (mostly white and pretty with the possible exception of servants). Still, the plot is a frenetic thrill ride of plots and counterplots, daring escapes, grand gestures, and a conclusion hinting broadly at upcoming sequels. The large illustrations (not seen in final form), while cartoonish, are attractive; the delicate mechanical diagrams decorating chapter headings seem unrelated to the text.Only for insatiable fans of the genre or author. (Steampunk. 12-18)

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June 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-In this fast-paced murder mystery, Rosalind Wallace and her friend Cecily are on an underwater transatlantic train's maiden voyage between Germany and the United States. Cecily's brother Charles disappears during boarding, and Cecily is found stabbed to death; Rosalind is the prime suspect in Cecily's death. In an effort to clear her name, Rosalind tries to identify her friend's killer. As she delves deeper into the investigation, the truth behind the train's mission and her own father's sinister plans unfolds. Readers will be immersed in the underlying political issues of the pre-World War I period in this steampunk offering. Discerning readers will be able to determine hints of communist and democratic tendencies in some of the characters, as well as socioeconomic class distinctions. Of particular interest is how servants interact with old money employers in comparison to how they interact with new money employers. Sketches of mechanical parts for the chapter headings and scattered illustrated spreads will help teens gain a better grasp of Falksen's world. The richness of the environment, great world-building, and fast-paced action at times seem to overshadow the characters' complexity. At the story's conclusion, a buildup in action leads to the big reveal of some of the characters' motivations, bringing to mind Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. However, there are enough loose ends to ensure room for a sequel. VERDICT Purchase where there are avid fans of steampunk mysteries.-Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2016
Grades 6-9 When Rosalind Wallace is called back to Pittsburgh from the social season in London, she is none too pleased, especially because her journey home amounts to little more than a publicity stunt orchestrated by her father. As the daughter of a visionary engineer, she is to reassure the public of the Transatlantic Express' safety by riding the train on its inaugural journey beneath the ocean from Germany to America. The sting of her abrupt departure is soothed, however, when her best friend, Cecily, agrees to join her. Aboard the opulent train, sinister activities are afoot, and when a murder takes place, Rosalind sets her mind to finding the killer. This light steampunk mystery takes a while to get chugging, but readers who revel in setting, fashion, and flirtation won't mind the late arrival of action. If anything, they'll wish to see more of Rosalind, who bucks early-twentieth-century conventions by professing herself a suffragist and motorist. The ending leaves room for further adventures, so Miss Wallace's fans may just get their wish.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)